Wild about nature – natural paintbrushes
Last time we showed you how to print with leaves to make interesting and unique prints. This time we’re using leaves (and more) as the paintbrush! This is easy and a lot of fun, with endless variations. You can use your natural paintbrushes to make interesting prints to display at home, or do what we’ve done – make some homemade wrapping paper to use on special occasions.
What you’ll need
- Various leaves, grasses and even flowers – try out anything that might make an interesting brush
- Some paper – not too thick if you’re making wrapping paper, printer paper is fine
- Some strong twigs for the “handles” of your brushes
- Some garden wire, twine or string to tie your brush together
- Some “paint” – we mainly used mud and water, you can also use paint or ink if you’d prefer a colourful result
How to paint with natural paintbrushes
You can paint any way you like! This activity is more about the process than the results, so experiment with lots of different brushes and techniques and have fun. Some of your brushes will work well to make lines and circles, and others might look nice just touched to the paper, like a stamp. You can create some stylish results with simple, repetitive marks.
We wrapped some gifts and tied them with string and a few sprigs of lavender for a finishing touch.
However you use your finished artwork, have fun making it and trying new things!
Don’t forget to take some photos of your natural paintings and tag us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Check out other Wild about Nature activities here.
