Autumn Decorating: Leaf Prints

A few years ago, I saw a shop on Etsy that had hand-painted gold leaves. They were the kind that are so fragile you can see every vein. I have no idea how the artist painted them without them disintegrating under his paintbrush, but I’ve thought about them often over the last couple years.

I’ve looked and looked and can’t find that shop again. So, in an effort to recreate those delicate, vein-y leaves, I collected a whole pile of leaves and used them for this project. An easy, inexpensive and elegant way to bring autumn into your home. Enjoy!

What you’ll need:

black or white frame with a mat
thick white paper, cut to fit your frame opening
acrylic paint
paint brush
scrap paper
leaves

Process:

Choose your leaves. Half the fun of this project (for me, at least!) is collecting the perfect leaves for the job, so take your time here. The trick is to choose leaves with thick veins on the back – those veins will give you a beautiful, feathery print. And don’t forget to take a minute to breathe in that crisp, autumn air while you’re out scouting for leaves!

Choose a paint colour, but choose it wisely. With black frame, use dark, moody colours. With white frame, use strong, bright colours. Sticking with a monochromatic palette gives the piece an arty, expensive feel.

Start printing. Using the paint brush, water down your paint a little so it glides on smoothly to the back of the leaf. Give it a thin coat of paint, flip it over and press the leaf onto the scrap paper. When you’re satisfied with your print on the scrap paper, you’re ready to make your print. Paint and press the leaf onto your paper and repeat until you’re satisfied with the composition.

I liked printing the leaves so it looked like they were falling from a tree. You could also line them up across the page for a more geometric look.

Fit and hang. Fit the page into your frame, keeping in mine which direction the leaves will be pointing when it’s hung. Hang your frame and enjoy your new autumn artwork!