Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Biomimicry
- 22 March 2017
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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:
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.
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:
For this design I discussed how we find our own design style. Mine has somehow become "sticking plant things to other plant things"
Creating small ecosystems where your design elements can creatively come together.
Design 3:
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...
... 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:
We looked at how plants grow by moon-cycles and I talked about gravity and magnetism.
... 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:
In this design I discussed the benefits of balancing your design on three legs
We made our own tripods and I showed how tripods can be made using acrylic tubes and a 3D printed triangle
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.
And a special thank you to Boutstix Floral Magnets for our design favours
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Tutorials
I purchase a huge roll of sisal string to use... sometimes as string, but mostly I unravel it for the fibers
Wrap thin, glue soaked sisal fibers around a balloon or ball to create a barely there armature
The sturdy Protea leaves holds it shape even when dried when pinned into place
Customize sisal armatures by adding a wire skeleton and interesting bits of plant material
Peel away the tepals and bracts from a Protea flower hear to make a large composite flower orb
This is a fast and easy way to hang test tubes in a design
Up-cycle a pot scrubber to get a huge roll of very pretty copper wire
Curl the wire at irregular intervals to create a natural wire tendril similar to that of a passion fruit plant
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.
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.
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
Favourite Flowers
Phalaenopsis, Moth orchid
Lily
Anthurium, Tailflower, painters palette, Flamingo flower
Protea (but each variety also has a common name)
Related Designs
Quick and easy: Stack autumn leaves onto a wire for a... tiny table top Christmas tree.
Skewer a few leaves to turn a single carnation in a bud vase... into an occasion... all by itself!
A sticky shooting star made with gypsophila stems and fluffy dandelion seeds
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...
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...
Looking at how we emulate nature’s best biological ideas to solve our modern day design problems.