On my online workbook this week: Hop… Lots!

Dear

This week's inspiration is the luxury of seeing blossoms go from bud to fluttering petals.

My tip for you this week is about getting your design foundations done as the plant material condition.

Any flower or branch that will grow and develop in a predictable way gives you the opportunity to start with some early designing… then letting it develop… and then finishing the design.

This is a great way to add that “how on earth did you manage to do that?” element to your designs. For instance in this design, the more flexible twigs towards the top of the design are subtly interwoven from the one side to the other to keep the branches at the right angle. Of course these flexible branches carry the buds that are about to blossom. The blossoms will be damaged if you cross the stems to hold the branches in place once fully opened but designing with the tight buds gives you the opportunity to thread them through even tiny gaps without any damage at all. Easy to do early on and then once it is open it looks spectacular and you have managed the seemingly impossible.

Enjoy!

Every good wish,

Christine

ps: I have added a new video to the grasshopper Tutorial for you. I am always amazed how, even though you use exactly the same fold for each critter... they develop completely different personalities! Have a look and see if you can spot the grumpy one. And also make sure to add the critters so that they look like they are having a fun conversation with each other. Nothing should ever look as if it is desperately trying to escape from your design.