Flat or 3D??

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Flat or 3D??

Hi,

Do you like flat bits and pieces which are pictures of things or do you like the more realistic 3D type things eg photos of real flowers etc?
and why?

I don't love the 3D type of stuff, but would love to see some things made with them to see how they can work.

smiley

It depends on what I'm doing. If I'm going to print it to use in my travelers notebook, I prefer "flat" things. But if I'm making a digital page I definitely like 3D stuff. You can check out my gallery to see the different styles.

I'm partial to 3D/realistic pieces for elements, though flat papers are obviously fine; the flat elements usually end up looking to me like mid-90s low-budget CGI, and I like my layouts to look like you'd feel the flower petals and the layers of paper under your fingertips if you reach out and touch the page. But it's largely a matter of personal preference; there are plenty of designers out there who do vector-style flat elements and make enough sales to stay on at one of the larger stores, just as there are lots of realistic-style designers.

Yes, definitely a personal preference isn't it! I will check out you gallery Marisa.

I have seen some people here really have the knack for layering those 3D realistic pieces, and their projects look amazing!

I prefer 3D Realistic for scraps, but also sometimes painted kits or simply drawn decorative parts, mostly for greeting cards. But I also like to learn and try new styles.

Yes, maybe I should push myself to use some and try some new styles.

My albums are very flat! I would love to see some peoples 3D cards! It may inspire me to make some!

I've always been a bit 3D on my digital pages but I find more recently I have been gravitating towards more flat elements and super simple and quick pages smiley I think it may have to do with me doing Blurb Trade books for an overview of the year (I did my 2020 album back in January and have started my 2021 but haven't done much so it will most likely end up being a bunch of pages put together super simply again LOL)

Great question, Jo. smiley I like them both, depending on what I want to do. I am rather conscious about not overpowering the photos themselves. Looking at my layouts tho I tend to go for the flat ones more often or be it for a really big 3D flair, metal or jewel. In comparison to the general use of flowers on SB pages (or design in general, wow) I'd say I use them moderately. They are often attractive 3D representations.

It really depends on the project. Though I tend to lean toward 3D objects a good chunk of the time. I love experimenting with different styles but nearly always come back to very busy and colorful layouts.

Love all these different perspectives.

@Kirsty I was looking into those blurb trade books recently after hearing them mentioned on a blog or something - they sound like a great idea for that sort of documenting.

@Bina - I love the idea of having that one feature piece that might be a bit bigger and better so to speak.

@Janet - I love busy and colourful, I can definitely appreciate the minimalist layouts, but I definitely lean much more towards colour and busy!

Off-topic, but I also recently started using Blurb to print my yearly albums, and have been very pleased with the result. (As is my husband, since they're much slimmer than the giant albums I've been using for my printed layouts!) On-topic, unless I'm doing a layout involving more of the digital brushes and stuff, I do tend to prefer the 3D look. I come from a paper scrapping background, and still prefer the look that the page could have those textures if you touch it.

I last printed a blurb album about 10 years ago, but I am thinking that I really need to look into them again!!!

I do paper project life and also think about that and texture sometimes too.

I prefer 3D elements. However, I've seen some great flat LOs too. I'm just not good at making those; it doesn't feel right. But, I suppose I should try to branch out and try new things.

I think I tend to prefer in-between. Even when scrapbooking physically, I never made a lot of use of really "chunky" elements. But I like it when they have a little visual dimension (although I don't mind totally flat, either). So they look like realistically 3-dimensional flat pieces, if that makes sense.

So I'm likely to use textured and thin "dimensional" things, like glitter, thin bits of metal or wire, or those one-layer Primo flowers. If they're digital, I like them to look like the real thing. And if I have "layered cardstock" bits, I like for them to look layered. But I'm not often inclined to use things like beads and conventional silk flowers (with centers & all), etc., either physically or digitally.

Yeah, thats interesting Rachel, but I totally get what you mean... it can look so so flat sometimes, but I thin I am sort of into that.

As I said before, my PL albums are very flat. Do any ladies have any tips to give the illusion of 3D without making them really fat?

@Emily: Are you doing a physical Project Life album? The best thing about digital is it takes all the bulk out of the equation and you can use as much 3D looking stuff as you want.

I'm a hybrid scrapper so I'm strictly flat - it prints better & is easier to cut out. I do all my layouts on the computer then print the bits, cut them out, & stick them down. This way I can satisfy both my love of neatness & order (& tech) but also my need to be tactile & play with real paper. And if I want something 3-D, I add it in real life!

I heard someone doing that recently sarah, and I think it's such a great idea.. then you can just have the best of both worlds absolutey.

It absolutely is, Jo! Though I will admit there are days when I wish finishing the digital part meant I was completelh done! Days when I really don't want to print the photos & & the journal cards & any other bits, then cut them up, put them on the page where they're supposed to be, then glue them down. But *most* of the time, I love doing it (at least, I love doing it once I'm actually doing it!). =D

hahaha I was doing a few physical layouts this weekend and was thinking that - I had a few things to do to finish off the layout and just couldn't get the spark to finish it off!!

The last full scrapbook I made was for my mom. She died a few days after she got it.
I did some flat on the computer but it had some 3D look to is and when I put it all together I added dimensional things here and there.
Like you said Jo, we get the best of both world that way.