Printing with Nature

Click here to watch Mandy Howe as she takes us into the apple orchard at Prescott Farm to demonstrate how we can make fun artwork from apples at home!

Here are the instructions for making your own nature art!

Materials:

1. Fruits, vegetables, plant leaves (Almost any type of food or plant can be used to make a great print)
2. Newspaper
3. Paint (tempura, block print, etc.)
4. Roller/brayer or paintbrushes
5. Plate, tray, or recycled materials to hold pain
6. Paper to print on

Instructions:

1. Lay out newspaper to protect your work surface
2. If printing with food, prepare the food by cutting it horizontally, or cutting the foods into shapes. You can cut apples horizontally to get a star shape in the middle, or citrus to see the design on the inside.
3. Pour paint onto tray or plate, and roll out if needed.
4. Dip the foods or leaves into the paint, and use roller or paintbrush to completely cover its surface if needed
5. Press the food or leaf onto the paper.
6. Experiment by using different patterns and colors, as well as different textures and colors of paper to print on.
7. You can print on fabric if you use acrylic or fabric paints, to make a T-shirt, pillowcase, hat, apron, etc.

Don’t forget to share your artwork with us by tagging us on social media @nptrestoration!