Flower Arrangement

Lesson 05 : Basic Principles of Art in Flower Arrangement

Focal Point

The focal point of a design is the area that attracts and holds the interest of the viewer. This spot or area dominates the design. The focal point, also called the" center of interest," is located near the place where the stems or main lines appear to meet. (Fig: 5.3). The radiating lines direct the eye to the center of interest. Balance requires that the center of interest be near the base of the design.

The strength of the focal point is dictated by the style of the arrangement. A round arrangement placed on the center of a table does not really have a focal point since the arrange­ment must be equally attractive from any position around the table. Many modern arrangements require a strong focal point, while the focal point of line arrangements should be moderately strong because the lines of the arrangement should dominate.

There should be only a single focal point in a design. Ar­rangements with more than one create a restless movement of the eye and unity within the arrangement is destroyed. The following are suggestions for creating a focal point.

1. Bring the main lines of the design to the point.
2. Place the largest flower there.
3. Concentrate the plant material in that area.
4. Place the darkest color or the brightest color there.
5. Place strongly contrasting colors or textures at this point.
6. Place an unusually shaped flower there.

Emphasis:
Emphasis and focal point are closely related. Emphasis fo­cuses the attention on one feature and keeps everything else secondary. The focal point is one way of creating emphasis in an arrangement, but other factors are also involved. Tex­ture, color and kind of flower and movement combine to achieve it as well. Good use of emphasis or dominance estab­lishes order within the arrangement.

It is easy to develop a design using different kinds of flowers, foliage, and colors. When the arrangement is fin­ished, each of these competes for dominance and the ar­rangement becomes uninteresting. Use a predominance of one color, texture, line, or kind of flower and complement this with small amounts of other colors and flowers. By maintaining a dominance of one type of material, the fin­ished design is more pleasing.