CHAPTER 8 — Color and Floral Design

Color is a property of what?

Light.

How can lighting change the appearance of color?

Colors look different in natural sunlight and artificial lighting.

How can surroundings change the appearance of color?

Nearby colors and backgrounds can make a color appear different.

What is hue?

The name or identity of a color.

What is value?

How light or dark a color is, based on reflected light.

What is intensity, chroma, or saturation?

The brightness or concentration of a color.

How many hues are on the basic color wheel?

Twelve hues in three categories.

What are foundation colors?

Primary colors; colors used to create other colors.

What are the primary colors?

Red, yellow, and blue.

What are the secondary colors?

Orange, green, and violet; each combines two primary colors.

What are tertiary colors?

Colors made by mixing a primary color with an adjacent secondary color.

Give examples of tertiary colors.

Red-orange, yellow-green, and blue-violet.

What is a shade?

A color darkened by adding black.

What is a tint?

A color lightened by adding white.

What are warm colors?

Colors such as red, orange, and yellow that feel warm and advance toward the viewer.

What are cool colors?

Colors such as blue, green, and violet that feel restful and recede from the viewer.

How do warm colors behave in an arrangement?

They tend to dominate, appear larger, advance, and blend easily with other warm colors.

How do cool colors behave in an arrangement?

They tend to feel peaceful, recede, and often create a more formal mood.

Can purple be warm or cool?

Yes. More red makes it warmer; more blue makes it cooler.

What are advantages of white in floral design?

It is neutral, adds brightness and contrast, cleans up adjacent colors, and highlights texture.

What is a possible disadvantage of white?

An all-white or strongly white design can feel overwhelming or too clean.

What are advantages of red in floral design?

It is lively and stimulating and can represent strength, love, and romance.

What is a risk of using red?

Its bold, advancing quality can overcrowd a design or overpower other colors.

What are advantages of pink in floral design?

It combines with many colors; light pink can feel delicate and romantic, while bright pink attracts attention.

What are advantages of orange in floral design?

It is stimulating, bright, attention-getting, and useful in fall or Halloween designs.

What are advantages of yellow in floral design?

It is cheerful, visible, friendly, versatile, and can add spirit in small amounts.

What is a disadvantage of an all-yellow design?

It may become monotonous or boring; some yellows can be intense.

What are advantages of green in floral design?

It provides a natural background, is soothing, shows texture, helps create focal points, and works well for containers.

What is a disadvantage of green flowers?

Green flowers are less abundant than flowers of other colors.

What are advantages of blue in floral design?

Blue feels peaceful and cool and can create depth.

What are disadvantages of blue in floral design?

It changes under lighting, recedes at a distance, and deep shades may feel depressing; true-blue flowers are uncommon.

Why is purple useful in floral design?

It is rich and dramatic and can read as warm or cool depending on its red/blue balance and surroundings.

How is black used in floral design?

As a versatile neutral that adds depth and makes other colors look darker and richer.

What are limitations of black in floral design?

Black floral elements are rare, often very deep purple, and may reduce visible texture.

How can color create visual balance?

Use bright or dark colors around the base and larger areas of lighter, subdued colors; repeating color on both sides can help.

How can color create depth?

Mix advancing warm colors with receding cool colors; darker colors can pull back into the arrangement.

How can color create a focal point?

Bright, intense, dark, or visually heavy colors attract the eye.

How can color create rhythm?

Repeat focal-point colors throughout the design and use gradual color transitions.

How do harmony and unity relate to color?

Repeating colors and flowers helps small parts work together and makes the arrangement feel cohesive.

What is a related color scheme?

A scheme based on a common hue that unifies the colors.

What is an achromatic color scheme?

A scheme without color, such as all white; it highlights flower details.

What is a monochromatic color scheme?

A scheme using one hue; vary size, shape, texture, and pattern to avoid boredom.

What is an analogous color scheme?

A scheme using several colors next to one another on the color wheel.

What is a contrasting color scheme?

A scheme using colors from distant parts of the color wheel for variety and visual excitement.

What is a complementary color scheme?

Two hues directly opposite each other on the color wheel.

Give examples of complementary colors.

Red and green, yellow and purple, blue and orange.

What is a split-complementary scheme?

One hue plus the two colors on either side of its complementary color.

What is a triadic color scheme?

Three colors equally spaced around the color wheel, such as the primary or secondary colors.

What is a discordant color scheme?

Four or more generally unrelated colors that require planning and variation in value, intensity, and proportion.

What is a double-complementary scheme?

Two pairs of complementary colors.

What is an alternate-complementary scheme?

A triad plus the direct complement of one of the triad’s colors.

What is a tetrad color scheme?

Four colors equally spaced on the color wheel; it can look eye-catching and contemporary.

What is a polychromatic color scheme?

Many varied hues; unity can be maintained by coordinating their values or intensities.

What plant colors are treated as neutral when planning a fresh-flower scheme?

The green already present in foliage and stems.

Which added colors are neutral and do not change a scheme’s name?

White, black, and gray.

Where is the traditional focal point in an arrangement?

Low in the design, toward the container rim; centered in symmetrical designs and off-center in asymmetrical designs.

How much water does a floral foam brick hold, according to the guide?

About two quarts.

How should floral foam be soaked?

Let it float freely in clean water so it absorbs water naturally.

Why should you not pull a stem out of floral foam and reuse the hole?

It can leave an air gap that prevents the stem from taking up water; re-poke the hole.

How should flower food be added to floral foam?

Mix it into the water before filling the container; do not sprinkle it on top of the foam.