We’re sprucing up our tiny side entrance. This weekend I painted the walls and ceiling, and Lo and I added a few bits of trim which still need a final coat of paint. We’re also waiting on the cute light fixture we ordered online. We haven’t had an actual fixture there for ages, just a cold and lonely compact fluorescent. The change will be ever so nice!
But the final touch will be a small “Welcome” scene painted directly on the wall adjacent the door. I’m working on that design right now. I’m going for a colourful, and hopefully warm, folk-arty feel. Here’s what I’ve got so far…
Can I ask your opinion about it? I love the birds and the “welcome” but I’m wondering about the flowers… Are they too much? Should I move them around? Do I need more? Should I nix them altogether? What does your excellent brain think?
Thanks so much for any help!
♥M
I love the flowers. I think they're perfect! I guess the only issue might be the contrast between the wording and the flowers, but if the right colors are used, I think it will look terrific 🙂
It looks lovely, you could maybe move a little bit up the 2 last one, (on the M and the E ), to read better your" Welcome".
i can wait to see the result !
^_^
Well, hmm, if you really want my opinion, I think it's extremely charming, humorous and just about perfect! My one quibble would be the three round-petaled flowers scattered over on the right. They seem less inventive and unique than the other two (really cool) flower species on your drawing? I wonder if you can Michele them up a bit.
"To Michele" is a verb, and it means to create the most original shapes and patterns, conjuring them from thin air.
well, maybe my brain is really lazy at the moment (!!), but I like it as it is!!!
xxxx Alessandra
Oh, gee, I don't know. Could you do it all in color and send me the finished product so I could live with it for a while? (snicker). I think it's lovely just the way it is. I see Celine's point about the two tall flowers on the right but once the color is added they might be just perfect where they are.
Since you asked the questions, I think you should try the changes you suggested. To me, the flowers "fight" a bit with the word Welcome, and also with your favorite element, the birds. I would try moving those charming birds in closer to the Welcome. Maybe even have them interact a bit with the word. Try overlapping part of the word with one or two of the birds. See how the flowers look at the outer edges. Maybe add more flowers but move them away from the center of interest. Perhaps remove their stems. These are just my suggestions. I hope you find the arrangement that pleases you. I love your blog and am always inspired by it.
If this were mine, I would be tempted to remove the flowers beneath the word and replace with some sort of scroll that curved with a flower element (no stems)at each end. How I wish I could draw into the comments so you could see what I mean. The 'welcome' has such a marvelous curve to it and I'd like to see it repeated beneath. Hope you can visualize what I'm trying to say?
i like the idea above of a scroll-y vine shape that echoes that of "welcome."
the bird tailfeathers are echoing the shape {like a dovetail}
i think if the flowers are blooming from a scroll-y vine they won't "fight" with the wording {like lisa says}.
i do, however, like the lupine-like flowers, and would leave those for some spiky contrast.
but, it is SO lovely ~ can't wait to see the finished wall! ♥
I agree with Gwen, it's all in the color you use. 🙂 The design is lovely and I can't wait to see what you do!
Looks gorgeous! I agree with Celine's comments. Can't wait to see the result!
Oh my goodness! That's awesome, Michele.
I think when you have to ask that means there's something that doesn't feel quite right. Maybe the flowers are too much right now. I think if they were smaller and weren't in the way of the letters, it would feel more "balanced" and not competing for attention. I mean there would be more clarity.
But like the commenters wrote above, it depends on the colors you uses. You could also use "receding colors" for what you wanted to be less emphasized—-usually bluer and grayer colors—compared with the other colors you choose. Conversely, whatever you want emphasized would be warmer and brighter colors, but you probably already know this.
The one thought I have is that it's hard to see the m and e with the flowers. And yes, maybe the colors will help that. I like the flowers, don't take them out, just think about the ones by the m and e! 🙂 Very cute!
I'm for clean and simple in most things. I would remove all the flowers and just leave the birds and the welcome.
I love it Michele, but as I know you love my opinion… ha ha.. here’s a little advice from a professionally deformed graphic designer… always question why you want a word to have a curve or swirl. Have a go at what it looks like with the word Welcome put higher or even above the drawing. It may be better readable. And whe the word is put higher you can draw another little bird somewhere just not in the middle of te design!
It’s a great idea and I love the Michele feel of the design!
maybe the end of welcome also in the mouth of the bird.. for the rest is it in balance 😉
Love it! I might agree with moving the last two flowers a bit so you can read the welcome better.
The flowers should stay but I agree the lupin-nies could be moved a little, behind birdy slightly on the right and up abit on the left.
I really like it, wonder if you enlarged the lettering a little it would balance to your minds eye more?
But yes, that your asking for comments means its jiggling your mind eye and somethign feels skew whiff to you. I could live with it in black and white mind you lol
I like it and I am sure the final version will be all 'Michele'. Hope we get to see it when finished!
Hi Michele,
I love it! The only thing i might suggest, and this is purtely personal taste, is reworking the flowers a little. They look too similar…possibly making one shorter, making the petals smaller…but even as is I think it's great. Removing the flopwers completely might leave a lot of empty space.
Big hug,
Giac
I am sure that by now you've had tons of suggestions – so I will only add that I thought it would make a cute embroidery pattern.
The m and the e got a little lost there at the end otherwise, I like it very much. 🙂
I like the flowers, and think that the painting of it will be the answer.
I like the "Welcome" and I think that's the focal point of the painting. I'd move the flowers and the trees so they don't overlap that word. I don't mind the placement of them, but I think they should be smaller so they don't overlap the word.
I love what you have started, but I think it is a little too 'busy' with all the flowers. Maybe keep a few, but I think having them all takes away from the simpleness of it being folk-arty. I might also make the letters a tad bit thicker so they don't compete so much with the images. Can't wait to see the finished design!
Love the whole thing! The only part that might need some rearrange, (or different paint consideration) would be where the stalk flowers and the end of the word collide, and make the word hard to discern. If the flowers or leaves are light and greyed green, and the word is bright and full of color, there might not be a prob. I wouldn't take them out.
Hugs
Out with the three "round" flowers, add one more "special" flower beside the other 4… leave all the rest! Can't wait to see what the final digity doo looks like! Joyce from Oklahoma
I think it's beautiful! As others have suggested, it'd be the color that you use on the word welcome that could make it or break it. What a wonderful welcome that will be to your guests!
I'm such a fan of your thistle crafts — how about thistles &/or more seasonally-neutral plants…
I think the design is lovely but just one question, do all the flowers have to have stems?
That is a valid question thriftyfinn, and one I'm playing with actually…