Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Because that is just how I roll
- 4 November 2020
- click to send Christine a smile
- and more
Last week I promised to share a bit more of how I decide which Designs and Tutorials to share with you every week here on the My Creative Workbook website. Over the years I have given it a whole lot of thought and I have come up with a set of "Guiding Rules" that is inline with my goals as a person, an artist, a design educator and my hopes and dreams for this floral design resource that I have created for you.
My YAY! for the week is if the design I prepared for you check all these boxes:
The design must be inline with my personal values and design philosophy.
If you are curious about my design philosophy you can read more about it in my book (all of it but especially page 267 where I explain to you how I test rules)
Tatjana recently wrote a comment about my book saying: "... And maybe the most important of all - it is based on such a humane, pure approach to nature and fellow human beings! ” That really touched me. Yes, I strive for that. Thanks so much Tatjana.
Originality Each of these designs are from my own imagination. My goal is to show you something new every week and to achieve that I keep my own design inspiration strictly purely, me. I invest a lot of time and energy coming up with these ideas. Some are pretty and some are pretty out there! Same with the writing- it must be fun and positive and uplifting. With a bonus point if I can make you smile broad enough to click the "Send Christine a smile" button.
Which also explains the rather odd titles for most of the Tutorials. I make them up as I go along. Which makes it rather strange when it becomes a design term or a Google-able word. I often have to explain at demonstrations that some of the things I do is not actually "A Thing" I just made it up because I did not know what else to call it.
No special vases, tools or equipment (or design space, really) required to make these designs
I go through great lengths to use only what you probably already have or can easily pick up or find. The exception is my competition designs that I share but those are special circumstances. But I want you to say: I can make that.... I have one of those! It's on purpose. And maybe even more valid as a "guiding rule" now while we are all restricted and struggle to source some of the things we might require.
Must fit every budget so that you can create a similar design every week... if you want... or even try again if you want another go at mastering the technique.
I remember studying floral design and seeing the elaborate design inspiration by my design idols and feeling rather frustrated because even though I am inspired to recreate and practice something I had to scale it down to fit my budget... and the availability. I remember thinking that some of the designs I adored would clean out the twigs available at my floral supplier and might still not be enough! I don't want you to feel like that. If anything I want you to say... I can go bigger than this!
Made from plant material that can be easily bought or ethically foraged
Same goes for the kind of flowers I use. Yes! I absolutely love exotic and rare blooms... but what use is a tutorial for conditioning Egret orchids to you if you can't source them? It is interesting to know how, I agree but again I want you to be inspired enough to take action and create something beautiful without taxing your resources.
Be educational it must absolutely work! And be based on our floral design practices and be practical to solve real world design problems.
Yes, I really love fantastical designs- I love creating them as well. Designs that are just free and out there and... well...
But for the purpose of this website I draw from my formal training ( I have two college certificates in traditional floral design) and from my experience ( I attained my advance accreditation in 2010) to offer you real solutions. I want you to design arrangements that lasts. That are sustainable. And ethical. And pass scrutiny from the design experts and if you are that way inclined, the judges. And that are professional enough to sell to clients and not only comply with the design rules laid out and supported and encouraged by our floral industry but ensure that it flourishes in the years to come.
And lastly my promise: There's a lot more to contemporary floral design than placing flowers in a vase. I teach original techniques and skills that turns flower arranging into a meaningful craft form that makes your life more beautiful, reconnects you with nature and even improves your health... whether you design for passion or profit, or passion and profit.
Because if you have all the know-how you need when inspiration hits, your design not only looks better it's also way more fun to create.
Every good wish,
Christine
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Tutorials
A quick solution for a minimal horizontal autumn display -on top of bud vases.
Up-cycle a pot scrubber to get a huge roll of very pretty copper wire
Make a continues length of flexible willow to weave or design with by wrapping the delicate stems with thin wire
Most stems, twigs and even sturdier branches can be bend into shapes. It takes practice and more than a bit of patience. The main idea is to slowly manipulate the branch without...
This armature is actually made of four times as many leaves as what it looks like to create a hinge to fan the entire leaf-tube open yet keep it's shape.
Favourite Flowers
Phalaenopsis, Moth orchid
Related Designs
Whether it’s a solid foot for floating flowers, the tips of new growth or the curve of a dried twig your design needs help to stay upright.
oh yes, a light an airy design showing off those very first autumn leaves.
Managed to find an utterly gorgeous branch... perfect contrast to the minimal orchids.
Advanced level Workshop: For my Easter Parade Demonstration I made 6 hand-tied designs within armatures. The concept was to pick up the design while demonstrating and to literally...
Fold and thread an autumn leaf armature for a thankful Thanksgiving design
Soft minimal... this is exactly the kind of design I place in our apartment. Use a few fall treasures picked up on a walk and add a copper leaf to up the effort and love you add...