18/10/2023
We are in autumn, the season when the leaves fall from the trees and make the sidewalks colorful. How about picking up the leaves from the sidewalk and turning them into stunning botanical art? Here's how you do it:
STEP 1: FIND SOME LEAVES THAT YOU LOVE.
Perhaps you love the way some particular leaves look, or perhaps a certain tree has meaning for you. You decide!
You will want to gather more than you think you will need, because some pressings will turn out better than others. Gotta have options!
STEP 2: TRIM LEAVES DOWN AND PRESS IN A BOOK
Grab one of your heavy books, choosing a book that you don't love. The oils in the leaves can leave a residue and potentially ruin some of the pages so a layer between the leaves and your book are necessary.
Trim the leaves down and place on a piece of plain printer paper or alternatively, between two sheets of wax paper. Put a sheet on either side of the leaves, then gently close the book pages, pressing the leaves flat.
STEP 3: PUT A HEAVY OBJECT ON THE BOOK
After placing the leaves between two sheets of paper in your book, close it and place something really heavy on top of the book.
STEP 4: GATHER YOUR OTHER SUPPLIES TO START THE FRAMING PROCESS
Grab your rubber cement, document frame, window cleaner cloth, and possibly something to clean the sticky residue remaining from the paper used in packaging.
STEP 5: APPLY RUBBER CEMENT TO YOUR LEAVES
Apply a small amount of rubber cement to the back side of the leaf-spine. Gently place the leaves in the arrangement you prefer, directly on the glass.
STEP 6: GENTLY PLACE THE TOP SHEET OF GLASS OVER THE LEAVES
Document frames work perfectly for this! The frames come with two sheets of glass.
If you prefer having a white/colored background, you could easily grab a regular frame and use a paper color of your choice under the leaves.
It's your pressed leaves project, make it your own! 😉