Tip Aifd, here we come

RWK

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This is the evaluation/critique/comment thread.

When you post a picture of your design, please remember that the commentary is based on viewing a two dimensional image of a design. A design that looks like a great design may in reality not be a passing design. Please do not take our commentary as an indication that the submitted design would or would not pass the criteria for AIFD.

So, keeping that in mind, please post your designs and we will be glad to comment/ critique/ evaluate as best we can.
 
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bare shoulder body flower.jpg2804.jpgexotic funeral arrangement 2.jpg

Ok here is three...
 
fixing to head out the door to work.....when I get in this evening, I'll look closely and give you my opinions/critiques. Thank you Lori for being the first one to post.
 
Thank you Ricky for offering to do this...It is great motivation to take pics...
I have been taking the extra time to relook at my work once it is done and try to catch any mistakes I regularly make so I am aware of my weaknesses and can concentrate on not making those mistakes at the PFDE...but it helps and awful lot for a set of unbiases eyes to look and see if there are small but critical things that could mean the difference between a so-so design and a definate winner...
 
well here's a corsage- I will have to re-size my other pictures so I can upload them (I *think* that's the problem I'm having) Glad to see this going on again!

PS.. I fixed my issue! here are 3 more!
 

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well, I'm not putting any pics up, just so whoever is going to symposium can get the critiques they need.

BUT- I did want to say this...A good while back Ricky and Carol did this for me when I was going to go to symposium in Kansas City. It was a tremendous help.

Also- whenever I enter a contest, after the contest is over, I ask questions of the designers who opinion I respect. I try really hard not to take things personal either.

Some of the best mentoring I ever got was from Marie Ackerman at TF educatin center a few years ago. She went through each and every pic of my portfolio at the time with me sitting side by side and critiqued each pic. I will say, some of the things were hard to hear, but man I am a way better designer for listening and learning.

Ricky and Carols help has been invaluable as well and I always am happy when Cathy likes something I've made.

Ricky, Carol and Cathy- I don't think I could ever thank you guys enough for all your mentoring, not only to me but to all of us on FC. You guys are freakin' Rock Stars and I'm grateful to call you mentors and friends.

So good luck to all taking the test this year! My hat is off to you!!
 
Ricky and Carols help has been invaluable as well and I always am happy when Cathy likes something I've made.

Ricky, Carol and Cathy- I don't think I could ever thank you guys enough for all your mentoring, not only to me but to all of us on FC. You guys are freakin' Rock Stars and I'm grateful to call you mentors and friends.

QUOTE]

Ditto, ditto, ditto! Well said, Shannon. But really, for me anyway, hats off to ALL fc'ers, you all rock, you are all mentors, just not always in design. Enough said, don't want to clutter things up. (aww, c'mon, Shannon, post. This isn't just about this year, it's for always)
 
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Shannon, feel free to post...We are so close to testing date that if we don't have it inline yet we ain't gonna have it...so by all means, post learn do!!
 
I think it would be better to discuss stuff on the other thread and keep this free for pics and critiques, otherwise it will get cluttered.

I am not going to aifd, never will, but i am at a place where i would like to improve my designing skills and so welcome feedback. P.s. personally i would like feedback from any fc member as i respect all florists views.
 
Okay, I am a pretty good designer and judge, but, not quite smart enough to figure out how to judge these entries. Is there a special place to go or do I just comment and reply to each individual post?
 

On the first three Lori - The body flower = The single aster blossom seems out of place......were there more asters not seen in the design? If that area was intended as focal area/emphasis....you needed more 'detail' there. Additionally, some of the rhinestone sprays might have been divided to allow you to add some sparkle to the centers of the gerbera. Focal Emphasis is one of the more important aspects looked at by the evaluators.

The Casket spray next - THis is a pretty, traditional, sellable, garden spray. Well done....but if it were submitted for evaluation, I would think it would score no higher than average. Using some grouping techniques would have helped raise the 'creativity' factor I think.

Last - The tropical - first thing I noticed was the odd leaning angle of the tip of the eremurus. Your obake anthuriums made a nice focal emphasis........although with the rostrata heliconia hanging in front.....it adds to the focal and almost makes it overwhelming. Perhaps if you had lifted the rostrata in the design and made it taller.....it would not have overhadowed a strong focal. The fan palmetto could have used some simple trimming/tailoring techniques to add some visual interest and to 'up' the creativity factor.
 
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Carol - just do a reply with quote...........thats what I did.
 
A few questions regarding pfde testing..

1) How specific do they get when wanting our designs? ex. everyday arrangement for a man in a hogarths curve style..casket spray for an open casket for a woman...do the specify design type or just give you what they want and then you decide what to use from your flowers and in what style..

2) Do they tend to give you regular common flowers or do they throw in some stumpers just to slip you up or see how you handle products that are rarely seen?

3) On mechanics, like curling ti leaves, I usually use a wire, but notice that when Cathy and Phil curl ti leaves they pierce, is this a more acceptable mechanic than using a wire?

4) In the list of tools we are allowed to bring, they mention a glue pan....Will we be given silk to work with, I cannot think of any other reason for a glue pan...unless it is for gluing foam in which case I will need to go out and get a bigger glue pan?
 
Yes Lori....You may need to glue foam to your container........or possibly a container to another container......or ribbon to an easel.....or any number of things.

You will be given specific TYPES of arrangements to do.....how you interpret the styling of the design is up to you. For instance.......the lst PFDE testing session I attended in Kansas City, the body flower assignment was a boutonierre for a best man.

Now, the only difference between the AES that I took and the PFDE that you will take is instead of the designer's choice design, you will be ask to duplicate an existing design.

You'll have a huge array of common and not so common florals and other material to work with.........and yes.......there can be some 'stumpers' in there. However, In relaity, from the container selection, to the floral selection, to the hard goods selection, to the design assignments, to the way the designs are evaluated......you really are given every chance to pass. You really are being tested on just your skill as a designer.

To give you an example of using glue other than to glue foam.........let's say you have a green recreations mache bowl and a green recreations mache pot.......and you want to give the pot a base........so you would invert the bowl, glue the mache pot on top base to base, then maybe pt a ring of myrtle around the seam to hide the mechanics of glueing.
 
Yes Lori....You may need to glue foam to your container........or possibly a container to another container......or ribbon to an easel.....or any number of things.

You will be given specific TYPES of arrangements to do.....how you interpret the styling of the design is up to you. For instance.......the lst PFDE testing session I attended in Kansas City, the body flower assignment was a boutonierre for a best man.

Now, the only difference between the AES that I took and the PFDE that you will take is instead of the designer's choice design, you will be ask to duplicate an existing design.

You'll have a huge array of common and not so common florals and other material to work with.........and yes.......there can be some 'stumpers' in there. However, In relaity, from the container selection, to the floral selection, to the hard goods selection, to the design assignments, to the way the designs are evaluated......you really are given every chance to pass. You really are being tested on just your skill as a designer.

To give you an example of using glue other than to glue foam.........let's say you have a green recreations mache bowl and a green recreations mache pot.......and you want to give the pot a base........so you would invert the bowl, glue the mache pot on top base to base, then maybe pt a ring of myrtle around the seam to hide the mechanics of glueing.

Yeah that is all stuff I use a glue gun for...Ok I will be out getting a glue pan...the one I have is teeny tiny just enough to dip the end of silks in...
 
To give you some more examples.......During my AES testing, we were asked to create an 'attendant's bouquet' for the wedding category.

One designer created a beautiful bouquet by creating a cone of curly willow, in the top of the cone she placed two african violet plants we had and then enclosed that with a cage of willow. Another design assignement was a hair design for the body flower category. Imagine a sweetheart princess TIARA created out of wired peices of equisetum glued together to make the shape and crown of the tiara and then 'jeweled' with green hypericum berries. Since we had a designer's choice category, my choice was to create a cremation ring design.....using basing techniques like pillowing, tufting, terraceing, etc.

I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH, HENCE MY REASON FOR ALL CAPS AND IN RED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DO NOT GO INTO THE PFDE AND DO A DESIGN THAT YOU HAVE NEVER DONE BEFORE. THAT IS NOT THE TIME TO DO SO. DO WHAT YOU KNOW AND DO IT EXPERTLY. A WELL-CRAFTED, WELL CREATED, TECHNICALLY PERFECT DESIGN, FLAWLESS MECHANICS, BUT LOWER ON THE CREATIVITY FACTOR.........WILL SCORE HIGHER THAN A FAR OUT CREATIVE DESIGN THAT IS EXECUTED POORLY.

DO WHAT YOU KNOW TO DO AND DO IT BETTER THAN YOU HAVE EVER DONE IT BEFORE. THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO TRY SOMETHING NEW BECAUSE YOU THINK .... IF I DID THIS, IT WOULD BE SO COOL.
 
If you really want to be part of the Revolution in Boston, then you gotta volunteer! The workroom is THE place to make new friends and you learn SO much! If you are attending Symposium this year and haven't already volunteered, email me at mailto://[email protected] and I pair your time and talent with an amazing volunteer opportunity!

Be Revolution(ary),
Volunteer!

--james
James L. Lowe, AIFD, CFD
Lowe's Floral
Minot, ND
 
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