Simple Tropical Flower Arrangement
Line in design is important, in fact, it's an Element of floral design! If you're hoping to test with the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) for certification or accreditation, it's something you'll want to understand. In this Flower School How-To Video Leanne explores linear design with a wonderful selection of tropical and temperate flowers, including bold red anthuriums, craspedia, parakeet heliconia, and fun protea. Enjoy!
Video Transcription
Line in design, something that everyone seeking to do AIFD needs to focus on. So let's explore it in today's arrangement.
The vessel, a pottery vase from my shelf. It's an antique. No, you can't find it. You'll have to find something similar. I lined it with plastic midnight foam, and then the inspiration was to think about fire colors. I had beautiful red anthurium, heliconia, and pincushion protea. Bold and fabulous.
Many of you know when you're taking classes with me, I start with the emphasis when I design and then go to line. Other times, I prefer to start with my line and then go to emphasis. Today, I'm going to start with line. The anthurium, their faces already draw your eye outward. So giving them a cut, placing it in, determining how long, and then pulling the eye on in, shortening it, making sure their faces continue. And then one more, drawing your eye all the way back towards the center of the design. Tucking it low. Then thinking about bringing the line up. The heliconia will be wonderful for that. Thinking about where my stem is, binding point, all the things we pay attention to in the classroom. Adjusting these and then placing it in. And I can repeat, bringing in another to make it even taller.
To finish the line, I need to balance on this side. So using some pincushion protea with this nice curvature, giving it a break, cutting it down, and then letting it come out and curl back in so it visually draws your eye inward. And then repeating that down below, helping to pull the eye into what will end up being the emphasis area right in here, everything feeding to. Then starting to work with some basing to cover my mechanics and also to brighten the bottom, tucking carnations down very low, covering the foam and pulling the eye inward.
To finish, adding texture, adding interest, a little bit of contrast. Leucadendron can fill in with the pincushions, hiding the rest of the mechanics, drawing the eye outward, carrying the eye through from side to side. Then Scabiosa pods coming to the front, maybe not quite that long, filling it in, pulling the eye out, and then tucking it in shorter, shadowing, adding some texture and some interest, drawing the eye inward with the anthurium. And then Craspedia to take that beautiful yellow from the carnations and bring it upward towards the center. And then turning it and looking to make sure you're balanced front to back and side to side.
A final detail, just a little bit of lily grass, giving it a cut and let it drape out with the anthurium. And then repeating that, putting a pick on it, pulling it inward, and then cutting each down and letting them pull back into the arrangement, adding a little bit of dynamic movement, adding interest and excitement.
The recipe. Two heliconia, three pincushion protea, and three anthurium. Then to finish it off, I used three stems of Leucadendron, 10 stems of Scabiosa, 10 yellow carnations, eight Craspedia, and then six strands of lily grass.
Working in the linear style takes a little practice, but is so much fun. You'll find more education and instruction on the website, flowerschool.com. If you have questions, you can reach us through there. But now, it's your turn. Find some fabulous flowers, create a linear arrangement, take a picture, post it on social media, and #FlowerDesignInstitute. That way, we all can see what you do as you do something you love.
