How To Hammer Plants, A Project From Nature's Art Box.

art skill Hammering on Paper Every once in a while, nature offers a package deal. That’s what happens when you hammer plants. Not only do you get great colors, but you also get the details that make plants so beautiful. Hammering is full of surprises. Many of the plants change colors when you hammer them. Not all plants are good for hammering (for example, white flowers will not hammer). Just experiment (and remember to make notes) to determine which plants work best for you. Good hammering plants include carrot tops, coreopsis, cosmos, dianthus, dill, fern, common geranium, impatiens, lobelia, maple leaves, and vinca. Look them up in Nature Skills, starting on page 203. When hammering flowers, select small, flat blossoms that do not have a thick center or layers of petals. (This project requires adult supervision.) choosing plants • Select flat blossoms that don’t have layers of petals.

• Choose flowers that have thin, brightly colored petals.

• Don’t choose plants that have hard or fleshy centers.

• Don’t choose leaves that are shiny or waxy.

• Choose plants that are com­ pletely dry, or use a paper towel to blot up any moisture.

• Don’t choose plants with thick or fleshy veins or leaves.

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Pai nts, In ks, an d Dye s

You will need: smooth board (such as a clipboard or a chopping board) old newspapers or magazines paper towels white construction paper flowers, small and brightly colored removable adhesive tape (available at office or art supply stores) hammer iron

How to do it: Set the board on top of a stack of newspapers (to help dull the noise). Place a paper towel on top of the board.

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Put the construction paper on top of the paper towel. Place a flower on this, colorful side down. Completely cover the plant with removable tape or tape the edges and cover the rest with another paper towel.

When you’ve hammered the entire plant, leave the plant taped on, then use a warm (not hot) iron to press the paper on the back to heat-set the colors. Do not iron directly on the tape, as it will melt. Press for 20 seconds.

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Turn over the paper and carefully peel off the tape — the plant material should come off, too. Carefully scrape away any leftover plant from the paper.

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Hold the hammer near the head and tap gently all over. Plants change colors as you do this, so make sure you’ve hammered everything. If using a top paper towel, pigment will bleed through, showing where you’ve hammered (but not taped areas).

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This project is from the book Nature's Art Box, written by Laura C. Martin with drawings by David Cain. Published by Storey Publishing and available where books are sold.

H a m m er ing on Paper

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