Recently, a young women came to my studio to learn about pressing flowers. Lhyn, who is from northern VT, had visited my website and Etsy shop a few months earlier and was inspired to attend a flower pressing workshop. We scheduled a 2-hour individual workshop for June, when more flowers would be in bloom.
Lucky for us, the day was sunny and dry, just right for a 3-hour drive and perfect for pressing flowers.
Lhyn arrived right on time and after a short introduction, we got right to work. She brought her own frame with mat included and wanted to make a pressed flower piece with some yellow flowers.
Day lilies were in bloom at this time so we headed out the door to cut some yellow day lilies. To avoid staining, the stamens were cut off.
I showed Lhyn how to use the microfleur, the microwave flower press. In 2 or 3 bursts of 38 seconds each in the microwave, the day lilies were pressed and dried. Then she cut some leaves. which were too long to fit on the microfleur pad. She cut them in half and later pieced them together on the paper. The leaves, thinner than the flowers and stems. were pressed and dried in 2 bursts of 36 seconds each.
After the lilies and leaves cooled a bit, Lhyn got to work arranging the flowers on 130 lb water color paper. She used tweezers to handle the flowers and leaves. Once the arrangement was to her liking, the tricky part came - adhering the plant material to the paper.
I use Paper Perfect Glue, an acid free white glue, but any acid free white glue will do. I showed Lhyn how to pick up each piece, turn it over on wax paper and gently brush on the (undiluted) glue with a very soft brush. She caught on very quickly to this delicate part of the process.
At one point I suggested Lhyn step back and take a look at her work from a distance, which is important for any artist to do. From that perspective Lhyn felt the leaves were too straight and stiff looking. So she pressed a few more leaves with the tops bent a bit and added them. They softened the piece and added some interest.
The finished piece was very professional and one Lhyn will proudly display in her home. Before leaving, she purchased a Microfleur and left with the promise to send me photos of her future pressed flower creations. It was a productive, rewarding and fun day for Lhyn and for me!
You too, can create a pressed flower masterpiece in just 2 hours. Better yet, gather 3, 4 or 5 friends and make it a group workshop. (Sipping wine while working is permitted!)
Want to learn how to press flowers?
Email me or call me at (802) 464-5265 to schedule an individual or group workshop.
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