Where can you find more gorgeous examples of design than from nature itself? I promised you leaf projects this week, so here's another idea for you to make your own! You can print with leaves on paper or even on fabric (using fabric paint) and create truly beautiful works of art that celebrate the great outdoors! Just one word to the wise: it may take a bit of practice before you'll get prints like these as there are several techniques, and the results will vary greatly depending on the type of paint and paper you'll be using
As a wonderful craft for kids, don't expect perfect impressions of the leaves, aim for something that looks vaguely like the leaf and then either outline the shape or cut it out and use it in a collage or as part of a mobile or banner. And while you are exploring printing, so check out this post for kids about printing with items from the kitchen!
- Fresh leaves: make collecting the leaves part of the activity with your children, and use it as an opportunity to discuss design in nature and respect for plant life (namely we only need to pick a few leaves of each kind!)
- Paint or Ink: The most exacting prints of leaves can be obtained using block printing ink (like Speedball) and a roller which you might like to try if you already have those supplies on hand, or one can even use a stamp pad for small leaves! I however used acrylic paint for my example above, which is also lovely and you certainly have many more options color wise with paint, not to mention that printing ink is messy! The key is to use paint that is on the sticky side as opposed to watery for the best prints!
- Paper: Experiment on regular printer paper before using something even slightly precious.
- A little bit of patience!
I encourage you to explore a few different techniques to see what works for you!
- For ink, apply a not too generous amount of ink to leaf with roller and carefully lay leaf on paper. Place a scrap piece of paper over the leaf and gently press down on the leaf to transfer ink from leaf to paper. You may want to try placing a towel under your printing surface as this sometimes helps get more detail from the print.
- For paint, so either paint the leaf, or sponge the paint onto the leaf with a dense sponge (good technique for kids and with big leaves) You can then make prints by either placing paper on top of the leaf or placing the leaf on top of the paper. The main point is to figure out the right amount of paint to apply to the leaf and to make sure your paint is the right consistency. If you are looking for a fun activity to do with the kids and you're not so concerned about the quality of the prints, so then use whatever kid friendly paint you have on hand and enjoy!