Have you ever squashed a sentimental flower into a heavy book, hoping to preserve its memory?
In an odd attempt to a capture disastrous evening, I smashed the rose that was presented to me at my junior prom by my sky-blue-tux wearing date, in between the pages of a massive history book.
In truth, I never really understood how a flaky dull remnant of a flower, which seemed to leave a moldy imprint, would stir up any fond memory.
If this crushing flower sport has eluded you, don’t worry.
There is a new twist in flower art.
Painting and then pressing leaves or flowers onto paper is the new rage. It’s called Nature Printing.
It’s no wonder that the crafty and not-so-crafty are flocking to this. You can make hand-made, silly easy, affordable art.
There no rules, you can work with any color that inspires you. I have a friend who is obsessed with using metallic paint on flowers and herbs that she plucked from her garden. She is cranking out some pretty amazing hand-made note cards.
These creations have inspired me to take a swing at pressing my own backyard botanicals.
Living here in Sarasota , I have plants with leaves so big they could be dinosaur treats.
The way I see it, working with nature offers up a couple of serious perks.
One: It’s like your plant is a massive free rubber stamp to play with.
Two: it looks like you know how to paint a perfect leaf, when in fact the leaf is actually painting itself.
So awesome.
There are only a few things to consider when you start.
Pick a leaf or flower with lots of raised veining if you want a detailed print. I recommend painting the back of the leaf for a more dramatic effect.
That’s it, grab some paper and have at it. Try a few test smushes to see how much pressure and paint gives you a wow-worthy image. Once you master a few lovable leaf prints, you may want to go big and work on one of those stretched canvases available at hobby and framing stores.
