Designing with Dried Flowers & Foliage | Floristry Tutorial
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- Опубликовано: 31 окт 2023
- See my video on Mangrove Creek Flower Farm here: • Visiting a FLOWER FARM...
I’m often asked about designing with mainly dried or preserved foliage’s and flowers do I have any tips and tricks to ensure the completed design comes together nicely. Well, here are my thoughts about dried forms, they are just that - dried or past their best. What was once a lush bloom or foliage has lost its lustre and all moisture, but to me they still retain visually interesting textural qualities along with dulled tonal values.
I think the trick to ensure that the completed picture looks correct is to veer away from any thing shiny like glass or metallic’s and stick to earthenware, rustic finishes and something dull in tone works best as a container. Designs using these forms have come and gone throughout my almost 50-year career, but each time they return, what was once never used becomes trendy and fashionable or with the passing of time, did we just become more relaxed. I’d like to think relaxed is best and as my constant source of inspiration, Constance Spry was known to say, ‘the difference between a weed and a flower, is just a matter of opinion’. Isn’t that wonderful? So, lets dive into designing with dried materials.
There are no hard and fast rules, but stick to a container that is equally dull in finish and appearance as indicated above. As I was taught, get the base structure right and then use your eyes to select what’s in and what’s out.
You will need:
- Chicken wire to fill cavity of container.
- My design uses dried off giant white king proteas and a few banksia cones. As King protea die off you will find that after a while, the inner bracts/petals will drop out. Pull these and put the blooms into a very low and slow oven to completely dry off or crisp up, and then hit them with several coats of hair spray.
- This will help keep the last remaining petals fixed, but they will fall in due course.
- My container has a soft whitish concretey look and feel, so I’m sticking with this colour-way along with pods, sticks, honesty, baby’s breath &
- Because they dry off nicely a few sprigs of bay - the green will give depth to the finished design.
- I couldn’t find dried off wildflower, but I did unearth a bit of artificial pink. At times you can use artificial as long as it’s hidden beneath other forms. The lustre of these can visually hinder the end result.
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Thank you Astar, generous with advice as always. Gorgeous design
Love this Astar. You are so talented to make such beauty come alive the way you did this with the branch. Thanks for posting.
What a lovely arrangement! The dried proteas are great! Thanks for reminding me of the dried lotus pods. They work in so well and add lots of interest.
Beautiful Astar. I love the silver and pink hues. Thank for sharing.
beautiful!!! thanks for sharing. be safe.
Really beautiful. You do amazing work and I just love your videos.
Oh, I love it when I show myself I’m not just enjoying the beauty you create, Astar, but learning too! I didn’t like the Baby’s Breath because it felt too “alive,” and I thought the white fluffy form perfect for the middle! Thank you for sharing another bit of your beauty with this crazy world! 👏🏻💖
You have such style❤
Really enjoy your channel passionate work make it more beautiful
Another triumph! It did come together so well at the end with those few last additions! I love dried plants and flowers, so this definitely gives me ideas! Chicken mesh looks a bit tricky, haha 😅 But you make it work well!
Hi Jesse, the chicken mess really is fantastic, but it involves a bit of additional navigational skills. Warm regards Astar
Thank you very much! That’s interesting and new!😘
Beautiful