Fall finds make an impression

Hands-on time: A couple of hours.
Total time: Add two hours for drying.
Skill: Easy.
Cost estimate: $5 to make a set of three leaf prints (cost of frame not included).

Materials & Tools

• Frame in the style and size of your choice (I used one with three parts)
• Newspapers
• Sheet of white sheer rice paper, with or without texture or patterns
• Spray adhesive or a glue stick
• Medium-weight handmade decorative recycled paper in a natural colour (like beige or off-white)
• Leaves in assorted sizes and shapes
• Gesso, white base (as primer)
• 1-inch (2.5-cm) craft paintbrush
• Acrylic paints, in colours that co-ordinate with your decor. (I used three different shades of purple on each of the three frame backings, and medium grey and moss green for the leaf impressions)
• Gold acrylic paint
• Waxed paper
• Craft roller or brayer (even a rolling pin will do the job)

Each season offers an abundance of creative inspirations. Capture the essence of fall by turning fallen leaves into works of art for your home. Leaf impressions can be created in only a few steps and added to any frame, enhancing your decor with nature accents.

Cover your work area with newspapers. Remove the backing from the frame and set the frame aside. Prime the backing using gesso and let dry for an hour. Then paint the backing using acrylic paint in a bright colour, to provide contrast with the white rice paper in the next step and the neutral shades of the leaf imprints. Let dry. (You can use different shades of a colour on each of the backings if you are making more than one frame.)

Tear a rectangular or square piece of rice paper, large enough to fit over the backing while leaving some of the paint exposed. Apply glue to the rice paper and position in the centre of the painted backing; pat down to secure. Tear a square from the handmade paper and paint a freehand gold square at the centre of it; let dry. Put glue on the back of it and place over the centre of the rice paper; pat down to secure.

Apply light grey acrylic paint on the vein side of a leaf. Put the painted side of the leaf onto the paper montage. Cover it with waxed paper and pass a roller over the leaf a few times to create an imprint. (If you don't have a roller, simply rub your hands over the leaf.) Remove the waxed paper and leaf, and let dry.

Repeat this step, applying moss-green paint to a second leaf. Position the leaf off-centre over the previous imprint, in order to see both impressions. Once completely dry, put the backing into the frame and mount.

Tips

• Leaf stamps can be used instead of actual leaves. You can even make your own stamps using potatoes, carving leaf designs into them.
• Gold leaf can be used instead of gold paint to create the square at the centre of the handmade paper.

Variations

• Keeping with the nature theme, sliced apples, pears and assorted vegetables can be used to create imprint art for kitchen walls. Use a fine brush to add finishing details to your work.
• Leaf imprints can be added to throw pillows and sheer curtains using fabric paints.
• Rice paper and handmade paper are available at several art and craft supply stores. Chinese papers with golden or silver squares at the centre (traditionally used for Chinese New Year celebrations) are available in a variety of small shops in Chinatown.