I like arrows! They are a fun way to emphasize something in your pages: a photo, a title, even a little portion of journaling. They can also be used to draw your eye across the page or signify motion.

Created with Jen Maddocks Time Flies. Center photo by Rachel Crowe at unsplash

I created this page with Jen Maddocks Time Flies Bundle, which includes an awesome pack of arrows!

Here’s how I combined an arrow with a photo mask for this page.

Select the arrow layer: Control + click (Command + click on Mac) on the layer’s thumbnail to select the layer.

Now, you want to Grow (or Expand) the selection. In Affinity Photo, where I’m working, you find it under the Select menu.

 

I increased the radius to about 14 pixels and hit Apply.

For me, the expansion looked a little jagged, so I decided to Smooth the selection just a little (5 px). This option is also under the Select menu.

Finally, I picked a soft-edged brush from the basic brushes. I grabbed the Eraser tool, and erased the mask layer inside the active selection.

And that’s it! I was pleased how the dark portions of the clipped photo stood out against the curved arrow once the bits were erased.