Making Leaf Rubbings and Leaf Art

Leaf Rubbings
Although this project sounds easy, it can take kids a bit of practice to get clear details. Don’t give up after one or two attempts.

Go outside and collect some leaves. When possible, use leaves that have fallen on the ground. If that doesn’t give you a good variety, carefully pull leaves from trees and shrubs. Try to limit yourself to one leaf from a plant; remember, plants use their leaves to make their own food. Now, bring the leaves inside or work somewhere outdoors where your materials won’t blow around.

Set one leaf on a table, vein side (bumpy side) facing up; cover the leaf with a piece of paper. Hold the paper in place with one hand. Now, take a crayon and hold it sideways so you can rub the length of the crayon over the section of the paper covering the leaf. The crayon should reveal the shape and texture of the leaf on the paper.

If you can’t see the details of the leaf, press down harder with the crayon. If the outline and veins are doubled or fuzzy it probably means that you shifted the paper while rubbing the crayon over it. Sometimes it takes two, three, or even six tries to get a really nice looking leaf rubbing. The leaves shouldn’t get harmed by the process, so you can practice as much as you need.

What to Do with Leaf Rubbings
• Cut out the leaves and layer them into a collage. Use small pieces of double-sided foam tape behind a few of the leaves to add some depth to the collage.
• Cut out a leaf and write a poem on the back of the leaf. Punch a hole in the leaf and add a piece of string or yarn so the leaves can be hung.
• Mount the leaf rubbing on a piece of cardstock and cut out the shape. Glue a magnet on the back and attach to the refrigerator or another magnetic surface.
• Try doing a leaf rubbing on a colored piece of paper with a contrasting color crayon for variety.
• Cut out the leaves and layer them around the edges of an inexpensive picture frame.
• Create a matching game. Do two leaf rubbings of each shape leaf. Cut out the leaves and glue them onto two index cards. Try to make a set of at least twelve cards with six matches. Shuffle the cards and set them picture-side down on the table or floor. Players take turns flipping over two cards looking for a match. The player with the most matches wins that round.

Resist Paintings
Add another level of interest to texture rubbings by painting over the page.
Do crayon texture rubbings of leaves, bark, or manmade objects. Cover a lot of the paper with texture rubbings, but avoid having the different shapes overlap. It is okay if just a corner of a leaf is on the page. Now, go over the entire page with watercolor paints. You can use one color of paint or use several colors, painting splotches of color here and there. The wax crayon will resist the watercolor paint while the paint adheres to the paper. Paint over the entire piece of paper.

Another way of doing a resist painting is to draw a simple line picture with crayons (because the pencil marks could show through the crayon, you’ll have to draw with the crayons). Then paint over the entire picture with watercolors. To show off the resist, you will have to carry the paint over the lines. Otherwise, you’ll look like you are painting a coloring book page. Have fun with showing off the resist effect.

For a third option, draw with crayon a picture of your backyard or a place in nature that you love. Don’t color the sky, but you can add a few wispy clouds with white crayon. Paint over the entire scene with a mixture of blue, violet and black to make the scene a night scene.

Texture rubbings are a great way to reveal the details of leaves that you and your kids might not otherwise notice. This isn't just an autumn leaf project - you can do this during any season you can gather leaves.

Learn about Leaves with Leaf Art

Turning leaves into art makes children much more aware of the shapes of the leaves. For children eight or ten years old and older, this awareness can be a first step toward learning to identifying the trees around you. Is it necessary to know the types of trees in your area? No, but learning their names is like learning the name of a person you walk by every day.

Leaf Rubbings
Materials: paper and crayons

Set a leaf on a table, vein side up. Cover with a piece of photocopy or lightweight drawing paper. Peel the paper off a crayon. Lay the crayon on its side and rub over the paper. The texture of the leaf will appear.

Leaf Silhouettes
Materials: paper, paint, and brush

This time, set the leaf on top of a sheet of watercolor paper construction paper will work as well). Dip the brush in paint (it doesn’t matter whether it is watercolors, poster paints, tempera paints, etc). Hold the leaf in place with one hand. Brush the paint from the edge of the leaf and onto the paper. If you start on the leaf and paint outward, you will get a crisp silhouette when you pick up the leaf. Replace the brush for a sponge for a different look.

Leaf Printing
Materials: paper, paint, brush, scrap paper

On scrap paper, paint the vein side of a leaf (use poster paint or tempera, watercolors will be too light). Keep the layer of paint thin. Lift the leaf and set it on top of construction paper or another paint that will hold up to paint. Place the painted side onto the paper. Cover with more scrap paper and then run your hand over the paper. When you remove the scrap paper and the leaf, the impression of the leaf will remain on the paper.

These are fun projects to do with kids whether you collect your leaves in your backyard or on a nature walk.