{"id":134,"date":"2015-08-16T17:36:48","date_gmt":"2015-08-16T16:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/?p=134"},"modified":"2015-08-16T17:36:48","modified_gmt":"2015-08-16T16:36:48","slug":"european-parallel-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/index.php\/2015\/08\/16\/european-parallel-design\/","title":{"rendered":"European Parallel Design"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p>A European Parallel Design is a formal linear design where\u00a0the forms and lines are dominant. The lines in this design are created by <strong>grouped plant material set in a vertical pattern with negative space between each section<\/strong>. The negative or empty spaces allow the eye to travel through the arrangement. These arrangements can be stylised (decorative)\u00a0or naturalistic (vegetative) and\u00a0whilst they can loosely resemble a garden border they are not necessarily arranged to mimic\u00a0how you\u2019d see plants in nature, and you need not\u00a0 be confined to combining plants that are seasonally compatible.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/table-parallel-blogsize.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-136\" src=\"https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/table-parallel-blogsize-595x476.jpg\" alt=\"table parallel blogsize\" width=\"426\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/table-parallel-blogsize-595x476.jpg 595w, https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/table-parallel-blogsize-960x769.jpg 960w, https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/table-parallel-blogsize.jpg 1199w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 426px) 100vw, 426px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>I enjoyed creating this design as part of a workshop evening back in the spring. To create this design I\u00a0started by filling a low rectangular\u00a0container with floral foam\u00a0(the design above was done in a large\u00a0flat tray that held 3 blocks of foam) Next step is basing and if you have a large arrangement you will need plenty of leaves, greenery and perhaps pebbles or stones to create or fill in your base.\u00a0 Thirdly I completed the vertical lines before finishing up the tapestry base with pillows of green dyed reindeer moss.\u00a0 Dried Allium heads create a firework effect with the shell buttons that I pinned into them to enliven their colour.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Basing a parallel design<\/h2>\n<p>Covering the area at the base of a floral arrangement is generally known as basing. An arrangement\u2019s base is the horizontal ground surface found at the top of whatever you are using as a container. This ground surface usually consists of the exposed surface of the floral foam block into which the floral elements are inserted.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Basing creates focal emphasis at the base of an arrangement<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Basing a design can activate the surface with texture. Texture is the main element involved in basing, but colour plays an important part too.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Formal linear and parallel arrangements need open space for all of the upright placements to be clearly visible. This leaves the surface of the foam exposed, since there won\u2019t be any bulky foliage to cover the foam in a general way.\u00a0 Nothing much should be hanging over the edges in\u00a0a parallel design so you won&#8217;t require long lengths of greenery &#8211; \u00a0mainly shorter sprigs or lengths (eg.\u00a0buxus or pittisporum) and a variety of textured, flat or rounded larger leaves (I used bergenia and griselinia)\u00a0\u00a0are useful.\u00a0\u00a0I have seen tips recommending that you\u00a0attach a large leaf such as an\u00a0apidistra leaf with greening pins to cover up the foam at this stage, rather than going back and filling in with moss at the end. Some stems will poke right through the leaf, whereas you may need to poke a hole for other, more tender ones. This method is ideal if you don&#8217;t have moss or intend to use many flowers in the base. Here is a picture of what I describe.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 446px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/annmacmullan.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/03\/img_1776.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"446\" height=\"335\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image from Roots to Blooms <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.ie\/url?sa=i&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=images&amp;cd=&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0CAYQjB1qFQoTCKP06qzlrccCFQUq2wodL30A3Q&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Frootstoblooms.com%2Ftag%2Fliatris%2F&amp;ei=S5vQVeOiFoXU7Aav-oHoDQ&amp;bvm=bv.99804247,d.ZGU&amp;psig=AFQjCNHphvItR5V-oIbLrUdrbskLgNAI2A&amp;ust=1439820978549580\">https:\/\/www.google.ie\/url?sa=i&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=images&amp;cd=&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0CAYQjB1qFQoTCKP06qzlrccCFQUq2wodL30A3Q&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Frootstoblooms.com%2Ftag%2Fliatris%2F&amp;ei=S5vQVeOiFoXU7Aav-oHoDQ&amp;bvm=bv.99804247,d.ZGU&amp;psig=AFQjCNHphvItR5V-oIbLrUdrbskLgNAI2A&amp;ust=1439820978549580<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Several other techniques used in basing are layering, terracing, clustering,\u00a0pillowing, and\u00a0pav\u00e9ing.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/P1100208_cropped_rs.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-140\" src=\"https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/P1100208_cropped_rs-595x265.jpg\" alt=\"P1100208_cropped_rs\" width=\"595\" height=\"265\" srcset=\"https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/P1100208_cropped_rs-595x265.jpg 595w, https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/P1100208_cropped_rs.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 595px) 100vw, 595px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Layering<\/strong> is where\u00a0leaves or other thin, flat materials are placed one on top of the other for visual effect. The edges of the leaves get the most attention in this technique.\u00a0Leaves can<br \/>\nbe secured together in stacks of three or more with a small wire and placed into the foam horizontally. You might layer leaves of graduated sizes with the largest on the bottom. Or they can also be reversed to reveal the different colour or texture on the back. Another technique may be to place the layered stack of foliage so that it extends over the edge of the container \u00a0breaking the line created by the container\u2019s edge.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Terracing<\/strong> is simply placing materials on top of one another, divided by space, like a staircase.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pillowing<\/strong> is a basing method\u00a0where rounded shapes are the object. Think of rolling hills, clouds, or pillows: the contour is rounded, and harsh angles are absent. Pillowing involves the use of a mounded mass of floral materials at the design\u2019s surface level.\u00a0 In my design I used the pale green moss to give a pillowed base pinning it in with wire where necessary.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pav\u00e9-ing<\/strong> is a tight clustering technique where the surface of the bunches remains totally flat, creating a cobblestone effect.<\/p>\n<h2>Creating the parallel lines<\/h2>\n<p>Once you have formed a good horizontal base for your parallel design you can turn your focus toward creating\u00a0the lines of upright materials in your arrangement. The lines create negative and positive space. These vertical lines should vary in height, distance from one another\u00a0and in colour to lead your eye up and down and around the design.\u00a0 Notice how I replicate or carry the similar\u00a0colour groupings at different heights in the arrangement from on the base to up high.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/resize-parallel.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-139\" src=\"https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/resize-parallel-595x446.jpg\" alt=\"resize parallel\" width=\"595\" height=\"446\" srcset=\"https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/resize-parallel-595x446.jpg 595w, https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/resize-parallel.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 595px) 100vw, 595px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>You will\u00a0see that\u00a0in my design I have used a technique called <strong>grouping. <\/strong>This is a key characteristic of parallel design and it refers to placing collections (groups)\u00a0of identical floral materials in an arrangement, and separating the collections from each other with clearly defined<strong> negative space<\/strong>. There must be space between individual groups of elements because this\u00a0space is what\u00a0makes each group distinct.\u00a0 This space is \u201cnegative\u201d because it separates the individual elements. In a grouped arrangement, the flowers in a particular group must all be the same. The individual flowers within each group generally retain their individual identity and can be of different heights.\u00a0 Grouping gives the colours and shapes additional strength while adding visual emphasis and impact to each area in the arrangement.<\/p>\n<h2>where is good to display a parallel design?<\/h2>\n<p>There are many possibilities\u00a0for parallel designs. Our flower club worked on these in preparation for creating decorations to top the radiator covers along the side aisles in our church flower festival and form long displays across the gallery ledge.\u00a0 On a smaller scale these\u00a0 make great table centerpieces because you can see through them easily and they look good from all sides. There are few limits to what your imagination can do &#8211;\u00a0you can quickly create a little mini &#8220;world in a box&#8221; that\u00a0seldom has anything\u00a0to do with the way plants would really be growing. Intriguingly this design really stood out to the men in my family and I have heard it said that men prefer these vertical designs.<\/p>\n<div id=\"fb-root\"><\/div><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_GB\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/index.php\/2015\/08\/16\/european-parallel-design\/\" send=\"false\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"true\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-summary\">\nA European Parallel Design is a formal linear design where\u00a0the forms and&hellip;\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/index.php\/2015\/08\/16\/european-parallel-design\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;European Parallel Design&rdquo;<\/span>&hellip;<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":141,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-floral-art","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":144,"href":"https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134\/revisions\/144"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justbloomingfloralart.philandmel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}