Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Eco Printing Pt. 2

Here are the results of the first printing done with older shingles, a fresh water/vinegar bath and leaves shown in last post.
I'm semi-happy with the results...some are good, some not so much which always mystifys me as it is the same set of circumstances. But I have to say, that's part of the fun, not knowing what you'll get and trying other options. The ferns which have worked well before did not this time; the oakleaf hydrangea is pretty much a sure thing.
The rose leaves are always great, the marigold leaves got blurry on bottom. Actually the bottom on both are very dark and I'm not sure why.





 The Red Bud on the left is good but again, lost some of it's print at the top. I'm finding, if the bundle is clamped too tightly, the water/vinegar solution can not get in to help in the transfer of color.
Goatsbeard, on right, not on the list as being a good printer but I just had to see for myself...and Vickie was right....not good
The beautiful maple has some darkness near stem at bottom and the top  - no printing at all. You can see where the print should have been but a lack of water in the bath, prevented it from printing. The paper was actually dry in that area when I undid it from the bath.


Zinneas on left, sometimes they worked, sometimes not. I wish the Marigolds worked better as the leaves are so delicate and pretty.
The rose leaves I realize are featured above always print beautifully, this one has a dark spot on the bottom and the very top leaf is faint - again I attribute it to too tight a bond. The 2 prints below - Eucalyptus and Oakleaf Hydrangea are 2 of the best leaves for printing. The Eucalyptus on left is practically foolproof. I love the larger leaves but have been unable to find them lately. You can get fresh Eucalyptus all year at Trader Joes, but they haven't been able to get the large leaf either. The Oakleaf Hydrangea (we have a huge one in our front yard) prints great also....Lots more to come so stay tuned.

3 comments:

  1. I think these are beautiful!!! Subtle, which I like! I've never had great success but just winged it!! Maybe we should try this again in Florida this winter!

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  2. As always your excellent organizational skills will serve you well as you continue to determine what leaves print best and under what conditions.

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  3. So interesting! Thanks for sharing this. That's the thing with dyeing- it's quite unpredictable. I like your method though. The trick is figuring out how to tweak it so the results are more consistent in the print- but can that be done?

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