[Closed] Poppys - Are these suitable?

They are great 🙂 Very thoughtful IMO.

Sell them, give the money to the Legion.

Very Nice.

It's a yes from me ...

I think they are lovely - and I suspect many others would like them.

Lovely idea, thoughtful of you. 🙂

Sorry, but I think they are really horrible.  More like something from a biology dissection, or a No Smoking advert.  Maybe a green leaf would improve them?

Sell them, give the money to the Legion.

This.

I highly doubt that the Legion would be interested, but a donation would be welcomed.

Sorry but is this a question only people called Poppy can answer?

I'm not sure those are going to be traditional enough to appeal to flag-shagger types who hover up stuff covered in poppies to be honest.

Esme - I will try some with a green leaf as you suggest. Good point.

I will stick them on the Peddlers cart next weekend and see if they sell them. There will probably be an RBL stall there who can take the money.

My grandparents did a lot of this... that is fund raising on the side, and donating all the money to RBL... as well a being official poppy sellers for them. Much easier to sell stuff you've made yourself and donate, rather than try and get them sold in any official way by the RBL. As long as you make it clear to buyers that you are donating to, rather than acting for/with, them, then no one is going to mind.

Cheers for the clarification Kelvin - I will be sure to make that clear

Sorry, but I think they are really horrible. More like something from a biology dissection

Sorry 🙂 I have to say the same.
Given the nature of a battlefield they do look somewhat bloody. And maybe a single poppy presented as per norm would convey the idea better, possibly with the motto "Lest We Forget" .

A lovely thought all the same.

[i]Sorry 🙂 I have to say the same.[/i]

This is precisely why I asked and value your response. As I said, the results were not exactly what I was aiming for which is why I was unsure.

If you look at the large slightly lighter one, top left, that was the closest before I added the second small redder one. The challenge is to get the black to form clean dividers between the red petals without blurring the colour. I can add green for a leaf now, if I had tried at the time it would have just gone to muddy as it blended with the red. I do not want to add text as it is very challenging to get text small enough and still legible.

I will be talking with the people who buy them so I can explain / discuss the idea.

thanks for the inputs so far.

Yeah they're a bit too abstract for my liking, why does the black go all the way to the flower edge? Maybe look at something like this page for inspiration to base a design on (appreciate you need them to be quick to produce!): https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vectors/poppy-abstract-vectors

Good link - thanks

The problem with the black and the petal definition is what I was struggling with which is why I thought they were failures until someone said how much they liked them. I asked a few others and it was mostly positive which is why I then decided to test the wisdom of STW.

As a piece of art that conveys the violence of war these are brilliant, especially like the bottom right one. I imagine it's absolutely not what those who just want a symbol of their virtue are looking for.

[i]I imagine it’s absolutely not what those who just want a symbol of their virtue are looking for.[/i]

Good point, I will make sure that when I add leaves they could be holly. That way I can cover the Christmas market too 🙁

I will try another batch and see how they come out adjusted to take on the feedback so far I think.

I really like them but agree a splash of green would lift them, even just a few abstract dots here and there around the white areas to break the red up and give an impression of general poppyness.

WorldClassAccident I am going to send you a PM

I’m not sure those are going to be traditional enough to appeal to flag-shagger types who hover up stuff covered in poppies to be honest.

Nope , it is an act of remembrance for those who died in wars - and allowed the ignorant the freedom of a voice today.

My uncle died 3rd August 1942 in a Lancaster - he was 26.
so I buy one - to remember him, and all those who never lived their lives fully

A public thanks to Kitty for the private message.

Yes, if the RBL agree that I can use their poppy emblem to sell my art and then donate the money to them, as per the plan, then I will be adding some green to reduce the impact of the red.

I’m not sure those are going to be traditional enough to appeal to flag-shagger types who hover up stuff covered in poppies to be honest.

Your silly little rant might have been a bit more effective if you knew how to spell hoover…
#rollseyes

Nope , it is an act of remembrance for those who died in wars – and allowed the ignorant the freedom of a voice today.

My uncle died 3rd August 1942 in a Lancaster – he was 26.
so I buy one – to remember him, and all those who never lived their lives fully

Likewise, I buy the little enamel ones, they don’t fall off five minutes after buying them like the traditional ones do, and I buy a wooden cross type as well, because it’s easy to prop against the gravestone where a relative of mine is buried, after he was killed in action at the age of 20, and for the 20 million others who died during WW1, regardless of which side.

To my eyes, it looks a little like a prolapsed bum hole.

I’m a firm supporter of the RBL and the Poppy Appeal and do appreciate the effort you’re going to, so beauty and all that. Crack on! Pun intended.

Let the market decide. What have you got to lose?

I’m not sure those are going to be traditional enough to appeal to flag-shagger types who hover up stuff covered in poppies to be honest.

I served and lost close friends. I wear a poppy once a year to remember them, and others who carry mental and physical scars. No politics, no baggage - just a simple act of remembrance.

Your words paint a powerful and damning picture of what kind of person you are. Well done.

Good work OP!

I have not lost close relatives which is why I am sensitive to those who have. I do not want to come across as crass or virtue signalling. I have called the RBL to request permission and am waiting on their call back.

To have these dried, sealed and ready for the weekend they really need to be completed today, tomorrow at the latest so let's hope they respond quickly although I imagine they are quite busy at this time of year.

I will probably do another batch anyway in anticipation to improve the technique and see what leaf motif I can add. I will simply not use them if RBL say know or keep for next year if the consent arrives too late.

I don't understand why you need the RBL's permission to sell some coasters with stylised poppies on them, can you not just carry on and sell them and donate all the proceeds after anyway? Not trying to be argumentative or anything, I'm genuinely curious.

The wonderful world of copyright.

Lots of legal definitions but basically if I use someone else's copyrighted image in a manner that might suggest to the average man on the Clapham Omnibus* that it is some how related to the copyright owner then I must seek their permission even if I say I am going to give them the money.

Imagine if I rip off a Banksy design and make some stickers up which I sell promising to give all profits to Banksy . Even though it is obvious that the sticker is not an original painting the buyer is purchasing something they associate with Banksy and that is what I rely on to make the sale. I then give the profits directly to Banksy -after costs of material, production, wages for the seller etc which exactly equals sale price so no profit. This is clearly breaking copyright law.

If I sell a tile with some red and black splodges that might look something like a poppy then it is slightly less clear but selling them the weekend before Remembrance Day increases the likihood of association. The fact I plan to give all money to the RBL is irrelevant, the sales are being made under possible copyright infringement. If the RBL give me permission then it is no longer an issue. If I sell the poppy designs at other times of the year and make it clear there is no RBL connection I would probably be okay.

So, in answer to your question, yes, I probably could just sell them anyway but I would rather keep it all clear, official and above board.

I see, thank you for explaining!

Have to apologise for being a flagshagger I guess.

The four poppies represent the 4 young men from one croft in Lewis lost in WW1. My grandfather's three brothers and a cousin. He was lucky. Just had to serve in the trenches on the Western Front from October 1914 until the end of the war.

http://www.hebrides-news.com/commemorative-poppy-trail-101114.html

OP - it's your expression. If that's how you choose to remember, and you can raise some money in the process for RBL, then that's great as far as I can see. RBL is justifiably a bit protective of the poppy because undesirable groups such as Britain First have tried to hijack it in the past.

Esme, just wow. I hope you never find yourself in need of charity.

Hi All - Official reply from RBL. Seems sensible and I am happy to comply. It came to late to make and give away any coasters for this weekend but useful to know for the future and I guess also applies to other charities with recognised symbols.

Thank you for getting in touch and for your interest in supporting The Royal British Legion.

In response to your enquiry, if you would like to raise money for the Legion through making and selling items, we ask that you do not set a fixed price for an item but ask for a donation instead and use a recognised fundraising platform e.g. JustGiving to track donations received.

In particular, we ask that you do not sell any poppy-themed products or merchandise using any Legion trademarks, such as the trademarked two-petal poppy or the PoppyScotland trademarked four-petal poppy. Any use of these would require an official contract with the Legion or PoppyScotland – without a contract, this use would infringe our trade marks.

Both the Legion and our supporters must also comply with charity law and follow fundraising guidelines at all times. If you are selling any items, we ask that you please do not include any marketing at the point of sale regarding where any profit or proceeds from the sale are going and you do not make reference to The Royal British Legion at the point of sale. This is so that both the Legion and our kind supporters are operating in line with legislation and commercial fundraising guidelines set by the Fundraising Regulator.

If you would like to make a donation to the Legion, then this would be greatly appreciated but the donation amount should be determined by you as the seller and not used to promote your goods in advance of a sale.

I hope that clarifies matters for you but please do get in touch if you have any further queries regarding this and we will be more than happy to assist.

Thank you for supporting The Royal British Legion.

Kind regards,