Monoprinting With Nature 

Monoprinting with nature: step-by-step techniques for making cards or prints to hang. I’m joining a few friends today to share ideas on summer floral crafts, and I thought monoprinting was the perfect summer craft to share.

I will be sharing a simple process using minimal supplies. I’m sure many printmaking techniques are more advanced, but for this post for a summer craft, I am sticking to the basics. I think you will be surprised by the results. 

My source of inspiration was seeing this process from many different creators on Instagram. Some use objects with various patterns or even things like bubble wrap that has an interesting texture when printed on paper. 

Nature printing can be done with natural materials, such as feathers, thin tree bark, or shells. It’s fun to experiment to see what works with this form of printmaking. 

The supplies and various tools you’ll need to make a monotype print

• Scissors or hand pruners
• Large, heavy book 
• A printmaking plate (optional)
• A printing surface ( I used a milk carton that I cut out to lay flat as my printing surface, and it worked beautifully).
• Printmaking piece of paper
• Water-soluble block printing ink 
• Scrap paper, old newspapers, or a large sheet of paper from a roll of kraft paper
• A brayer
• Tweezers
• Apron/gloves (optional)
• Paper towels
• Foraged flowers or leaves

Step-by-step Instructions for this simple craft project

1. First, you’ll need to go into the garden or for a walk and find some pretty flowers or leaves.
2. Place the leaves and flowers inside the pages of a heavy book. This will flatten them and remove any excess moisture. Leave for a couple of hours. You want your plant material to be dry.
3. Cover your work surface with newspaper or paper from a roll.
4. Put a small amount of ink onto your plexiglass or your milk carton. Roll out a thin layer of ink covering the surface using your brayer.
5. Now, take your flowers and leaves from the book pages and gently place them onto the inked plate or surface.
6. Gently roll more ink over the leaves and flowers.
7. Using clean hands or tweezers, if you have them, lift the leaves and flowers onto a piece of clean paper, arranging them precisely as you want them. For example, you could arrange a single leaf, several leaves, or a leaf with a flower. 
8. Place another sheet of clean paper on top of the leaves or flowers, pressing down on top of the paper. Use the palm of your hand or the back of a spoon to press or rub out the leaves and flowers.
9. Lift the top sheet of paper and set aside. Remove the leaves and flowers from the bottom sheet,
10. Now, you have two unique results.

What kind of flowers and leaves work best for this project?

I selected Nasturtium flowers and leaves because I love the shape of the leaves, which are so recognizable, but I had trouble with them. Because they are so thin, they were not easy to work with. I then tried hydrangea leaves and dusty miller.

If this is your first time doing this kind of printing, it may take a little experiment to see what works. Then, I returned to find some tiny hydrangea leaves to make tags. I love how they turned out.

​How to use your prints

Frame them in inexpensive frames you can find at Walmart

Use them as thank-you notes or birthday cards, or frame them using inexpensive frames. I use these simple black frames that I buy at Walmart. You may have better luck buying in-store if you want small-sized frames sold individually. I found online 4 x 6, 5 x 7, and 8 x 10 frames. (I’m showing a 5 x 7 and a 4 x 6 frame).

The individual frames found in the frame section of household items at Walmart are just a few dollars. The frame is plastic, but it does have real glass.

Clean Up

The ink is water-soluble and comes off with soapy water. I did protect my work surface, but my hands did get ink on them each time I made a new monoprint. I think it’s unavoidable. You must wash your hands several times and keep damp paper towels or rags close by as you work.

Considering this was my first time, I was delighted with the process and the results. I used a milk carton instead of a plexiglass plate, but now that I want to make more monoprints, I will probably order them.

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