On my online workbook this week: Not just a pretty face!

Dear

This week's inspiration is faux elements that can do double duty: set them to work!

Last week I showed you a 100% faux design. Well… 99% I think those tiny pine cones were natural… once. They have been so processed that it hardly counts!

This week I am showing you how to mix the faux with natural elements. In competition work we have a 70% rule: that is the amount of natural floral material you need to let it dominate in your design. Designing with this ratio in mind has become part of my personal style, in fact I aim for about 80% and up. But that is not always easy to do in contemporary designs which requires you to build structures!

My tip for you for this week: when building floral sculptures first look if you can’t find something natural to do the job you want to do… and then, if you can’t find a type of plant material that will do what you want to do and need to use something faux or artificial see if you can somehow make it decorative as well: for instance this week’s frosted wire I used for twisting twigs into the armature for a sparkly winter design. Another example would be a faux critter or butterfly that points in the direction you want the viewer's eye to go. Even just matching the type of wire to match the colour scheme of your design will enhance the overall look. And then adjust the ratio so that your fresh plant material dominate. But always first see if you can’t find some twig or vine or even a flower to do the job.

Enjoy!

Every good wish,

Christine

ps: just for interest sake, in design work, the opposite of natural is machined. The moment something was machined or processed it no longer counts as plant material. But again this differs from place to place. Do you have this classification where you design?