Materials: 

• Block Printing Ink
• Screen Printing Ink
• Rubber Brayer (Roller) 
• Paper Plate or Bench Hook
• Leaves 
• Mixed Media Paper
• Fabric
• Surface Protection 
• Paper Towels

Step 1: Collect various sizes and types of leaves.

Step 2: Prepare a workspace and cover the surface to protect it from the ink.

Step 3: Choose one or more colors of ink. 

Step 4: Squeeze a small amount of ink on a paper plate or printing bench hook. 

Step 5: Roll the brayer over the ink to coat the roller in a thin layer of ink. Then roll brayer onto the veiny side of a leaf. Make sure that the entire surface of the leaf is covered.

Step 6: Place the leaf onto the paper or fabric. Place a clean paper towel over the leaf and gently but firmly rub to transfer the ink. 

Step 7: Lift the leaf slowly in a peeling motion. 

Step 8: Repeat these steps with the same leaf shape or different shapes and sizes. Create patterns using different sizes and colors! 

Ideas to take your leaf print to the next level: 

• Find some interesting shapes to create a tessellation. Tessellations are when two or more shapes fit next to each other similar to a puzzle. 
• Layer the leaf prints with different colors to create new colors. Try to make secondary colors by layering primary colors. For example, make a print of a red leaf, let it dry, then and go over it with another print of a yellow leaf.  
• Paint more than one color on the same leaf. It does not always have to have one color! Discover which color combination you like best. 
• Try to create a landscape scene with your leaf prints—experiment with other plant parts, like flower petals. 
• Does your dry leaf print remind you of an animal, a face, or an object? Take a pencil or marker and draw something you see within the shape of the leaf.