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Are you in the mood for an exciting craft project? Whether for children or adults, these ideas for dry leaf art are a great activity for the fall!
When it’s pouring outside, I’d like nothing better than to try out new craft ideas indoors with my kids. And for me, fall is the season that inspires the imagination the most. The beautiful colors and patterns invite us to get creative and collect and reinterpret everything nature has to offer for us. Today, I want to show you how you can use fall leaves to create beautiful art with your loved ones! There are some important points to consider before you let your creativity run wild. I will go into this in the next few paragraphs. There are plenty of ideas to choose from! So, read on and be inspired!
Drying Leaves: Why is it Important and How to Do it Quickly
Creating dry leaf art is one of the most popular projects for children both in kindergarten and in elementary school. This inexpensive material is available to all and can be reused over and over again. Although these crafting ideas may seem simple at first glance, there are a few things that should be kept in mind so that the process runs smoothly! One vital step that is oftentimes overseen is the drying of the leaves. This is fundamental if you want your art to last longer!
Here you can see how the leaves deform when you don’t dry them in advance. It’s best to leave them to dry in the air or sun, otherwise they will curl in a few days and can ruin the design of your image.
There are many techniques you can use to dry leaves – between the pages of a book, with salt, detergent, or even in a microwave. I personally find the method with the book the most efficient of all. However, if you want to dry and press the leaves quickly, then it can be done with an iron. It’s swift and easy and works for leaves of any shape and size. Here’s how:
- Place the leaf on the ironing board.
- Cover it with a piece of wax paper, a thin cotton T-shirt, or any other sheer fabric.
- Iron on medium temperature until the sheet is completely dry.
- Peel off the wax paper gently, so that the leaf doesn’t break.
Read also: 4 DIY Fall Cardboard Art Ideas for Kids That Are Both Fun and Educational!
Making Dry Leaf Art with Children
If your leaves are already dry, pressed and ready for crafting, you can get started right away! Get inspired with the following ideas that you can easily recreate with the youngest members of your family!
Fall Trees
Making fall trees is a very common art project for children in kindergarten or elementary school. Instead of drawing the trees, the kids can use dried leaves to make the project more interesting. While older children can draw the stem themselves, toddlers may need a pre-drawn template.
To make it even easier, for the crown of the tree, you can use only one big leaf, however, it will be a lot more interesting if you use various smaller ones. What kind of glue would be best for this project? Both normal school glue and a glue stick are suitable, although the second alternative gives better results, especially when it comes to crafting with little children.
Large Butterfly
Even though it’s not necessarily a fall-themed motif, my kids really enjoy making butterflies with dried leaves. All you have to do is paint a large butterfly on a piece of paper and then let the kid decorate the wings with colorful fall leaves.
Cute Bunny
This adorable rabbit is a great way for your kids to explore their creativity! You don’t need any templates, only leaves in different shapes, sizes, and colors!
A Hedgehog
Hedgehogs are a very common image that children in kindergarten play around with! All you need is a suitable template and dried leaves if you want to try this idea at home.
Leaf Foxes
Painted leaf art seems to be getting more and more popular with each year! It’s truly fascinating to me how you can easily turn a simple fall leaf into an adorable animal with just a few brush strokes. The orange leaves, for example, can be turned into adorable foxes or deer! You can then use them to decorate postcards to send to your loved ones, or make a beautiful picture to hang on your wall!
Dry Leaf Art Projects for Adults
Who said that dried leaf art is only for children? There are plenty of great projects for adults that are not only incredibly therapeutic but actually look good enough for you to display in your home! Let’s take a look at a few ideas together!
A Vase with Dried Leaves
As someone who loves doing floral arrangements, this fall-inspired dried leaf vase art project is amongst one of my favorites! You’re going to need a canvas, or cardboard, as well as a vase template. You can find one on the web and print it out, or if you’re more confident in your drawing skills than I, draw it yourself! Once you have your vase on the canvas, use the leaves to create a beautiful arrangement, and voilà!
A Framed Fall Bouquet
This idea is perfect if you want to make something fall-themed to gift to a friend! It is super easy to recreate, and you can enjoy it for a very long time. It does not require many materials at all: 1-2 dry autumn leaves, a hydrangea flower, small ferns and some twigs. Tie them together to make a mini bouquet and frame it.
Colorful Fall Collage
Do you want to combine all the colors of fall in one picture, then make a collage! This idea is super easy to recreate, and the final result is absolutely stunning! Start off by collecting various fall leaves, dry them, and then glue them on a piece of paper. Make sure that you’ve placed the most beautiful leaves in the center of your collage. Take another piece of craft paper, draw a heart in the middle of it and cut it out. To make it easier, you can print and outline a template from the web. Then, glue it on top of the leaf collage, and you’re done!
Read also: Crafts with Chestnuts, Acorns and Other Natural Materials: 5 Cute Animals and Figures!
