Digital Scrapbooking Day

I'm not exactly sure who decided that today was Digital Scrapbooking Day, but I am assured that it is. We're having a big 50% off sale at NDISB all weekend. I thought, in honor of the day, I'd post my interview from the October newsletter. (Theresa asked me the questions):

You once made a couple of fonts; one of your own handwriting. Did you enjoy making the fonts? Is this an area you would like to pursue further, or was the process so laboriously awful that you never want to do it again?

It was pretty laborious, actually. I was using Corel Draw, which works, but it's not really the best tool for that sort of thing. My handwriting font took me almost four days of pretty solid work. (This was before my daughter was born, I should add!) Mostly I just really wanted a font of my own handwriting. I'd been doing all my journaling by hand, and sometimes I was frustrated at not being to fit all that I wanted on the page.

You were a 2002 winner of Creating Keepsakes Hall of Fame. Have you ever submitted any of your digital layouts to magazines for publishing or for other contests?

I haven't! I went a long time without scrapping much (when my daughter was born), and these days I spend much more time designing than scrapping. I always admire people who seem able to do both. I think I'm just really slow.

Your style as a designer is amazingly realistic. Without divulging any secrets, do you feel you rely on your formal art education to create your pieces, the long way, or are you fond of some of the fantastic tools available to designers that offer a shortcut, but less ability to truly make it your own? Or do you find you use a variety of methods?

You know what--this is funny but I don't actually have a lot of formal art education. I was an English major in college. I did take a lot of art in high school, and then in college I took a few classes like watercolor, calligraphy, and bookbinding, just to keep things interesting. In my designing, I do a bit of everything--creating things from scratch, using actions, and also creating things physically and digitizing them. I've spent a lot of time playing with paint, carving and stamping with potatoes, tying ribbon, and tearing paper. I used some polymer clay in my "Bluebird" freebie. It's been a great way to feed my creative urge and have fun with a lot of different things. There's a bead store here that offers a lampwork class, and I've been thinking of taking that to see if I can incorporate glass into my designing somehow.

As a student of the arts, who are among your favorite artists? What period inspired you the most?

I think I'm drawn to illustration and design as much as fine art. I admire Greg Olsen's lighting, James Christensen's detail, Norman Rockwell's facial expressions. There are some amazing trompe l'oeil muralists out there that make me just drool with envy. Usually it's realism that catches my attention, but I'm also drawn to color and free, gestural lines. Recently I really enjoyed the stylized animation in the ending credits of Ratatouille. I'm not very good at that sort of thing but I'd like to try.

Your layered templates are among the most creative I've seen. Is this an area you are hoping to do more in (please oh please) or are you looking at diving into other areas of design and starting a new trend?

I do have some more Breakthrough templates on the to-do list. I know these have been really popular. I think people like tools that they can use to get an unusual and realistic effect, and customize it with their choice of papers. I've got a few more ideas for tools like this, but I think I'll be doing a lot of other things too.

Where do you find your color inspiration when you're designing?

I'd like to say it's intuitive, but I do spend a lot of time fussing and tweaking. I remember the first time I was trying to put together a kit--it was an Easter theme, and I had a terrible time finding a green that would go with the other colors. It took a while to get used to the way the colors interact on the screen. And I think I tend to gravitate toward using the same color and the same combinations over and over, so I have to push myself to try new things.

If you had one day where you could totally shadow any artist from any period of time, who would it be?

I'd like to watch Michelangelo painting that ceiling. Though I hear he was pretty crabby about it, so maybe that wouldn't be fun. But hey, if I get to go back in time, and if I can take my husband with me, then we'll just skip out on artist-shadowing and go see the sights.

Aside from your most adorable daughter and wonderful husband, what are your favorite subjects to scrap?

Probably nature, and places. My husband says we have way too many pictures of ducks and squirrels.

If you could return to Korea to live for a year, in a non-missionary capacity, where do you think you'd choose to spend that year? In one city, soaking in the local culture and getting to know your neighbors, or all over the country, trying to experience it all?

Some of both? I've been to Korea three times, for a total of about two-and-a-half years (as a missionary, for a summer internship at a publishing company, and teaching English with my husband). It's been over ten years now and I am just dying to go back. I just love the country, and the people, and the food, of course! What I really want to do is travel all over and visit lots of Buddhist temples, and take tons of pictures to make a coffee table book. The temples are often in gorgeous settings in the mountains, and they're just so picturesque.

What exciting things can we expect to look forward to from the amazing Helena Jole in the coming months?

I'd like to spend more time with Corel Painter and do some painting, probably of animals. I've used the program a little bit and loved it, but there's so much there that even just choosing what brush to use can be rather daunting. Beyond that, we'll see where inspiration strikes!