My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Biomimicry

Biomimicry: “is the design and production of materials, structures, and systems that are modelled on biological entities and processes”

Video: Looking back at the preparations and my Biomimicry design demonstration and workshop at the Floral Trends Design Group (South African Flower Union) in South Africa

For a detailed look at the concept of the workshop (and additional pictures of the workshop) see Biomimicry Demonstration and Workshop

Design 1:

Hydrate

We had a look at how plants remain hydrated. Transpiration causes a vacuum and this moves water up the plant. Just like a drinking straw.

Biomimicry Design 1

For our first design I showed how I make water test tubes to keep plants hydrated out of drinking straws

See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions

Design 2:

Ecosystem

For this design I discussed how we find our own design style. Mine has somehow become "sticking plant things to other plant things"

Biomimicry Design 2

Creating small ecosystems where your design elements can creatively come together.

Design 3:

Copper wire

In this design we looked at how plants attach to things. Think tendrils and suckers and winding. I discussed how to use copper wire pot scrubbers to wind around twigs to create garlands and how to curl wire tendrils...

Biomimicry Design 3

... and curls.

See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on how to unravel a copper pot scrubber and how to design with it.

Design 4:

Magnet

We looked at how plants grow by moon-cycles and I talked about gravity and magnetism.

Biomimicry Design 4

... and I slipped a Boutstix Corsage Magnet into my water filled test tube and used the partner magnet to attach it in my design

Design 5:

Three legs

In this design I discussed the benefits of balancing your design on three legs

Biomimicry Design 5

We made our own tripods and I showed how tripods can be made using acrylic tubes and a 3D printed triangle

Biomimicry

It was such a great day! Thank you to everyone at The Floral Trends Design Group in Cape Town, South Africa for a flowery fun day of designing.

Biomimicry

And a special thank you to Boutstix Floral Magnets for our design favours

Every week I add a new design with related tutorials. Be sure to subscribe to receive an email notification with design inspiration.

Tutorials

28 August 2013 Unravel Sisal string to get Sisal Fibers

I purchase a huge roll of sisal string to use... sometimes as string, but mostly I unravel it for the fibers

22 March 2017 Using sisal and wood glue to make a rigid and versatile foundation for floral art armatures

Wrap thin, glue soaked sisal fibers around a balloon or ball to create a barely there armature

22 March 2017 Pin Protea foliage into a curl

The sturdy Protea leaves holds it shape even when dried when pinned into place

22 March 2017 Add plant material and a wire support to sisal armatures

Customize sisal armatures by adding a wire skeleton and interesting bits of plant material

22 March 2017 Skewered Foliage Garland

Create a garland that dries well with rolled up leaves

5 January 2011 Peel a Protea flower

Peel away the tepals and bracts from a Protea flower hear to make a large composite flower orb

29 March 2012 Use a BoutStix Floral Magnet to hang test tubes

This is a fast and easy way to hang test tubes in a design

5 May 2011 Unravel wire from a copper pot scrubber

Up-cycle a pot scrubber to get a huge roll of very pretty copper wire

5 May 2011 Wire baubles

Make baubles from wire

5 May 2011 Wire curls

curl wire to add to designs

26 July 2011 Wire Tendrils

Curl the wire at irregular intervals to create a natural wire tendril similar to that of a passion fruit plant

7 September 2012 The Three legged trick for Upright Constructions

When in doubt, always give your armature three legs. Two legs are simply not enough and four legs will wobble if it is even slightly off balance.

2 October 2013 Twig garland

Add a dangling garland of twigs to the design

14 January 2011 Beaded wire

Thread thin wire with tiny beads

24 August 2011 Stain wooden skewers with natural dye

Using fruit, berries, flowers, leaves and grasses to naturally stain design details for floral art relies on the same techniques as using paint or any other dye.

7 April 2012 A Neighbor friendly way to deflate a balloon

Apart from avoiding the noise popping a balloon makes this is also a less violent way to deflate a balloon when you make Papier Mache items

8 May 2013 Glue a Sisal Fiber Bubble

Mix Sisal fibers and glue to make a bubble

19 June 2013 Sisal Disk

Create a inflexible circle armature to hang flowers from

Favourite Flowers

Phalaenopsis

Phalaenopsis, Moth orchid

Lilium

Lily

Anthurium

Anthurium, Tailflower, painters palette, Flamingo flower

Protea

Protea (but each variety also has a common name)

Related Designs

10 May 2017 About a line

Skewer and line up leaves to create an armature

31 May 2017 Let's hang out

Skewer some Eucalyptus to suspend between the orchids

24 October 2018 It all stacks up

Quick and easy: Stack autumn leaves onto a wire for a... tiny table top Christmas tree.

27 May 2020 Take a Stab at it

Skewer a few leaves to turn a single carnation in a bud vase... into an occasion... all by itself!

11 June 2012 Wish Upon a Dandelion Star

A sticky shooting star made with gypsophila stems and fluffy dandelion seeds

26 June 2012 Diamond Jubilee Waterfall

To commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee and the 20th Anniversary of Friends of Government House Gardens Society a Horticultural event was hosted in the gardens and...

8 May 2013 So happy together

Glue a sisal bubble for a few delicate flowers to rest in

19 June 2013 This Moment

Create an armature design outside the vase

27 May 2015 Limelight

My RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2015 Limelight Floral Art Design. My Limelight design was inspired by a slice of lime. But I wanted it to look like it was spun by a butterfly. I used...

9 September 2015 Fall Treasures

A sisal mat armature for fall twigs flowers and leaves

22 March 2017 Biomimicry Demonstration and Workshop at the Floral Trends Design Group, South African Flower Union

Looking at how we emulate nature’s best biological ideas to solve our modern day design problems.