Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
A Floral Fable Design demonstration Floral Art Structures
- 15 March 2012
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This was my A Floral Fable Design demonstration at the Capilano Flower Arranging club. Over the next few weeks I will show each of the designs in detail and add the design tutorials.
This week I’ll look at the basic mechanics and the Floral Art structures, constructions and armatures used in the demonstration.
I begin all four designs in the same Fairy-tale Forest: made of moss, twigs and bark. That is the basic ingredients. The demonstration explores ways to add small floral details to tell your own floral fable or simply express yourself with floral art.
With every design I add I will demonstrate one concept, thought or idea and by just slightly changing a few of the floral ingredients the design flips over into its contrast.
Floral Art Structures:
A structural design is either classified as a Structure or a Construction depending on the placement of the water source but grouped, as design styles, we refer to them as armatures (older term) or Structural Designing.
I consider myself a Structural Designer and prefer designing in an armature rather than a container. I love the drama of designing, not only the floral details but the entire environment framing the flowers.
It is possible to convey the character of a design in a lot more detail without the limitations set by a pre-designed container.
Armatures are also ideal design solutions for contemporary designers who want to create large designs without the strain on resources (both natural and financial) by creating mass and space with less expensive, sustainable and more permanent plant material such as bamboo or twigs.
The demonstration designs:
The moral of our first fable is: You can change your mood as fast as you can change your mind.
It is a hazel twig wreath glued rather than woven. Set the wreath on a round bubble vase filled with water. I will dress it with tulips to show how you can create a thoughtful, restrained and meditative design and then alter it slightly to demonstrate a playful, youthful and exuberant design
Here is the design post: A Floral Fable: Mood Design
The moral of our second fable is that colour can make you super cool or smoking hot
I begin the design arranging the plant material curled up and hibernating inside the stacked twig nest and then the spring sun will chase away the clouds and warm up the forest floor.
Here is the design post: A Floral Fable: Colour Design
The moral of our third fable is that our approach to things changes how we see the world
The twigs are placed in a container and then permanently set into place with clay. I will demonstrate how to create a trendy minimalist city design and then change it slightly to demonstrate a softer rustic country garden design.
Here is the design post: A Floral Fable: Approach Design
The moral of our forth fable is Never be afraid to go down a new road; you don’t know what great things it might lead to!
I will be using the romantic Victorian language of flowers to send a coded message. The armature is made of paper and metal covered in bark.
Here is the design post: A Floral Fable: Floriograpy Design
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Tutorials
This wreath is not woven but glued to create a see-through forest filigree
Create a twig tree by using clay to secure twigs and sticks into a pot
Related Designs
This is a detailed look at my first Floral Fable demonstration design
The favors at my Floral Fable design demonstration were BoutStix Floral Magnets
This is a detailed look at my second Floral Fable demonstration design
This is a detailed look at my third Floral Fable design. When you design, every detail you add matters and the smallest element can change the design completely.
This is the fourth and last design I did for my Floral Fable demonstration.
My demonstration explored ways to tell a story with floral art designs
My article and wedding direction board design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine