Painting leaves to use in my art projects is one of my favorite things to do. Here are some examples of leaves painted with acrylic paint.
I pick the leaves while they are still on the tree and put them in an old phone book, which I weigh down with a heavy object or some books. Doing this for a few days keeps them from curling up as they dry.
I found that some leaves are better to use than others. For example, the cottonwood leaves are thicker, than some of the other leaves. They’re almost leathery. Other leaves are so thin that they almost disingrate if you touch them after they’ve been dried.
To begin painting, I’ll lay the leaf on a clean sheet of paper. The paint that’s left on the paper, after the leaf has been colored, creates a great background that I’ll be able to use in other projects.
For the colors, I like to pick a light and dark shade in the same color. For example, light blue and navy.
I use a piece of cardstock or something with a straight edge to lay along the middle of the leaf to give it a crisp edge.
I hold the cardstock with one hand while I dab on the paint. It doesn’t matter which paint you use first. You can get rid of some of the extra paint that’s on the brush,by swiping it onto the paper.
I’m just using an old brush but a sponge dauber might work better.
Next I move the cardstock and paint the opposite side of the leaf, along the border.
I either let it dry it on its own or use my hair dryer (on style setting).
After it’s dry, I put my cardstock down the center again on the other side and start painting with the other paint. Then, I paint the rest of the leaf.
After it’s dry, I go over the places that I missed and make the colors blend together.
Here is what it looks like after it’s done. I finished it by painting along the edge with silver acrylic paint.