Did you see the three-part "Craft in America" on PBS last month? I hope so because it was a wonderful documentary. If you missed it, look for a repeat -- hopefully in the near future.
Many of the artists featured on the program get their inspiration from nature.
One was a jeweler who uses leaves as actual patterns, cutting around them in silver and then pressing the leaves into the silver to leave vein lines.
The patterns of nature can be used in almost any art form. Trade or draw around leaves to create patterns for appliqué, beading, knitting, stamping, collage, machine embroidery, weaving and probably lots more.
Take a simple leaf shape -- like an alder tree -- and draw it in your sketchbook. Turn the leaf and place it over the original drawing and draw it again, creating new shapes. Continue to do this until you get a design you like.
Lay leaves from various plants -- maple, gingko, fern and other flat leaves -- on a piece of 100 percent dark-colored cotton. Spray the work with a diluted solution of household bleach and let it set in the sun until dry. Stop the bleach's action by removing the leaves and rinsing the fabric in a vinegar/water solution.
Flatten leaves between pieces of paper towel under a heavy book. Paint one side of the leaves with fabric paint and lay the on fabric or paper. Press down on the leaves -- a square of clear acrylic works great for this -- or use a brayer. Remove the leaves and the painted leaf stamps will remain. Heat set according to the fabric paint instructions. Use dry, pressed leaves in paper collages, scrapbooks and altered books. The leaves can be tinted with inks or painted with acrylics, including metallics.
Lay a leaf on a piece of graph paper and draw around it. Remove the leaf and fill in the graph squares. Japanese maple and other colorful leaves, like those collected in the fall, have wonderful colors. Use the graph for an original needlepoint, cross-stitch, and knitting or crochet design.
If you would like a greater variety of leaf shapes than what you have in your yard, look through garden books or log onto the internet. When I Googled "leaf shapes," I got 1,340,000 results!Labels: academy awards, career training, education online, financial aid, free college, free education, high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad |
