Chatique with Laura Lou

Look around you.

COVERS: The next time you are reading a magazine, pay close attention to the cover. Some covers, like the Martha Stewart magazines, there is graphic artwork that easily translates into a layout. Other magazine covers are just fun to duplicate into fake-covers. Really impresses friends who don't know about digital scrapping. My son-in-law's family are still asking him how his photo got on the cover of a Fishing magazine, and his daughters on the cover of Baby Talk Magazine.

ADVERTISING: It is all around us. In magazines and newspapers we can just cut the inspiration out or tear it out and scan. With TV and billboards it is harder. You may want to start carrying around a notebook or sketch book...purse size.

GREETING CARDS: With all the work and artistic talent that goes into some greeting cards, what a shame that they aren't used. Now that have gone digital I still find inspiration in the beauty of cards. Here is a card I received for Christmas, and here is the layout I did from that card.

ARTWORK: I consider CD covers artwork and here is a CD cover I scanned and the layout from that cover. If you don't feel like visiting a museum to find art, there is a LOT on the Internet.