Day 25 Art journal challenge + Eco printing with leaves

Working seasonally with what surrounds us in nature is not only a beautiful eco-friendly practice, but this is also a grounding exercise that nourishes self-care by spending a little time outdoors foraging for plants and leaves.

For Day 25 let’s head outside and gather some leaves to eco print with in our art journals.

Here I have scooped up a variety of foliage from our studio forest including Cottonwood, Wisteria, and Eucalyptus. Choose leaves that have a firm but pliable structure and not ones that are so fragile that they would crumble while being handled.
 
I’ve selected watercolors from our Painted Rock palette to use, as these natural earthy mineral based paints lend themselves well to this exercise. You can choose any watercolors that are more saturated and opaque from your palette.

The key is to add just a little bit of water to your paint so that you have a thicker consistency that is not too watery as you need your paint to adhere well to these leaves. Pick a side of your leaf to paint, (sometimes the back works better than the front side), as veins and texture imprint better on the page.

Paint each leaf one at a time on a separate blotting piece of paper so that the watercolor doesn’t run over your journal page, and then gently press this leaf paint side down into your journal using gentle but firm pressure. 
 

You can see from my results how using different color hues and natural leaf shapes adds interest, and don’t be worried if your imprints don’t turn out replicating the entire shape of the leaf. Embrace the wabi sabi nature of this exercise (no pun intended) and have fun with the results.

Please continue to tag your entries #wildthorneoctober so that I may see them and enter you into our giveaway at the end of the month for a palette of watercolors and stationery supplies.

Remember to keep adding to your positive aspect pages as well, they should be quite full as we edge closer to the 31st.