DIY Pressed Flower Art (Free Printable Backgrounds)
DIY Pressed Flower Art: an easy tutorial for how to press flowers and how to make pressed flower wall art, including free printables for the backgrounds!
*This post was originally published in 2016. It’s been updated with current links, better images, and more information. Affiliate links included. See my disclosure statement.
Sometimes it’s hard to get your creative juices flowing. Life gets in the way, and there either isn’t enough time to be creative, or you have more important things to do. This DIY pressed flower art can be done in stages, and it’s not the least bit stressful. There’s no right or wrong way to do it. It’s a very easy and fun craft that makes a great gift for someone special…or for yourself. It’s a beautiful way to add a personal touch to your decor. To get started, you don’t even have to go shopping. All you need are flowers and a newspaper. First, I’m going to show you how to press the flowers, and then we’ll make the wall art.
How To Press Flowers
- The first thing to do is harvest your flowers. Any flower with a thin stem will work. I used pansies and coreopsis. Other blooms that press well are daisies, black-eyed Susans, cosmos, larkspur, marigolds, bleeding hearts, or zinnias with small blooms. Greenery like ferns or herbs are also easy to press.
- Fresh garden flowers work well for pressing. Fresh flowers from a florist or grocery store work beautifully as well.
- Remove any leaves or foliage beneath the bloom.
- Gather a few sections of newspaper. Fold the sections in half, and then in half again. Begin the drying process by carefully placing your flowers in the newspaper as shown in the picture below. Substitutes for newspaper that work well are regular copy paper, pieces of dry cardboard, or even coffee filters.
- Fold the left side of the newspaper section over the flower blooms. Make sure that the petals are flat.
- Carefully place the folded newspaper sections in a large book. Stack a few more books on top so there is plenty of weight. If you don’t have heavy books, other options for a heavy object are pieces of tile, bricks, or old phone books. Just make sure the newspaper is flat, and the flowers are completely protected from any light.
- Wait four weeks. At the end of the four weeks, your flowers will be dried and ready to make your DIY pressed flower art!
It’s best not to open the newspaper while the flowers are drying. Until they are completely dry, there is a good chance they will stick to the newspaper. Once dried completely, there is no danger of the blooms sticking.
How to Make Pressed Flower Art
Supplies Needed For Flower Artwork
- Pressed flowers
- Background paper (sign up for a free PDF download at the end of this post!)
- Cardstock
- Glue or glue pen
- Matte sealer
- Matted frame
Step 1: The Background
The first thing to do is print your background paper. Just use the sign up form at the end of the post to get your free PDF that includes four choices of background paper that looks like vintage parchment paper. Use good quality cardstock to print the backgrounds. Once you have your background, carefully place your flowers on the paper. Use your creativity, and move them around until you are happy with the way they look.
Step 2: The Gluing Process
If you are using a glue pen, depress the tip until the glue is running smoothly. One at a time, lift each flower off the paper. Apply the glue TO THE PAPER and then gently place the flower on the glue. Tweezers can be used to place the flowers.
If a petal comes off, just glue it back on. Same with the stems. Two of mine broke, but I just glued them together on the paper. Regular Elmer’s Glue could also be used, but take care not to use too much. A very small paintbrush would be helpful to brush on the glue. I liked the control I got with the glue pen. I had no smeared glue at all. Once you have all your flowers glued, let them dry for 30 minutes.
Sealing Your Art
If you plan to frame your pressed flower art under glass, there is really no need to apply the matte sealer. If not, the matte sealer will prevent the flowers from breaking or crumbling. Be careful when choosing a sealer. The sealer I used goes on dry and very matte. It did not discolor the flowers or the paper. Another option to make this wall art is to apply the background papers to an art canvas with Mod Podge. Once the background is dry, then apply the flowers. If using an art canvas, definitely apply the matte sealer.
Frequently Asked Questions
The author is my friend Stephanie Rose from Garden Therapy.
Thanks for stopping by…see you soon!
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