Ecoprinting

A Page from my November eco print journal using liquidambar leaves and showing the prints achieved by pla

lcing leaves top side down and underside down

Eco printing is general a term used to express the use of flowers and foliage to print on fabric or paper and transfer the substances in the leaf/flower to the substrate. Depending on the outcome desired the bundles (or fabric or paper) my be boiled or steamed. Animal fibres such as wool, silk etc uptake the imprints much easier than cellulose fabrics (cotton, bamboo, linen. All fabrics need to be scoured by washing or boiling to remove finishes in the fabric that may prevent the uptake of the foliar prints. Different effects will be achieved at different times of the year and at variable climatic conditions. For example, especially when trying to print on cotton, tannins play a major part of the process. Cellulose fibres work best when the substrate has been mordanted (treated) with a tannin base prior to mordanting with a chemical. I spent a year experimenting and recording what leaves imprinted each month and what happened with various mordants. The common factors in eco printing are heat, contact and moisture but the best imprints occur when not too much moisture is present. Too much moisture tends to create less precise leaf prints. India Flint is perhaps the best known proponent of eco printing in general but Jane Dunnewold has championed the use of a heat press in eco printing. This enables prints to be achieved in as little as 3 minutes whereas traditional boiling or steaming methods require 2 hours or longer. Flower prints tend to burn out in the longer time frames so are much brighter when achieved with a heat press