Bloem (Flower) - some thoughts on floral patterns and flower photography - 3
Eugène van Veldhoven
Designer of textiles and wallcovering since 1993. Designing patterns for textile industry, with a focus on decorative techniques. Producing short runs for fashion houses. Researching 3D printing flexibel materials.
The cliché of a flower is the daisy; a round heart trimmed with petals, on a straight stem. This is how children will draw a flower nine times out of ten (and very likely with a smiley in the heart). For a designer it is not a very inspiring thing...
On the other hand there are flowers that are so atypical or bizar that I find them hard to use in a pattern as well. Every type of flower is beautiful in itself, but not all types are suited to be used in a repeat, in my experience, let alone to have on your wall day in day out!
I have thousands of unused photos on my computer of flowers and plants that I came across in nature or bought in flower shops, was totally intrigued by, but never found a way for to apply. On the other hand there are flowers I can very easily use; for instance dahlias, peonies, parakeet tulips, helleboris, or lilies. With some of those it is purely the shape of the flower, with others it is also the shape of the plant, the buds, the leafs, the curves of stem and branches, the way the branches are positioned on the stem. Some of these flowers have been used in pattern design for a very long time, up to centuries, and with good reason. Flower varieties that have gained an iconic status are in general easier to apply, as appropriating them can be done with very subtle elements.