A delicate cream-colored floral pattern upholsters this elegant footstool that is both a decorator's dream and a comfy household necessity. 18" x 14" x 18"
For people who know a lot about flowers/floral design?
When floral design first emerged as an art form, emphasis focused on?
A. the arrangement of several varieties of flowers in a tight bunch, or mass.
B. creating flowers from nonfloral materials.
C. light, airy, and romantic arrangements.
D. using flowers in their natural state and shape.
I believe the answer is D
Ikebana, Continental and Western Design
by Robert Gordon, AIFD
Are you inhibited by floral design? Does it seem much too complicated for you to try? Have you said, ``I don't have the talent to arrange flowers." If the answer to any of these questions is ``yes," then I want to differ with you. As a result of many years of teaching floral design, I am convinced anyone can be taught to make acceptable arrangements. You may never be a blue ribbon designer or give a floral design programs, but YOU can be taught to make floral designs you and your friends and family will enjoy.
The use of flowers has been part of the culture of man from the beginning of recorded history. Floral design as an art form is just beginning to come of age. To date, it has not been recorded in a comprehensive way. There are specific instances of recording, such as in the schools of Ikebana, but as a general subject as it pertains to the culture of the world, documentation has not yet happened. The first step to learning to arrange flowers is to take the time to sort out what is available in styles, plant materials, etc. and find where the differences lie. You need to move towards uncomplicating what most people deal with in a complicated manner. Taking the time to sort through will make flower arranging much simpler and a whole lot more fun.
The world enjoys three basic styles of floral design, all of which have developed into art forms. They are Ikebana, Continental and Western. Generally speaking, you can categorize them as follows; Ikebana has its roots in the orient and is based on line, form and sparseness of materials. Much of Ikebana has the silhouette of an asymmetrical triangle. Continental has it's roots in Europe and is the exact opposite of Ikebana. It is a mixture of many kinds of material, many colors and many textures without obvious line. Its silhouette is circular. Western is a combination of the two, adopting the line and form of Ikebana and the Continental use of more materials. The United States became the melting pot of floral design as it did many other things. It is good to note that Western emerged into being in the mid-1940's whereas the other two have been recorded for centuries. As Americans, we liked the art of Ikebana and the abundance of continental. From the commercial floral design standpoint, we are interested in the American way (the quickest, easiest way to accomplish the best results) to still end up with an artistically acceptable design. In Ikebana, we hear the terms shin, soe and tai, sometime called heaven, man and earth. These lines are often curved and complicated, but most of all they are time consuming. Therefore, in Western style, we adopted the primary, secondary and tertiary of straight lines. The feeling of Do (Ikebana) or focal point was also appealing. To avoid interruption in rhythm, all stems must radiate from the focal point to the lip or the top of the container instead of above the lip as they do in Ikebana – the container in Western is no linger an integral part of the design as it is in Ikebana. Making the lines straight, and moving the focal point, made the construction of the design much simpler and therefore faster. Westerners also liked the abundant look of Continental but not the mixture of so many materials, so we adopted using more numbers but not such a variety. Most Western design is done with one or two kinds of material and most certainly not more than four. We can create an asymmetrical background (silhouette) using primary, secondary and tertiary lines of 10 or 12 flowers of the same kind and color (perhaps pink gladiolus). Across that pink background, we can place a contrasting flower (perhaps red carnations) in a diagonal line. We can finish the design with a filler flower or foliage. In this way, we can get both the artistry of Ikebana and the abundance of Continental in a quick and easy construction
Floral Designing Corsages and Boutonnieres: Flowers You Wear
Designing flowers to wear for special occasions can range from the very simple to the very elaborate. Corsages and boutonnieres do not have to be elaborate to be attractive and well designed.
Flowers that are worn should be placed on the left shoulder, wrist or lapel. Boutonnieres for men should not contain lace, bows or other feminine accents. A small V shaped ribbon behind the flower to coordinate with the corsage worn by the gentleman’s companion is however, acceptable. Pin the flowers from the back of the lapel to hide the pin. Pushing the boutonniere through the buttonhole on the lapel will not hold the flower upright and will create a “lumpy” effect.
Corsages are also worn on the left shoulder or may be worn on the left wrist, if the formal attire will not support the weight of a corsage. Some women prefer to pin a corsage to their handbag. Corsages may be composed of one flower or several flowers. Lace, tulle and ribbon are all appropriate accents for a lady’s corsage.
To construct flowers to be worn, each flower needs to be wired and taped individually. This removes the bulk of the stems while allowing you a little “bend” room in the construction of your piece. The most common sizes of wire used are #22, #24, #26 and #28 depending on the size of the flowers being used. Chrysanthemums, dendrobium orchids and lilacs are examples of flowers needing a size #22 wire. Many flowers need a #24 wire including: carnations, daisies, lilies, roses and tulips. Smaller, lighter weight flowers such as, alstroemeria, gypsophila (baby’s breath), freesia, and statice need a #26 wire. A #28 wire is used for the most delicate flowers and fillers.
Four basic wiring techniques:
Cut the stem to one inch then pierce the calyx clear through with the wire then bend wire down and tape with floral tape from flower down covering the calyx and wire. Examples are roses and carnations.
Hook Method-for flowers with a hard disc-like center. Cut the stem to one inch then push the wire up the stem and out the middle of the flower. Form a 1/2-3/4 inch hook then gently pull the hook back down through until the end of the hook emerges from the base of the flower (do not pull clear through), tape. Example are daisies and mums.
Wrap-Around Method-for small clusters of filler flowers. Cut the stems to 1-1 ½ inches then wrap a light wire around the stems multiple times, tape. Examples are statice and gypsophila (baby’s breath).
Hairpin Method-for multi-stemmed flowers and foliage. Bend the wire into a hairpin shape and place around the stem. Wrap one wire around the stem and the other wire, tape. Examples are ferns and leatherleaf.
Some flowers take a specialty wire which we will not discuss at this time. Those flowers include, but are not limited to: gardenia, lily of the valley, orchids, and stephanotis.
To tape the wired flower simply place floral tape at the calyx and twirl the flower while gently pulling and twisting the tape downward, around the calyx, shorten stem and wire. Tear off at the bottom and wrap the end around the stem.
To construct the corsage or boutonniere, tape two wired flowers, or a leaf and flower, together then cut off one stem. Continue adding flowers, leaves and filler, one at a time, each time cutting off one stem to remove bulk. To finish off the last stem wrap the tape under the end of the stem and back up a short ways to cover all the wires and stems at the bottom. A bow may be added to a corsage. To finish the boutonniere with a flare spiral the end of the stem by wrapping it around a pencil a time or two.
Keep in mind the “odd” rule used in flower designing. Using an odd number of flowers is more pleasing to the eye then even numbers which create a boxy, square look. Silk flowers to wear are constructed in much the same way. Happy designing!
About the Author
Author Ellen Skiles was twelve years experience in the floral industry including three years in a greenhouse, four years designing in a shop, and seven years as head designer and manager of a second flower shop. She provides content for www.arrangefreshflowers.com.
