Eco Printing on Paper

A little late to the party myself but many artists have been doing this for quite some time. I finally decided to give it a go before the fall leaves all disappeared.

To begin if you’ve read any of my previous posts you would see I kind of go with what I have and guess at measurements. That said there are many tutorials out there for beginners and advanced printers online and in library books, this just follows my attempt. I also want to mention I put most of my containers with dye outside so read up on anything you use indoors to make sure you are staying safe. I also try to stay away from anything too toxic because...

She’s drank from many rusty containers during her many years so don’t worry.

Wanting a light colored print alum was suggested for holding the paper whiter. I’m guessing I placed about a couple of tablespoons of alum with about a gallon or two of water and soaked the 140lb watercolor paper overnight.

Oak, maple and willow leaves are recommended by many as they have a good amount of tannins. I could have used them but I went with an unknown plant that was in our yard but had a nice pattern and had red and orange colors thinking I could get those colors. I now think it might be a White Ash Tree? Wanting deckled edges for another future project I torn the sheets I half lengthwise. I layered a sheet of paper, leaves, paper and more leaves and wrapped with cotton thread.

It was difficult to roll the thick stack on the small dowels I was using. I would suggest something with a larger diameter. Some tutorials said to add vinegar and iron to the bath. I thought this old rusty chicken waterer would do the trick. I actually forgot about the vinegar and made another mistake by adding cold water and tried to recover by adding some hot.

A rock was placed on the bundles to hold them down. After a few days the paper was still white only part that touched the side was rusted. I kind of gave up hope after realizing my errors. Rain on and off I ended up leaving it in the water for a week. When I finally unwrapped them I was pleasantly surprised to have had a little printing occur.

The large stems embossed the paper but without the print it was distracting.

Although it didn’t come out as I had hoped, I think of this quote: “Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely “ Henry Ford