In this excerpt from the Team Flower Elements and Principles of Design class, Kelly demonstrates the principle of movement by creating a minimalistic floral arrangement using complimentary colors. Complimentary colors are opposites on the color wheel (orange and blue, purple and yellow, and red and green). She uses caladium, firecracker, and green trick dianthus to demonstrate the most difficult of the three groups: red and green. This is a color palette that typically reminds us of Christmas, but it can be used to create a sweet summer piece as well.

Notice how Kelly creates movement through color. She utilizes the caladium and trick dianthus to create lines and add texture to the design while the firecracker adds height. Her choice of the caladium naturally ties the color scheme together.

Key Points

• By keeping the ingredients and color scheme simple, you can easily see the movement of color through the arrangement.

• When creating a minimalistic design, a flower frog is typically the best form of mechanics to use.

• Pay attention to the naturally occurring colors in flowers and foliage as you choose your ingredients for your arrangement.