I am so excited to share my art project titled ‘The Summer Garden’ with you. In the video, I show you how I glue the pressed flowers and the materials used in the project. I’m not sure how to explain it, but there is a certain feeling I get when I know my design is perfect. I arrange and rearrange the flowers until a design touches me and makes me happy. It usually takes a few days of designing and changing before I arrive at that point. Therefore, take your time. Don’t settle for the first arrangement unless you feel it’s perfect. Let’s review how to create pressed flower art – the summer garden.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
How to create pressed flower art – Supplies
Here is a list of the supplies used in this project:
- A variety of dried pressed flowers. In this design, there are ~65 pieces of dried pressed flowers and leaves.
- Frame. I used a gold frame that is 24 inches by 36 inches.
- A mat board that is 24 inches by 36 inches. It fit perfectly into the frame.
- A framing mat that again is 24 inches by 36 inches. The mat has 3 inches on the left/right sides and 2 inches on the top/bottom. Thus, the workable area is 20 inches by 30 inches.
- Glue. I use matte finish Mode Podge
- Small container for holding the glue
- Paint brushes. I used a ¼ inch and a ½ inch brush
- Tweezers for picking up and laying down the flowers
- Scotch tape for picking up small pieces of plant material that may fall onto the mat board
- Push pins with colorful heads
How to create pressed flower art – Design
Design does not come naturally to me. Therefore, I spend a lot of time studying the design of other artists. There are two primary sources I use. First, I use Pinterest. Just search for ‘pressed flower art’ and a significant amount of material will appear. Second, I use Etsy. Again, put in the same search criteria and you will find lots of artwork for sale. I don’t think it is possible to copy another design, but you begin to get a feel for what you like.
Place your dried flowers directly on the mat board that you will use in your frame. Once you have a flower design in place, let it sit for a few days. Come back and visit the design and make changes if needed. There have been many times that I scratch entirely my original design and start over.
Once you are happy with the design, take a picture. The picture will be your reference.
How to create pressed flower art – Gluing
Ok, so you have your design and are ready to glue.
- Pour a small amount of glue into the container you set aside for this purpose
- Determine where you want to start with the gluing. Once you chose a flower, use the push pins to mark the location of that flower on the board.
- Lift the flower using tweezers and lay it upside down on a paper towel
- Using a small paintbrush, being to brush glue onto the flower. I find it helpful to work in one direction around the petals of a flower. For example, I will start at the inner portion of the flower and brush the glue outward
- Using the tweezers, lift the flower and place it back on the board. Use the push pins as your placement guide
- Follow this process until all the flowers have been glued
- Let the board with the flowers dry for 24 hours
- Frame, hang on the wall, and enjoy
I wish you good luck with your project. Start small and get the feel for the gluing process. Hope you enjoyed this peek at how to create pressed flower art.
Additional Gardening Information
You may want to check out the following post for more gardening ideas: