The Camp Crafter spent almost every summer of her childhood at summer camp, where she loved the songs, campfires, and especially the crafts. Now an art teacher during the school year and a camp counselor during the summer, she’s guiding readers to a cool camp craft they can do at home each week this summer.Â
I love making crafts that involve natural materials, such as sticks or leaves. This week we will be using leaves to make prints! The prints can then be turned into cards or framed artwork.
While you are outside looking for leaves for your project, take the opportunity to learn about some plants in your area with this leaf identifying chart. It will help you find safe leaves to select. Maybe you’ll even learn to identify some of the plants in your area!
Supplies needed
Leaves (thicker leaves will work better)
Paper
Option A
Acrylic paint
Paint brush
Paint palette
Paper towels
Option B
Crayons
Steps
Find some interesting leaves. Look for cool shapes or patterns on the leaves.
a. Use your leaf chart to identify which leaves are which. Make sure to NOT pick any poisonous plants, like poison ivy.
b. Brush or blow off the leaves before bringing them inside to make sure insects don’t hitch a ride into your house.
Leaf Printing with Paint: Two Options
Option 1:
- Cover one side of the leaf by lightly brushing it with paint. Be mindful of the amount of paint you use. Too much can mask the texture of the leaf. Too little can lead to the leaf not printing well.
- Flip the leaf paint side down onto your paper.
- Press down on the back of the leaf to be sure the paint transfers to the paper.
- Slowly peel the leaf up to see the leaf’s impression. Let the paint dry before adding more details.
Option 2:
- Paint an area of the paper.
- Lay the leaf down on the wet paint.
- Press the leaf into the painted area.
- Pull the leaf up to see the print it made in the paint.
Leaf Rubbings with Crayons
- Lay your leaf on a flat surface underneath your paper. Dry leaves will work better for this method.
- Using a crayon, color on top of the paper where the leaf is. You should start to see the texture of the leaf come onto your page. You will need to use a lot of pressure for the texture to come through.
With either of the techniques above, you can make your artwork more unique by adding multiple leaves or adding details to your leaf images with other supplies such as markers or oil pastels.
I love art, especially when every piece created is completely different. This craft is a great way to combine printmaking, my favorite art medium, with reminders of the beautiful outdoors.
