How to Make a Leaf Collage
Decide on a theme., Go hunting for leaves., Press your leaves., Pick your craft materials.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Decide on a theme.
Before you go out looking for leaves, ask yourself what type of collage you'd like to make.
Do you just want to make something pretty? Or do you want to make it informative? Decide between making an art project or a science project so you know what leaves to look for, how many you'll need, and whether you want to include stems or just the leaves themselves.
For a science project, you could try to collect a leaf from every type of tree that grows in your area.
Or you can try to find find leaves from different individual trees of the same type to show the difference between the size of a sapling's leaves versus a full grown tree's.
For an art project, you can a landscape with leaves standing in for trees, with the leaf's stem standing in for a trunk.
You could also make a wreath with lots of layers and differently colored leaves.
For a landscape, you only need a few.
For a wreath, the more the better! To identify specific types of leaves, there are plenty of field guides you could use, as well as websites like https://www.arborday.org/trees/whattree/. -
Step 2: Go hunting for leaves.
Take a stroll outside.
If you live in a woodsy environment with lots of trees right outside your door, great! If not, visit a local park or any buildings with landscaping or potted trees outside.
Look for whole leaves without any tears, holes, or diseased spots.You want to keep your leaves as pristine as possible, so don’t stuff them in your pockets or a bag.
Bring a manila folder, notebook, or something similar to slide them inside without folding them over.
If it’s spring or summer, search the trees and pluck the leaves directly from their stems.
If it’s autumn, search the ground, too, but avoid damp leaves if possible, since these may smell a little funky and start decaying faster than dry leaves. , This isn’t a must, so if you like the look of curled leaves (or if they’re so dry and brittle that they’re more likely to crumble), feel free to skip it.
But if you’d like your leaves to be flat as possible so they make full contact with the paper that you’ll be sticking them to, wait a couple days before making your collage.
In the meantime, once you bring your leaves home, do the following:
Lay your leaves as flat as possible inside a manila folder or between sheets of paper that you don’t mind getting a little damp or dirty, like old newspapers.
Place a heavy object with a flat bottom on top of them, like a big, thick hardcover book or a stack of board games.
Give your leaves a couple of days to flatten under the weight. , There’s no one way to make a leaf collage, so explore your options! Choose whatever you think would be prettiest, easiest, and/or the least messy to work with.
You can use:
Colored or plain white backing paperCardboard or foam backing boardContact paperPens, colored pencils, markers, etc.
Various forms of glue -
Step 3: Press your leaves.
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Step 4: Pick your craft materials.
Detailed Guide
Before you go out looking for leaves, ask yourself what type of collage you'd like to make.
Do you just want to make something pretty? Or do you want to make it informative? Decide between making an art project or a science project so you know what leaves to look for, how many you'll need, and whether you want to include stems or just the leaves themselves.
For a science project, you could try to collect a leaf from every type of tree that grows in your area.
Or you can try to find find leaves from different individual trees of the same type to show the difference between the size of a sapling's leaves versus a full grown tree's.
For an art project, you can a landscape with leaves standing in for trees, with the leaf's stem standing in for a trunk.
You could also make a wreath with lots of layers and differently colored leaves.
For a landscape, you only need a few.
For a wreath, the more the better! To identify specific types of leaves, there are plenty of field guides you could use, as well as websites like https://www.arborday.org/trees/whattree/.
Take a stroll outside.
If you live in a woodsy environment with lots of trees right outside your door, great! If not, visit a local park or any buildings with landscaping or potted trees outside.
Look for whole leaves without any tears, holes, or diseased spots.You want to keep your leaves as pristine as possible, so don’t stuff them in your pockets or a bag.
Bring a manila folder, notebook, or something similar to slide them inside without folding them over.
If it’s spring or summer, search the trees and pluck the leaves directly from their stems.
If it’s autumn, search the ground, too, but avoid damp leaves if possible, since these may smell a little funky and start decaying faster than dry leaves. , This isn’t a must, so if you like the look of curled leaves (or if they’re so dry and brittle that they’re more likely to crumble), feel free to skip it.
But if you’d like your leaves to be flat as possible so they make full contact with the paper that you’ll be sticking them to, wait a couple days before making your collage.
In the meantime, once you bring your leaves home, do the following:
Lay your leaves as flat as possible inside a manila folder or between sheets of paper that you don’t mind getting a little damp or dirty, like old newspapers.
Place a heavy object with a flat bottom on top of them, like a big, thick hardcover book or a stack of board games.
Give your leaves a couple of days to flatten under the weight. , There’s no one way to make a leaf collage, so explore your options! Choose whatever you think would be prettiest, easiest, and/or the least messy to work with.
You can use:
Colored or plain white backing paperCardboard or foam backing boardContact paperPens, colored pencils, markers, etc.
Various forms of glue
About the Author
Mark Rivera
Enthusiastic about teaching creative arts techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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