Eco Prints – When Mother Nature Makes Art
Well hello there. How’s your week been? We’ve just got back from a two week holiday and that always seems to make my creative juices go into overdrive. I just want to paint or draw or make something 😀 So the timing of this month’s Int’l Bloggers Club challenge was just perfect. It’s all about paper. And when you’re a wannabe artist like me, then a paper challenge is just so cool. There were so many things I thought of doing but at the end of the day, I decided to let Mother Nature be my muse and guide me in creating some unique art. So without too much further ado let me introduce you to the wonderful world of eco prints.
Can you believe that those beautiful, random patterns in the background were all created by Mother Nature? I just sketched the safety pin in ink and now we have an original work of art to add to our gallery wall.
Well, actually we have quite a few new pieces to add to our gallery wall since there were loads of eco prints I could use. But more about that later 😉 Let me first tell you a little bit about the Int’l Bloggers Club (IBC). Every month a group of bloggers from around the world get together to create something using a common theme. Our previous challenge was pebbles, and it always fascinates me how we can all take the same thing and end up making so many different things.
Okay, before we get to the eco-print tutorial, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. And don’t forget to subscribe so you’ll never miss a post!
Right, enough of my yapping; back to making some eco prints with the help of Mother Nature.
So What’s An Eco Print?
An eco print is kinda magical. It involves taking leaves, flowers, stalks or whatever bounty Mother Nature has to offer and placing them between layers of paper or fabric. Everything is wrapped up tightly and steamed or boiled to release the naturals dyes found inside the plants. The resulting prints are astonishingly beautiful and always a surprise. Apparently, the earliest surviving print dates back to AD 1228 and even Leonardo experimented with eco printing.
What You Need to Make Eco Prints
This must be one of the most budget-friendly things to do. All you need is a whole bunch of leaves from the garden and some artist’s watercolor paper. Look for at least a 200 g/m2 in the craft shop. It holds up better. If you can’t find watercolor paper, normal printer paper will also work. You just have to be careful so it doesn’t tear. You can even eco print on fabric if you prefer. Cotton, silk, drop cloth. It all works as long as it’s a light color.
I used ferns, rose leaves, lavender, some salvia, our beautiful indigenous Crassula pellucida, seed pods and old rusty bits to make the eco prints. You’ll also need something heavy to weigh your eco prints down, plus a big pot (not one you use for cooking) and a stove. Since one of our national sports here in South Africa is braaing (it’s like a BBQ but soooo much better 😉 ) I just got the hubby to make a big fire and used that instead of our stove top.
How to Make Eco Prints
Take your watercolor paper and fold it in half length wise. Place your leaves, stalks, flowers etc. between the fold to create an envelope, without the back flap.
Create as many as you want and don’t be scared to mix different leaves to create interesting patterns.
Place all the “leaf envelopes” one on top of the other.
Wrap them up tightly between two pieces of wood.
If you don’t have any wood off cuts you could use tiles or even chicken wire . Basically anything that helps keep the “leaf envelopes” together will work. Place your tightly bound bundle together with those rusty bits inside a pot and fill with boiling water. You may need to top up the water every now and again.
Let the mixture simmer on a hot fire or stove for at least 2 hours, before carefully removing the bundle.
Wait for it cool down for a little bit before opening it up.
Let’s see What Mother Nature Has Cooked Up For Us
This is probably the best part. The big reveal and seeing what Mother Nature has cooked up.
Slowly peel the paper layers apart and rinse them off in cold water to get rid of the plant material. Would you look at all those amazing patterns. So random and so unique.
I swear I was like a little kid going “Wow babes, look at this one” and “Oh my, I love how that turned out”. There were just so many surprises. It was really hard trying to pick a favorite……… but maybe it’s this one.
Can you see the little elf face in the bottom left corner? Maybe if I turn it around?
He looks a little cross though. I hope it’s not because I picked the leaves from his lavender bush. I’ll have to make it up to him and build him a swing or give him some vampire wings 😀
Using Eco Prints to Make Art
Those lovely patterns can be framed as is, or your can let your creative soul take over.
I make art to show my soul I am still listening
One of my biggest problems as a wannabe artist is that I tend to over analyze e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. So instead of trying to think about what to draw, I let the patterns guide me and drew around them. One of the prints looked like it needed to be pinned together, hence the safety pin.
Another print resembled a hoodie, so that one became this mysterious man.
And I still have a loads more to play with. I can’t wait to see what little secrets they reveal. That’s the wonderful thing about drawing around eco prints. There’s no right or wrong, there just is 😉
To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong – Joseph Tilton Pearce
And if you’d like to try something similar and explore your creative side, don’t forget to pin it for later 😉
Okay I think I need to stop now. The post ended up way longer than I intended and I would love you to see what the other ladies from the IBC have done with their paper challenge. Their links should be down there at the bottom.
Oh and before I forget. If you’re looking for some of the things I used to make the eco prints, I’ve got you covered Disclosure: Clicking on the links below, means we may receive a very small commission from Amazon. But don’t worry it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us come up with more unique DIY and craft ideas for you 😉
Until next time, hope you have a beautiful, creative week. Love as always
Wowzers!!! What a fabulous way to create prints! Love mother nature!!
She’s the best ?
OMG! I could never imagine that you can make art from flower prints. Brilliant idea my friend and it turned out gorgeous!
Thanks so much Christina. Isn’t Mother Nature just brilliant ?
Those are really cool Michelle! I believe this is the first I’ve heard or seen eco prints. Can’t wait to see what you come up for the rest of them.
You will have a blast with eco prints Linda. You’re so talented when it comes to painting and with all the new plants you guys have been adding to garden, you’ll have so many different prints to play with
This is incredible, Michelle! However, forget the Nature prints – the face of that mysterious man is the real art and the vision that you are blessed with. You always leave me in awe. xx
? Thank you Jas ?
Wow Michelle; these are stunning! You’re an incredible artist. Doing these must be like waking up on Christmas morning; it’s so exciting to unveil these gifts from nature 🙂
? Not so sure about the incredible bit, but I sure appreciate it very much Sara. Thank you and you’re so right, it does feel like I’m unwrapping a present every time I open one up.
I didn’t even know what eco prints were!!! They are so beautiful and each one is so unique. I love your how to guides.
Thank you so much Olivia ?
Eco print is so amazing! My twins always collect leafs everywhere I would love to try this! Also your Mother Nature portrait is truly amazing! A very refreshing post thank you!
It’s a huge pleasure Liza, and I’m sure your twins will really enjoy seeing how their leaf collection gets turned into art ?
Oh my Gosh! This is the second time eco printing has left me speechless! What an incredible idea and I must definitely try this myself!
The first time I got mesmerized by eco printing is when I watched an Italian lady designer “print” the brides’ flowers (from the bouquets) onto their wedding dresses! That was mind blowing! The designs were ethereal and otherworldly!
Oh wow, just imagine doing something like that Maya. What a beautiful way to “save” your wedding bouquet. I would love to see that
This is fun! I have tried something sort of like this before. I would gather lots of leaves that I found in our backyard and would put it on the center page of my notebook. I just love the prints they make on the paper. 🙂 Thank you for sharing! Now I’m reminiscing about my childhood days.
Yes, I remember doing that too. Most of the time I’d forget which book I put the leaves into though ? Thanks so much Karla
Your sketch of Mother Nature is fantastic, the eyes are so alive and nurturing. The print with pin sketch is wonderful too, love how you connect the pin somehow with the pattern. Nature is surely the greatest inspiration.
?Thank you so very much Mel, I really appreciate that
Wow, Eco Print is truly a beautiful and very interesting art form. I love that it’s influenced by Mother Nature! Now I have to check out the fab artsy blogs you mentioned here. I do have a creative side of me, you know (jk) 😉
? Glad you liked them Jocelyn and you’re really going to love what the other ladies did with their paper challenge. So many interesting things
I have never heard of this before, but it’s just so cool!
THanks so much Corina, glad you liked them
Great ideas for arts and crafts. Super fun and eco friendly. Love it.
Thank you so much ?
That is crazy amazing! I’ve never seen art like that. I definitely want to give it a try to make one for my friend. She absolutely loves things like that.
So glad you liked it Deborah and thank you for your lovely comment too. I’m sure your friend will love her eco prints ?
Oh how interesting! Looks like a fun project I could do with my kids!
You totally can Megan. The kids will love seeing how the prints come out
I paint and I must say this is lovely. So beautiful. And for me I am touched by this. Dont know why.
Wow Moni, thank you ? It’s always so special to hear that art has touched someone.
I really love this as every art piece is so original and unique. I would love to do it with the my son, we have so many trees in our property that would be perfect.
Oh you and your son are going to have so much fun together Evelyn, thanks so much for stopping by
This is the coolest, I’ve never heard of this before! What beautiful textures it creates. x
Aren’t they just so awesome and so totally unexpected. I love unwrapping the paper after it’s cooled down it WOWs me everytime
These prints look absolutely stunning! Definitely would like some in my house!
Dank je wel Maartjie ?
I am loving this. With the vast amount of hiking we do we could easily track our trek by making our own eco prints using what we find on the trails.
Wouldn’t that be just lovely. It’s almost like keeping an artistic map of where you’ve hiked.
Honestly, I think mother nature is the best artist out there! 🙂
Without a doubt that she is ?
Michelle! This is so fantastically amazing!! Love -love!! It would be so fun to do with items I collect in the woods on my walks. Pinned for later!!
Oh yes!!! Those foraged finds are the best for something like this. I just have to be so careful everytime and try and remember the name of the plant or at least take of a note of where I found it, so if it produces something unusual I can go back and experiment some more ?
I have never heard of this before but I think I might be hooked! I want to try this so bad! Mother Nature is the most beautiful artist there is for sure! Thank you for sharing this with us!
Isn’t she just amazing and her works of art are all free too ?
That’s great that you have new members! ? This is such a fantastic idea! I love the idea of eco art & using nature to create art. I like that you added a safety pin to the one print. It looks really cool!
Thank you Sam and we’re really happy that the club is growing. I just love seeing what different corners of the world come up with. We’re all so unique yet so much the same too ?
I have never heard of eco prints before today. How cool is this! Like you say, the possibilities are endless. Wow, you are such a talented artist – the mysterious man drawing is amazing! Love love love your tweet, “I Make Art To Show My Soul I’m Still Listening” – amen to that sistah! So excited to be part of this group that I’ve been admiring since the beginning. Can’t wait to join you in next month’s challenge! In the meantime, I need to find me some leaves 🙂
I’m soooo glad you’re joining us too Marie and congrats on the newest, teenyist, litle addition to your family. She’s beautiful ?
Amazing ? If you turn the first picture around it looks like an old person’s face. I want to try it too
OMW yes. I didn’t notice that one. That’s so cool. Poor thing now she’s got a safety pin between her eyes. Oops ?
Awesome! I’ve seen this done with rolling up the fabric on sticks but never in a press. Such a great idea. I have a burner on my gas barbecue I could use. Thanks so much for sharing.
Oh Lorin, you have to try it. With all the plants you have in your beautiful garden I’m sure you’ll get the most amazing prints ever. Please share when you do, I would love to see them
You are constantly blowing my mind, Michelle, just wow. I had no idea eco prints existed and this would be really cool as a project for our homeschooling group… I need to find a bigger pan. I can’t wait to see the rest of your drawings, love the deep eyes of the mystery man and the safety pin is awesome
? Thank you Pili, that’s such a lovely compliment. I believe your homeschooling kids will have so much fun doing eco prints. Hope you find that bigger pan ?
This is stunning, it looks like it could be in a gallery. I have never seen this process done before and its breathtaking with your final artistic touches.
It really is such an amazing thing to do. And with all the fabric stuff you make and sew, Leanna I bet you’ll have so much fun playing around with eco prints.
Amazing!!! Love all of them and want to see what you do with the rest too please! It reminds me of sun printing a bit, although this is even cooler because of the different shades of green and brown and how it turned out so unique!
Thank you Katrin ? As soon as I have a gap this weekend I’m going to play with the others
Michelle I had no idea this was a thing! I definitely want to try it. We have so much greenery here it will be a snap to do it. But what I like the best is your personal additions at the end. Can you please show us what you draw on all of them? I love the one with the hoodie!
I’ll do that Mary. The other lavender eco print seems to be telling me to paint a horse ? and there’s another one that’s most definitely going be a Fall inspired Greenman, just for you. I know how much you love the season of colorful leaves
I sure do! And I can’t wait to see what you do with these little treasures.
?
honestly, this is the first time I’ve seen this craft EVER! think my son would LOVE it must try it out
Aiden will love experimenting with all the different leaves and colors they make and it teaches them so much about plants too. I bet he’ll find the most amazing pictures hiding inside the eco prints too ?