PRESSED FLOWER MAGIC - TURNING TWIGS, LEAVES, PETALS AND GROUND COVER INTO A GORGEOUS SEASIDE LIGHTHOUSE SCENE

The photo shown on this post is one of an art piece I created as a gift for someone. It was a lot of fun. Using good quality watercolor paper I painted the sea and sky background. Looking at a photo of a Maine Lighthouse. 9x12 is a good size for this. I lightly sketched an outline onto the paper. Then, materials I'd gathered and pressed were placed on the paper to get a general idea of what was needed to create the scene. Twigs became the outline of the lighthouse and railings. Carrot leaves served for some of the trees. Blossoms that had failed to become the gorgeous bright reds I'd hoped for during the pressing process but instead turned brown worked perfectly for rocks, etc. White petals that had come out tinged with darker colors gave the lighthouse a weathered appearance. Red maple blossoms, pressed very early in Spring, became small shrubs. A brilliant gold or yellow marigold petal makes a great light. Magically, daisy petals turned into soaring sea birds. All sorts of tiny neat things I'd gathered and pressed became interesting ground cover. The final step was to glue everything in place and allow time to dry before framing. Since beginning this hobby I've learned to train my eyes to see beyond every little flower, leaf, grass, ground cover, etc. that grow in nature. Seeing beyond what they are to what potential they might present after pressing takes a little imagination but is great fun. I place my freshly gathered materials immediately between facial tissues (I use Puffs) inside old telephone books. The books are labeled for content and date of entry. They are placed one atop the other with several bricks on top of the stack. After a couple of weeks I check them. Some materials contain more moisture then others and will need to have the tissues replaced and continue pressing a bit longer for better results. When the process is finished I remove and store them for future use. Organized storage makes it much easier to find exactly what you need when you find yourself in a creative mode, and inspired to put together a piece of artwork such as the lighthouse scene in this photo.