![]() They are currently displayed on our mantle-piece as beautiful nature seasonal art but they could also be used to hold precious trinkets or even be mounted carefully inside a box frame and hung on the wall. I love both versions of our clay leaf print art projects, with the trimmed edge and without. Simply apply 1-2 coats and leave for an hour or so to dry and they’re done! Or else you may wish to paint them with a metallic acrylic paint like we did (linked in the materials list above.) ![]() ![]() You may choose to leave them in the natural clay colour which looks gorgeous as it is, in which case I’d suggest applying a natural clay glaze to seal them. Leave them to dry (out of reach if you have toddlers around!) and within 1-2 days they should be absolutely hardened and ready to decorate. With some of our leaf clay shapes we then set them inside a shallow bowl to turn up the edges and allowed them to dry and harden in a slight dish shape.Īgain, this stage is optional and we made some of ours this way, allowing others to dry flat instead. This step is optional as the leaf imprints also look lovely within the disc itself, so decide if you want the finished product to be entirely leaf shaped or not. Use a clay tool or a blunt knife to cut carefully around the outline of the leaf and use the trimmed off clay for another project. Press it lightly all over the leaf, especially at the edges and along each ridged vein to create enough definition. When happy with the disc shape and size, check that the chosen leaf will actually fit onto it, and then place it carefully down onto the surface. I’d recommend it is not thicker than 2cm or else it will be hard to shape later. When soft and pliable enough, roll the clay into a ball and then use a rolling pin to flatten it out into a disc. It’s also a fantastic fine motor muscle strengthening work out which is hard to replicate with any other materials besides clay! Don’t skip this step or else the clay will dry and crack easily. Then choose one leaf each to work with and make a rough estimate of the amount of clay needed to fit the leaf on for making an impression.ĭivide up the clay and encourage the children to work it for at least 5 minutes to soften it ready to use. ![]() Look at the leaves together and talk about shapes, edges, patterns, number of individual leaves off the stem and the vein directions. I’d say one packet of clay will make approximately 8-10 leaf print sculptures (depending on size of course)įresh leaves in a variety of shapes with well raised veinsįirst go on a nature walk together to search for leaves that are a variety of shapes and sizes, (taking care to avoid any that are poisonous of course!) Look out for leaves that have well raised veins as these will make clearer imprints in the clay. How to make clay leaf print art Materials:Īir dry clay (we’ve tried a few and find this the softest!) ( The metallic paint is what makes these look so fab so I’ll link the type we used in our products list below. It’s particularly good for a group project as the pack of clay can be shared out into many pieces for everyone to have a go at the same time. It’s great as part of a topic exploring the shape and patterns in leaves and can be done by even the littlest hands with a bit of help. This is such a lovely, simple nature craft that’s lovely for Autumn and Spring in particular. Make some clay leaf print art to use as shallow dishes or relief sculpture for display! Easy and effective enough for all ages to enjoy and be involved in and a wonderful way to explore nature through art.
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