Paper and bases

How to combine patterned papers without them fighting

A simple rule about pattern scale, plus a fast way to pull a colour palette straight from your own photo.

When a page is not working and you cannot say why, the patterns are almost always competing with each other. The trick is not taste, it is varying the size of the print: two patterns at the same scale cancel each other out, three at different scales fall into order by themselves.

Supplies

A patterned paper pad from one collection — Patterned Paper
Matching plain cardstock
The photo or main motif for the project

Step by step

Pull the palette from the photo, not the pad

Look at your photo and pick the three colours that appear most. Then find papers containing those colours. That way the paper supports the photo instead of burying it.
Use the rule of three scales

One large print (big florals, bold geometrics), one medium (stripes, mid-sized dots) and one small or nearly plain. Never two large prints together.
Save the large print for the background

The boldest pattern goes at the very bottom and covers the largest area. Small prints belong in the upper layers and in narrow strips.
Add a plain layer as a breather

A plain cardstock layer between two patterns separates the prints and gives the eye somewhere to rest. That is what separates a tidy page from a collage.
Repeat one colour three times

Choose an accent colour and make it appear in three separate spots: an embellishment, a paper strip and the sentiment. The page then reads as one piece.
Check by squinting

Step back a metre and squint. If everything blurs into one even grey mass you need contrast: swap a layer for a very light or very dark plain.

Practical tips

When in doubt, stay inside one collection: the designers have already done the matching for you.
The reverse of many papers carries a quieter version of the same print. It is often the one you actually need.
Kraft and off-white go with almost anything and cool down a palette that is too bright.