Craft

Painted Leaf Stamps

Painted leaf stamps are a fun way to use nature in creating art. For this simple craft all you need are a few paint supplies and leaves you can collect from your own backyard. The best prints come from leaves with thick veins and fun textures. Once you have those in hand you can create fun and interesting prints by stamping with your leaves.

Supplies

  • Leaves
  • Craft paint
  • Paint brush
  • Paper plate
  • White paper

 

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Step 1. First you will have to go outside and collect your leaves. You can choose big leaves, small leaves, tree leaves, bush leaves—whatever you have on hand. Again, the best kind or those with lots of veins to help create interesting textures while you stamp.

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Step 2. Lay down some newspaper over your craft space because this can get a little messy. Next, with a paintbrush, spread your craft paint over the paper plate in fun patterns and mixtures. The paint covered plate is going to work like an ink pad for stamping. Don’t spread the paint too thick, otherwise when you stamp you won’t be able to see the textures of the leaves.

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Step 3. Place your leaf vein side down in the paint and press down with your fingers. Then peel the leaf from the plate and use it like a stamp on your white piece of paper. It is best to do only one or two stamps before putting the leaf back in the paint.

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Step 4. Repeat stamping with all the leaves from your collection. If the paint on your paper plate starts to dry out just spread a little more on top of it. It is alright if you end up mixing some of the colours. In fact, it looks even better when all the paint starts overlapping. When you have filled the page, or are content with your painted leaf stamps, then you simply let them dry and they are ready to hang.

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Personalise the Craft

This method for painting can be really fun for creating abstract art, but can also be used in creating actual pictures. For example, you can create a landscape picture by stamping with green painted leaves for trees and bushes while filling in the rest with your brush. One of the things that make painted leaf stamps so cool is the texture on the page once you have finished.

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