Here is one possible example of a horizontal line cluster using the five elements provided. This is an average design, not too minimal and not too fully loaded.

Evaluate My Cluster—Here’s What I Did

Remember, I prefer to use the Top Down Method for creating a cluster. If you prefer a different method, your process would be different.

• I chose the big and fluffy teal flower as my focal element. I gave it a high shadow (from my action set) and plopped it right in the center of a blank document. I LOVE that flower!
• Next, I tucked the brown flower slightly under the teal one. I made sure the metal peeked out to give my cluster extra texture. The size of the brown flower looked best much smaller than the teal one. I also made sure the horizontal center of the brown flower did not line up with the horizontal center of the teal flower. That’s important. Varied horizontal centers make a cluster more interesting to the eye.

• Then, I added the yellow berries. Notice that only half of the yellow berries are showing. That helps my cluster appear shorter and more compact, not so sprawled out.
• Next came the lace. I tried different positions for the lace—centered to the teal flower and offset to the teal flower. I liked the look of using the lace to anchor all three of the previous elements—the two flowers and the berries. Also notice that the horizontal center of the lace is different from all the other elements.
• Finally, I added the flourish. Offsetting the flourish to the left added balance to the cluster. Because the flourish is so ornate, I made sure to only let parts of it show. Also, notice how the height of the flourish is the same as the height of the teal flower. That creates balance.

Step Two: Copy My Cluster Exactly

• Take the time to create an exact copy of my horizontal line cluster above. Use the elements I gave you.
• Pay special attention to the order and position of each layer and element.
• Follow the advice of drop shadow depth for each of the five elements.

More Inspiration

Did you happen to try the Additional Challenge above? I had a little bit of time to play. Here are some additional horizontal line clusters I created, ranging from minimal to full.

In the cluster above, I used the Eraser tool with a hard brush to chop the three bottom elements into smaller pieces. The result is similar to my average design, but things look much more simplified.

I really enjoy making average sized clusters, but I find my style of scrapbooking is more minimal in design and often only includes two or three elements per cluster. Here are some examples of what I came up with. Notice how they are still in the form of a horizontal line, but they are very minimal by design.

And for those of you that really dig big, voluptuous clusters, this one is for you. Each of the elements provided was duplicated at least once. The two anchor elements (flourish, lace) work to create a nice long base for the cluster. There is one big focal element that is slight offset, but that element has also been duplicated a couple times and resized. This design might appear somewhat random, but if you study the horizontal centers, sizes, and layer positions of the elements, you’ll find that it’s been set up for maximum depth—which is what makes a voluptuous cluster…well, voluptuous.

NOTE: A big and voluptuous cluster is difficult to successfully pull off. I will not expect this level of clustering in this class. We’ll be sticking with average clusters.

What’s Your Preference?

So, which of my additional clusters do you like best? One of the minimal clusters? The chopped up average cluster? Or, the fully loaded design? Make a note of your preference and keep it in mind as you journey through the class.

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ATTENTION: Please do not post your results of Step One or Step Two on the class Facebook Group. Doing so may sideline the creative process for your fellow classmates.

If you’re mega excited to share your result of Step Two, I’d love to see it. You can

email it to me or send it via the Help Desk.

CAUTION: Don’t rush to Step Three until you’ve successfully completed Step Two.