Nature Printing

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Nature prints are such a fun, easy, nearly free project that will bring a beautiful bit of botanical goodness to your home.  Give it a try and see what you think.

Materials you'll need:

paint (I used acrylic)

leaves

paper, canvas, etc. for printing upon

wax paper

a brayer or rolling pin

a frame for your masterpiece

Step 1: Gather your materials.

Step 2: Apply paint to the backside of your leaf - the veiny part

Step 3: Place your painted leaf, paint side down, onto your paper or canvas

Step 4: Cover your leaf with wax paper and carefully roll over it with your brayer or rolling pin

Step 5: Peel off your leaf and marvel at your design

It's really quite simple, but a few tips for success: choose a leaf that lays flat and behaves. Leaves that are all willy-nilly won't make for good prints. Don't put too much paint on your leaf or you'll end up with a gloppy mess. Don't press too hard with your brayer, you want to make a print, not embed the leaf into the canvas. Try it out on a piece of scrap first and once you get the hang of it, print away!

I had several odd frames that I painted black and I printed on a piece of canvas drop-cloth that I had in the studio. (You can purchase them relatively inexpensively at your local hardware store) Printing on paper will give you a more crisp image, but I was going for something loose and organic. Experiment! The leaves, ferns, and weeds all came from the backyard. I think it would also be fun to take a print from a slice of wood, or long vines....maybe I'll try that next.

This is a great project for the kids too. Get them involved and see what happens.  Maybe make some pillows, print on t-shirts, make one of a kind cards...so many possibilities!  Have fun!