How to Make Botanical Rubbings

Have you ever looked a lush green fern frond or the intricate design of a germanium? Subsequently is your next thought, "That would like great over my mantel!"

Then welcome to the world of botanical rubbings. We have all marveled at such framed beauties in magazines and films but brushed the thought aside as it was too expensive or too difficult to make. This art that has been documented since 1500 by Leonardo da Vinci himself is as easy as simply picking a flower..Or a leaf for that matter.

First of all, collect leaves and flowers you like. There is no sense having a large framed sage leaf is you cannot stand the plant! Thicker leaves and sturdy flowers such as Queen Anne's lace are better to work with than fragile flowers.

Now retrieve that large phone book or heavy encyclopedia and press your findings between the pages or use two sheets of black and white newspaper (not the colored advertisements) under a heavy object. To this day I can find press flowers in old encyclopedias of my mothers that have long been forgotten! So don't forget where you put them!

Next, use Japanese rice paper (you can find this in craft stores and in stationary shops) or tissue paper to make framed art, calendar or even an album. Remember when using tissue paper to have a size already decided before purchasing. You don't want to buy a 2"X5" sheet at your local discount store when you have plans for a large frame or that your botanical is much larger than what you have.

Rubbing

To make just a simple rubbing, you will need your plant of choice, plain thin paper, a paperweight of some kind and crayons or colored pencils. Place the paper on your plant and secure it with your paperweight. Rub one section at a time with a crayon or colored pencil while holding the paper with your free hand. If you are working with larger leaves, hold the crayon or pencil on its side. For smaller parts like stems, use the tip. Fill in the details, as is the case with small flowers, with crayons.

NOTE: Personally I prefer crayons since colored pencils have a tendency to break and it is easier to tear the delicate paper if you're not careful. Pencils are generally best for the filling in, not the overall rubbing.

Calendars

Use rice paper only for this. The paper should be large enough that you may add your 'calendar' dates at the bottom of the paper. Therefore, your botanical will have to be large as well. You can make your own template from typing paper and an ink pen. Then slide the template under the paper. Use a colored pencil to trace your month and calendar dates onto the rice paper. If you will be stacking the paper, place the same size in blank paper so that the design will show through.

There you have it. An inexpensive but memorable gift or something to grace your living room walls. Either way, you can bring the beauty of nature indoors year round.
SOURCES:
"Martha Stewart's Living" May 2005
"Making Paper and Fabric Rubbings," by Cecily Bath Firestein