| Chatting With Cathy Zielski |
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Transcripts from July 10, 2003 |
Rebecca – About Scrapbooking Guide: Welcome Cathy...thank you so much for joining us tonight! We are all very excited to have you here as you can see from this great turn out. Would you mind starting by telling us a little about how you got started scrapbooking?
Cathy Zielski – Simple Scrapbooks Editorial Board Member: How I got started …Well, I innocently walked into a scrapbook store thinking I would pick up a few albums and when I saw all of the stuff, I literally freaked and of course, spent tons of money and there has been no looking back. I have always LOVED photography.
Melissa – Assistant Chat Host: For questions from the gallery, let's start by talking about fonts, since you currently write the Fonts 411 column for Simple Scrapbooks Magazine. One chat guest asks, "I have so many fonts it's overwhelming! Where do you begin choosing fonts for your layout??"
Cathy: Here's what I do....First and foremost, I start out simple. I have a deep love of type and especially of classic typefaces, such as Garamond, Times, Goudy. So I keep it simple to start, often with basic typefaces like that. I think traditional, roman style fonts as those mentioned will just never look dated on a scrapbook page. Although, I love fun and crazy fonts too. I just generally start very conservatively on almost every single layout I do. So, simple is good, see!
Melissa: What is your all time favorite font to use?
Cathy: All time favorite Adobe Garamond – timeless, classic, never ever goes out of style.
Melissa: Is that a Microsoft one?
Cathy: Actually, it comes from the Adobe Type Foundry, so you do have to buy it, unless you can find it online for free. I think most Microsoft programs come with Garamond or something similar.
Melissa: Ok , but this one is a little different?
Cathy: But each font, even Garamonds, can be different. Yes, it seems a little bit narrower than your average Garamond - very pretty, clean.
Cathy: Second favorite font – Gill Sans also from Adobe. Love it…it’s a sans serif, which means it has no tails or curvy things on it – very versatile.
Rebecca: Brandy-Lyn asks, what is the rule of thirds...can you sum it up for us Cathy?
Cathy: Okay, the rule of thirds is when you take your page and draw two vertical lines and two horizontal lines across and up the page and where those lines intersect are points of prime visual interest. As scrapbookers, I think you'll find you kind of do this automatically. If you take a look at some of the pages you've done, check to see where those imaginary lines intersect. What is there? pictures? titles? They are just positions on a page that the eyes are drawn to! Hope that answers the question : )
Rebecca: Very good! So what's your personal favorite design technique, Cathy?
Cathy: Hmmmm, design technique? Well in terms of a technique, and if any of you know my stuff, you know I'm not really a technique-y scrapper but, as far as techniques go....I love to create white, reversed out letters on solid colored backgrounds and then print them out on my Epson color printer and use them as title blocks. It's a cool technique that is fairly easy to do. I use a program called Quark but you can do it in MS word by typing the words you want to have reverse, or appear in white selecting them, and setting their color to white. Then create some sort of graphic box, setting that fill to a color you like and then move the text box on top of the colored box and voila, you have white type on a colored background. Love that technique.
Rebecca: I am definitely going to try that, I saw that on one of your layouts in this issue of Simple Scrapbooks.
Melissa: Do you have any secrets to well-designed pages?
Cathy: I don't know if there are "secrets" but I think the most important thing to a well designed page is balance. Balance is everything on a page. You can have either very simple layouts, or very complex ones and if you understand how to use balance to your advantage you will create aesthetically pleasing pages.
Melissa: What do you mean by "balance?"
Cathy:
By balance, I mean.....oh man, now that's a good question. Basically, there are
two areas of balance symmetry and asymmetry. Symmetry is essentially mirror
image scrapbooking - what you have on the left side of your page (a photo, for
example) you will also have on the right side of the page. Think of a plain
layout with two photos side by side, right? That is a basic example of symmetry.
The other, is asymmetry where you use things that are NOT the same, are not
a mirror image for example, a photo on one side of the page, and three small
"square punched" images on the other side of the page. Balance is all about
using the space on you page well.
Melissa: You seem to take a ton of black and white pictures? Why?
Cathy: Oh, ha! Black and white.....well first of all I ADORE black and white. Ever since I was 15 years old and worked on the yearbook staff at HS. First off, it's just totally truthful. I mean, what you see in black and white is what you get. All of the color is stripped away, and you're left with these beautiful grey tones and because I actually live in fear of color, (LOL). Black and white photos are much easier to scrap.
Melissa: What is your best tip for taking pictures?
Cathy:
Best tip? Get closer! Most people, I think, are afraid to get too close to their
subjects. One great skill a scrapbooker can develop is to start practicing how
to "see" your shot through the lens. Imagine that the space in the viewfinder is
your photo.
One tip: I shoot Kodak Black and White and get really
fabulous results with it it's the C-41 (color process, process anywhere) film.
And here's a tip that came from my good friend Tara Whitney find a place that
has a Fuji Frontier processing system because sometime, with C-41 film, you can
get sort of a green or blue or sepia tint, but for some reason, WalMarts, who
use Fuji Frontier systems seem to make the pictures look truly black and white!
Melissa: Why do you think black and white is easier to scrap?
Cathy: B&W is easier to scrap because you are not constrained by the colors in your photos. You can choose cardstock and patterned papers based on the mood you are trying to achieve and not the colors in your photo. For me, that is one step simpler. I don't tend to get all nutty with color choices anyway. I'm a conservative scrapbooker at heart! LOL!
Melissa: Is the processing more expensive?
Cathy: For C-41 or true black and white?
Melissa: Either
Cathy: C-41` is the same as any other color roll you'll process. True black and white always seems to cost me about 25 bucks for a single set of prints and it takes a week to get them back. So, I do think true black and white is superior in many ways - true ones, don't fade like color.
Melissa: It was asked if you worry about losing something with the black and white photos like hair color?
Cathy: I can still guess what hair color is.....hehe. True black and white WILL last longer, no doubt, but c-41 should last too. It's the same type of photo we shoot every day.
Melissa: Where else can we see your work? several have asked. :)
Cathy: Well, right now just on the pages of Simple Scrapbooks.
Melissa: Oh and what's the difference between c-41 and true black and white?
Cathy: C-41 is a color processed film, which means it is chemically processed the same as any roll of color film. Black and white film, well, is processed a whole different way.
Melissa: And true black and white needs special processing?
Cathy: Yes, unless you can build a darkroom in your basement! My next life.
Melissa: Someone just asked if there's a difference in using the computer to change a color photo to black and white.
Cathy: You know …
Melissa: Does it turn out as well?
Cathy: Technically, no... I mean, I do that all the time - scan a photo in color, and convert it black and white in Photoshop, then you can adjust the contrast in Photoshop and make a really lovely black and white print especially if you have a fairly decent photo printer. And by decent I don't mean expensive! I have a dirt cheap Epson 820 and it prints photos really well not perfect but well.
Rebecca: I am curious if you every use handwritten journaling on your layouts?
Cathy: I do use my handwriting because I realize there is an important, emotional connection that my children will make when they see Mom's handwriting on a layout. However, I really don't care for my handwriting on scrapbook pages. It's okay. But, I just love using type because I have more control. I can fit more words in a journaling block.
Rebecca: Yeah, I agree.
Cathy: And I can spell check. You would not believe this but I make "typos" whenever I used my own handwriting - strange but true.
Rebecca: Me too! … more often than with typed journaling.
Cathy: I LOVE seeing handwriting on layouts. I love seeing it done well... but it's not something I do well believe me, I have tried in vain to write like Heidi Swapp. Not happenin'.
Rebecca: Before it gets too late I want to ask you about your Hall of Fame experience....what was it like to get the call? Had you sent in layouts in previous years or was it your first attempt?
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