Leaf Print Sympathy cards
Posted: August 6, 2024 Filed under: gel press, Penny Black | Tags: gel press, gel printing, Penny Black stamps 10 Comments
I’ve been collecting leaves, flowers and grasses over recent weeks for botanical gelprinting and thought I would try some damaged leaves eaten by beetles. The holes in the leaves leave a lacy pattern on the print which is delicate alongside the leaf veins.
I applied black and green paint to a 5″x7″ gel plate and lay the leaves vein-side down in the paint. I used printer paper for this print and pressed it down on top of the leaves.
After pressing the paper firmly over the whole surface I lifted one corner to remove a leaf then pressed it down again and repeated on other corners to remove all three leaves. By lifting just a corner at the time the paper stayed in the same place to pick up the texture print left by the leaf on the plate. You can see the process in the short video below.
I decided to make a couple of sympathy cards using a small Penny Black sentiment. To add a bit of interest around the gel prints I scored criss-crossing lines on the background panel using my scor-pal. So don’t bypass those imperfect leaves when looking for gel printing elements; the intricate patterns are quite beautiful. This post includes affiliate links from Scrap’n’Stamp . If you buy through these links I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Heather Telford 
I think this technique is pretty interesting and could be used affectively for a card, but I do have to say that if I received a card like this with a beetle eaten leaf after a love one died, I would question why the sender sent it. To me it would be pretty depressing to get a card like this say after my wife or friend died. It certainly would not be a comfort to me.
The technique is a fun one, but this card, not so much.
I’m interested to receive your thoughts because I am in two minds about these prints as sympathy cards. I asked a few people when I showed these cards at a class recently and they thought they worked as sympathy cards. Even though the recipient is unlikely to know the leaves were beetle eaten I see your point.
I might rethink the sentiment but I’m happy with the lacy look.
i think it could be an interesting note card w no sentiment, and maybe using fall colors and more than one leaf one larger one, one med and one smaller.
if one of the larger leaves (in a fall color) could be fussycut and then some pop dots put on it for a center focal point, then it would not seem so flat..
i’m not sure if i have a stamp like that, but maybe could find a real leaf and
give it a try and see how it comes out because i do like the lacy look as well. i think sometimes people associate dark cards with a sympathy card, but really, lighter colors seem to say ‘we’re sorry for your loss, but there will come brighter days again’. it is amazing what color can do on a sympathy card.
cheers!
So clever! Fantastic detail in the prints
This is are artsy and beautiful, Heather. I think they work perfectly as a sympathy card. xx
These are SUPER Heather! Love how you do your botanical cards ! The black and white is so striking too. Love these and perfect for sympathy cards.
THANK YOU!! I happened by here when I had a few minutes and was intrigued by your beetle eaten leaves. Those pests have been out in full force on my roses and hollyhocks. I wandered the yard and picked up/cut leaves. I came inside and made a mess. What Fun!! I have many new backgrounds and a few pieces of foliage in the garage for my next play day.
I’m so glad you found this blog post at just the right time. The beetles have made plenty of mess around our neighbourhood but those leaves definitely make lovely prints!
[…] I’ve made a few cards lately using the framing technique above. I use three nesting dies to cut a large rectangle panel, then another inside and another inside that. I leave the middle frame out of the layout but could save it for another card or a strip on an envelope perhaps. The sentiments are from Darkroom Door. The printing technique used was the one shown in my last short video. […]
[…] filmed a short video for this one; it’s the same process I used with the lacy leaves but this time with long stalks of […]