leaf prints

I have had this idea knocking around in my head for a while. I saw a beautiful tiling of mono print, leaf prints at Eliot's preschool. The artist used different lightly colored papers with white and other pale colored printed leaves and put them on the diagonal tiled about 4 feet across. It beautifully goes from green to red.

I found a maple leaf and tried it out. I used tempera paint. I experimented with both sides of the leaf and different weights of paint. I found that a light touch on the paint on the raised side of the leaf worked the best for the image I was going for (upper left in this picture). I started out using a burnishing tool (back of a wooden spoon) but lighter pressure with my fingers brought out more detail. Now that I have experimented it I think I will go and find some nice rice paper or water color paper and get Eliot in on it.


More Oliver and S Sandbox pants I am working on, too. I made these from an old pair of pants that are a tad too big for me. I think we will be prepared this weekend if it rains.