On my online workbook this week: I love flowers
Dear

This week’s inspiration is… strange as it might sound, truly looking at lemons. But as a designer… go look at some lemons.

My tip for you this week is about creating space to truly see what you have been looking at. Before you start designing, check if any of your plant material has something more to add to the floral story that you are about to tell.

For me this week, I knew I wanted to somehow place the lemons on the container to help me balance the plant material but then when I washed them I noticed that all of my lemons (except one… can you guess which one?) had pointy ends. Ideal to extend over my container and that is exactly how I balanced them. If I started to design too soon I might have missed the importance of the shape of the lemons and how those pointy ends can help me. I would have struggled to tame the rolling lemons and balance them lightly to create the mechanics for this design.

Instead the pointy ends allowed me to create a light and airy design even though I am using chunky yellow lemons. Just let the lemons gently settle to hover lightly rather than wedge them into the container- which is a great alternative (see the Tutorial below the design for detailed instructions on how to do that) but more suited to a design that requires a solid mechanic. And of course, without this way to balance the lemons our design will be a huge frustration to craft and even when we finally manage to get it somewhat stable it still appears chaotic and confusing and unnerves the viewer. When it comes to floral storytelling if the viewer is uncomfortable they might just overlook the clues you are leaving for them to interpret your floral story. We need balance.

So my tip for you this week is to condition your plant material. Get everything ready. Then step away and let the idea simmer for a few moments. When you come back to it you will be amazed with how this creates the space for you to be even more creative.

Enjoy!

Every good wish,

Christine