What we will cover in this course

So, what exactly is eco-botanical printmaking?

Eco-botanical printmaking, or eco-printing, botanical printing, contact printing… it has a few names. It is basically letting nature leave its fingerprints on your artwork.

We use leaves, flowers, onion skins and other botanical goodies to transfer their natural colour, tannins and shapes directly onto fabric or paper. In this course, we will be working with paper only.

We will start by gathering our botanicals, pop them onto your paper, bundle everything up, add a little heat and pressure, and then wait to see what Mother Nature has decided to do.

And this is where the magic happens.

So, how does it actually work?

First, we go for a wander.

Look for leaves, flowers and other botanicals that have plenty of natural tannins and pigments. Eucalyptus is my absolute superstar, but there are plenty of other plants worth experimenting with too.

And yes, this is a very good excuse to go outside and fossick around. Take your dog with you, it’s great for everyone!

Next, then comes the fun bit — arranging.

Lay your leaves, flowers and other botanical treasures onto our paper.

You can be all beautifully considered and carefully arranged…

Or you can throw caution to the wind and see what happens.

Roll everything up tightly and secure it with string.

Now we add heat.

Your bundles are in the heat, and the moisture will coax those beautiful natural pigments out of the plant material and onto your paper. And then comes the hardest part…

Waiting.

Because you really don’t know exactly what is happening inside that bundle.

And finally… the reveal.

Unwrap it.

Peel everything back.

And see what you’ve got.

Sometimes you get crisp, beautifully detailed leaf prints. Sometimes the colours are soft and dreamy. Sometimes something completely unexpected happens.

And that’s exactly why I love it.

Every print is a one-off.

You can use the same leaf, the same paper, the same process and still end up with something completely different.

It’s slow art, a little bit science, a little bit magic and a wonderful excuse to get outside, collect some treasures and see what nature wants to create with you.