Dried Flower and Foliage Picture Art

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Dried Flower and Foliage Picture Art
by Jill Black

Description: Tips for preserving, drying, and pressing flowers to use in arts and crafts projects.

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The flowers in our garden gives us a short-lived pleasure and delight. When you can capture this delight by pressing and preserving the flowers and foliage you then have the perfect medium art for creating pictures of lasting beauty.

Collecting Flowers for Drying

Collect flowers and foliage that lend themselves to pressing e.g. Pansies, Buttercups, Cosmos and Queen Anne's Lace or flowers with an open face.

For best results pick flowers at their freshest and press when there is no dew on them.

If you are unable to press the flowers and foliage immediately, place them in a zip lock bag and store in a cool place.

When you're ready to press use a soft brush to remove any debris from the plant material.

There are two easy ways to press flowers or foliage.

1. Between Books' Pages - Place flowers between two sheets of paper to protect the pages of the book or place between two large books. It will take 1-2 weeks for them to dry thoroughly.

2. Flower Presses - A flower press is very inexpensive to buy or make your own.

Layer your flowers in the press by cutting pieces of cardboard and paper to fit between the boards of the press.

Colour retention will be improved if you put the flowers between sheets of paper and change daily or at the very least every couple of days.

Note: Flowers turn brown when they don't dry quick enough. These should be discarded.

Making a Dried Flower Picture

Some frames are more suitable than others Choose a wooden frame that can be stapled easily to secure the frame back. Metal and plastic frames come equipped with clips allowing the back of the frame to be opened and closed easily.

Flowers can be mounted on acid free card or on a piece of soft fabric such as velvet. When using fabric, cut the fabric the same size as the glass. If it larger it tends to wrinkle around the edges.

Arrange the flowers and foliage on the card or fabric using tweezers. When you are pleased with the arrangement carefully put a drop of craft glue, using a toothpick, and press the flower down firmly into its final position.

Before framing the picture, make sure you let the glue dry completely. Cover with the glass and secure the backboard onto the frame. Try to make an air tight seal when framing. Air causes oxidation and premature fading of the pressed flowers.

Making Botanical Specimen Displays

Another popular way to display dried flowers and foliage from the garden is to create Botanical Specimen Displays by collecting and preserving plants found in nature.

I like to use acid free parchment paper to glue my samples onto. Look for parchment that will give an aged look to the finished work. This can usually be found in craft stores or scrapbooking supply stores.

Arrange the flower, leaf and seeds of the featured plant onto the paper. Using a calligraphic pen to write the Latin (or common) name of the plant and any notes you may wish to make. These can be sold through craft fairs and markets or advertised in gardening magazines as gift items for gardening friends. Many craft stores will sell on your behalf if asked.

Caring for Pressed flower and Foliage Displays

Avoid displaying in direct sunlight as this will cause the flowers to quickly fade and avoid high humidity rooms in the house such as bathrooms or kitchens.