November in the Hudson Valley brings with it the end of vibrant trees and landscapes, but that doesn’t mean your house décor has to fade as well. From front doors to table displays, autumnal colors bring warmth and festivity to our decoration as fall nears its end. Instead of using artificial leaves to make those reds, oranges, and yellows last a little longer, try one of these leaf preservation methods to prolong the colors of the harvest season with items you can find in your backyard.
Simplified approach to painting fall foliage
Do you ever take out an older painting and change it? I love to revisit older paintings and put on my ‘what if’ hat and see what could be done to change it. This painting had already been through the ‘what if’ process. It began life as a summer landscape. I blogged about the changes I made last year. Keep reading to see what I did last year and what else I did to the painting this year!
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| Last Year’s revised painting |
My post from last year:
When I finished this tree demo for my Wednesday night class I felt the pull to make it into an Autumn landscape. I put on my ‘What if?’ hat and asked myself . “I wonder what would happen if I made this tree into a red tree? How would I do that?”
The tree was fine as a green tree. But I am over green! So I went through my photo files and found a picture of a red tree and another of some fields in Fall colors. (this is a benefit of taking thousands of photos!) See the photo below for the original tree and photo along with the new reference photos.
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| The original demo featuring a Summer landscape with a green tree |
Here is a summary of my process for changing the season of this painting:
- The first thing I did was test the red pastels on my tree to see if I liked what was happening. I decided that it was a go. There would be no turning back. after all it is only paper. By the way I am using a sienna color piece of Canson.
- Since I am using Canson I am limited to the number of layers I will be able to put down so I give the tree and the field a light spray of workable fixative. I liked the sky as it is so I didn’t spray it. Now it will be easier to add more layers of pastel. I also like the texture the fixative gives.
- I work on the big tree first. I want to be sure to keep the light in the painting consistent. So I basically follow the light and shadows already in the tree. I used a cool dark brick red for the tree shadows. I use a warmer red in a middle value for the rest of the foliage. Where the light is hitting some of the leaves I use a warmer orange red. (go warm instead of light to get the illusion of sunlight)
- I like the peeks of green from the original tree color. It makes the red more intense as well as making it look like the tree is actually changing color.
- Next I need to work on the field. It is much too green for the red of the trees. So I use some ochres and yellows to tone it down and give the grasses more of an autumn feel.
- I decide to tone down the path and make it a bit more subtle.
- Now that the path is merely a suggestion AND the tree so intense the painting feels unbalanced. There is nothing on the right side to balance the weight of the big red tree. So I added a smaller bush on the right.
- Now I had to break up the field in the mid to foreground. I didn’t want it to be a big flat area. I made some directional strokes sloping down towards the path. I also took some of the pale yellow ochre in the distant field and put some behind the tree and bush to add another layer.
- I went back to the big tree and added some branches and refined the skyholes.
- Finishing touches: I decided to add some of the whitish-yellow wildflowers that I have been seeing everywhere this Fall. I tried not to overdo them and just merely suggest them.
****Update. The tree was fine as a red tree but it lacked life and I didn’t like the squared off shape of the tree top. To change the tree I sprayed some workable fixative and stumbled a few of my new orange Unison pastels to add some orange foliage. I also punched up the foreground flowers and added some purple asters for spice. I also made a few more subtle revisions. Can you spot them?
Method 1: Pressing
The simplest method of preservation, pressing leaves is easy and requires minimal supplies – in fact, you can just use a book lying around your house. First, make sure your leaves are completely dry before adding them to your book or flower press, then just sandwich them between two pages and wait for a day or two before taking them out. For the best results, just put one leaf in between each page, and be careful when you remove them because they can become delicate. Pressing is great for creating flat leaves, but other methods are more useful for preserving color.
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Method 2: Glycerin
For maintaining those vibrant warm colors, try a glycerin bath instead. It may sound highly involved, but this method is not all that complicated; just mix one part glycerin to two parts water and soak your leaves. Leaves should be left in the mixture for upwards of three days, but no more than five and, once they are taken out, allow them to dry completely before using them in crafts. Not only does the glycerin bath preserve the color of the leaves, but also the texture as they should still feel soft and malleable.
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Method 3: Wax
There are a couple of ways to preserve leaves with wax, either with wax paper or with beeswax. For the first option, sandwich dry leaves between two sheets of wax paper and use a hot iron to press down on both sides of the paper, making sure that the wax melts enough to transfer to the leaves. This method is great for preserving a lot of leaves quickly, but not the best for keeping the color, as the wax layer is thin. Alternatively, you could dip your leaves in wax after melting pure beeswax in a double boiler apparatus. Make sure to shake off the excess wax when you pull the leaves out and hang them by their stems to dry. Dipping leaves in wax creates colorful, three-dimensional shapes that are great for garlands.
Laminating your leaves is a quick and easy option if you have the supplies lying around already. Get out your laminator and make sure your leaves are dry before feeding them through the plastic. Once they are pressed, simply cut around the shapes while leaving a small border around each leaf to maintain the seal. Not only does this method create a shiny and colorful final product, but the leaves are durable and not prone to ripping after lamination.
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Method 3: Soak in Glycerin
Another popular method uses a glycerin bath to preserve flame-like foliage. This is achieved by mixing two parts of water to one part glycerin. Let the leaves soak in the mixture for between three and five days. Let the leaves dry completely. When dry, they should be supple and ready to use. Note that the red leaves may fade a bit, but yellow leaves respond to the treatment well. This method can also be applied to branches with leaves still attached, which makes a nice base for a wreath or fall garland.
Take a page out of kindergarten and press your leaves in a book. Sandwich the leaves between two sheets of paper and place them under a stack of books. Or, if you think this is something that you might like to repeat with, say, spring flowers, invest in a flower press. Check on the leaves every few days and remove them when completely dry. Pressing helps the leaves dry more quickly and retain color, but it may not preserve them for as long as other methods.
Method 5: Laminate with Plastic
If you love to play with office supplies, then bust out your laminator (or, you know, go to Kinko’s or wherever), and sheathe your leaves in plastic. Then cut them out, leaving a border around each leaf to keep it sealed. This method is great because it yields sturdy, shiny leaves that are great for kids’ crafts.
A small but vocal minority of crafters is in favor of microwaving leaves in order to preserve them. Sandwich the leaves between two paper towels. Start by microwaving for 30 seconds, and if the leaves aren’t dry, continue to microwave in five-second bursts until dry but not brittle. Remove woody stems and watch them carefully, as leaves can scorch if they are microwaved for too long. After the leaves are completely dry, spray them with an acrylic spray.
Method 7: Decoupage Your Leaves
Use a craft glue like Mod Podge to decoupage, or glue your leaves to paper, wood, glass, and more. The shiny glue seals color in without flattening the leaves, allowing your fall crafts to maintain texture and dimension. Mod Podge dries clear, but has a glossy surface and tends to darken colors slightly.
Whatever your preservation method of choice, it’s nice to have a number of ways to keep fall’s bounty fresh-looking. A bright tabletop arrangement or other fall leaf decorations will be a welcome reminder of autumn long after all of the leaves have dropped and tree branches are bare.
