TUTORIAL | PLAYING WITH SCATTERS

Hello Everyone! I hope you're enjoying whatever season is upon you! This is Jenn, aka jk703, here today !I'm in the middle of a hot, humid, heat wave this summer! It's currently thundering and lightning, and after the heat and humidity will remain! No matter where you go, it's hot. So, it's actually nice to keep us all in the air conditioning and scrap for a bit to cool off and stay cool!

Today, I'm going to share some tips when scrapping with scatters, or multiple items within an elements, like stickers. Sometimes when I scrap, there are too many items in my scatters or the opposite, too little of the scatter. So, I like to add or delete them. It's not a hard thing to do, and now I notice it do it without thinking! I like to use the Polygonal Lasso Tool.

For my tutorial images, I've used Mirjam's Optimistic Papers and Elements. They really have such a great vibe, and since I'm a Pollyanna at heart, it's perfect for me! lol! Here are the elements that I will be playing with, and by the end they will all look just a smidgen different.

I'm using the Polygonal Lasso tool, and I'll start with the Flower Sticker.

Here is my layers, and I have chosen the Flower sticker to start with. Make sure whatever layer you will be working with is chosen.

Next, using the Polygonal Lasso Tool, I will click around one of the flowers. I have a plan, so I'm not too concerned about the white edges. If you are, zoom in and try to click so you keep the edging uniform. Once I have connected the points, marching ants will appear. [Pretend my dashes are moving like ants! Teehee..]

Now, I'm going to head up to the Menus, and choose Layer > New > and Layer Via Copy or Layer Via Cut. I usually use Layer Via Copy if I want to add more, while the Layer via Cut to move part of the sticker or scatter. Right now, I will choose Layer Via Copy. Once I click on that, I will get a whole new flower layer above my sticker layer.

Choose the Move Tool, and then choose the new copied flower layer. Then move it to it's new location. Like this:

Now, as you look at that image, you can see the white edging. I will be making my sticker more of a rub on or transfer. So, I will change the blend mode of BOTH the original sticker and the newly created flower layer. If you have the Move Tool selected, you can hold the Shift key, and press the plus key over and over again. This will rotate the blend modes quickly. If you go too far, use Shift and the minus key. For my flowers, I have used Darken. They blend right into the background perfectly.

Now, you can follow the steps to add to a scatter. Here, I've used the Polygonal Lasso tool for the heart scatter.

By using the new > Layer Via Copy, I will get some more hearts. I then used the Move Tool, and scooted them down a bit to fill in the space.

You can also follow the steps to delete a portion of a scatter or just move it to a location or it's own layer. Here is the bead scatter. I've chosen one bead, and will move it below, but want it on it's own layer. the only difference is that I chose New > Layer Via Cut. This will make the single bead a new layer of it's own. I may duplicate it later to put in in the corners like eyelets.

And after I moved it from the top to the bottom (for now).

Here is what the Layer's Palette looks like, when you have create the new layer with a cut from the original.

One last quick tip! To delete part of a scatter, just use the Polygonal lasso tool to surround the area you want to delete. Once you connect the points, the marching ants will appear. Just hit delete, and you will have deleted that section within the ants. If you want to just MOVE that part of the scatter, just switch to the move tool, and use your arrows to move that part of the scatter where you would like it. You can click on the anchor points, and then drag it further, if arrows would take to long to move the selection.

And all of the items after I've moved or changed the element:

Here is the final layout that I created using Optimistic and some scatter/sticker modification! I made the heart scatter more horizontal than vertical. I also used some of the single flowers around my page!

Hoping you can look at scatters a little differently now. I know I like to have them placed just so, and being able to change them up pleases me.
Happy scrapping.

Thanks for visiting! Hope come again soon!
Jenn Marione | jk703