Creating an Illustrated Scrapbook

Every great idea is born from a sketch, a doodle, a first draft or, in the case of designer and illustrator Nuria Mel., a cutout. Through scrapbooking, Nuria carries out her creative vision by combining illustration, collage, and different craft techniques.

In this course, learn how to use scrapbooking as a creative reference tool for your illustration projects, helping you develop stories and document the design process. With Nuria, start building your first illustration scrapbook step by step using a series of experimental cutting exercises.

Start things off by getting to know Nuria and her experience as an illustrator. Take a look at some of her most important projects and get introduced to some artists and illustrators who have inspired her work.

Nuria introduces you to the world of scrapbooking, explaining what a scrapbook is and its origins. Learn what ephemera are, what the scope of this discipline looks like today, and the different elements that make up a scrapbook. She teaches the differences between a sketchbook and an artist's book, before going through the tools and supplies needed to get started.

Then, start planning your project by searching for a topic of personal or professional interest and learn how to choose a color palette to help you achieve visual harmony throughout your scrapbook.

Build an album from scratch and learn how to create different storage elements which can be included inside your album or within any pre-made notebook.

Make your own collection of signature clippings using some of Nuria's favorite clipping and collage techniques. Learn to analyze a collection, classify it, and select the materials that will compose your album.

Design the layout of your scrapbook pages and assemble your cutouts to tell a story. Create a closing system, prepare the cover, and get some final tips for conserving and using your illustration scrapbooks.

Create an illustration scrapbook by searching for a topic of your choice. Develop a collection of cutouts and experiment with different drawing, cutting, and collage techniques.

Illustrators, designers, artists, or anyone interested in enriching their creative process by experimenting with cutting techniques, collage, scrapbooks, and collections of graphic material.

No specific prior knowledge or specialized scrapbooking tools are needed, just an interest in crafts, a bit of creativity, and a fascination for nostalgia.

You will need the following materials and tools: cutting tools like a utility knife, sharp scissors, a hole punch, a ruler or squares, and a cutting base. Other materials include glue, sheets of foam type paper like EVA, papers of different weights like cardboard (could be recycled), old photographs or magazines, and adhesive tape. You will also need to have whatever techniques or finishes you wish to explore, like colored pencils, acrylic paint, crayons, or pastel chalk.