The Coronado Flower Show is this Saturday and Sunday at Spreckels Park. The theme of this year’s show is “A FLORAL OLYMPIAD.” I have signed up to do a floral design in Section B. The theme of the section is Olympic Traditions and the class I’ve entered is The Olympic Rings. Having said that, it’s time for a design review!
Elements & Principals of Design are pretty fundamental in art, but I had never had a formal introduction to them until I went to Flower Show Judge School. In the class, especially at the beginning, I was a bit overwhelmed taking it all in, but it’s getting easier. Some people used acronyms they made up to help keep things straight, but it wasn’t sinking in for me until an instructor compared Elements to the ingredients of a recipe and Principals to the recipe. Poof, now I get it!!! Elements are the tangibles and Principles are how you use those tangibles.
Elements of Design
Color – The characteristic of light by which the individual perceives objects or light sources; how the eye sees and interpret wavelengths of light
Form – A three dimensional object
Light – Illumination necessary for vision
Line – One-dimension visual path through design
Pattern – design formed by solids and spaces between them
Size – the perceived or visual dimensions of components rather than actual dimensions
Space – the open area in and around a design
There are 3 kinds of space – total space, space within plant material, space established in design
Texture – Surface quality of a material
The only way I can remember the Elements is to put them in alphabetical order.
Principals of Design
Balance – visual balance or stability
Dominance – the greater impact of one element over the others
Contrast - use of opposite characteristics to emphasize differences
Rhythm – created by a dominant visual path of lines, forms, and/or colors in a design
Proportion – comparative relationship of areas and amounts
Scale – the size relationship of one object in a design compared to another
Some people use BADCROPS as an acronym to remember Principles. Drop the vowels and you have your PRINCIPLES.
I have realized over time that I use Elements and Principles in a lot of creative things I work on. If I had majored in art, I probably would have gotten this training in some form, but better late than never. I love learning something that changes my perspective, and the Elements and Principles were a biggie.
This is what I’m entering in the Coronado Flower Show. I wonder what the judges will think about my design.
Floral Design - Section B Theme: Olympic Traditions Class: The Olympic Rings
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