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    Ecoprint with Flowers on Paper

    UPDATED: Jun 30, 2023 by Annette Browning
    Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. If you click, we may receive a commission. See Disclosure for details.

    What is the difference between various Flowers Eco Printed on cardstock paper with liquid Iron or rust water and without a color modifier?

    Last week, my family and I took a mini vacation to the beautiful Red River Gorge here in Kentucky. The Goldenrod, Milkweed and Ironweed plants were in stunning full bloom which inspired me to ecoprint with flowers only on cardstock paper.

    I was mainly interested to see the difference between using iron or rust water and not using any modifier at all.

    In addition, I did a few of my prints with a watercolor ‘blanket’ just to see how they would come out.

    image of orange Cosmos blooms eco printed on paper
    (Orange Cosmos Flowers Ecoprinted on Cardstock Paper)

    What is Ecoprint?

    Ecoprint, Eco Printing, Leaf Printing, Eco Dyeing or Contact Printing … this art form goes by many different names but they all pretty much mean the same thing.

    With this natural dyeing method, the dye that is present inside plants, leaves, flowers, mushrooms and other organic materials is transferred to a medium such as fabric, paper or leather by a combination of compression and steaming or boiling.

    This fabulous printing technique was first discovered by fiber artist and author, India Flint.

    Ms. Flint is the author of Eco Colour: Botanical Dyes for Beautiful Textiles and Second Skin: Choosing and Caring for Textiles and Clothing

    image of book Eco Colour       image of book Second Skin

    As I said above, for this experiment I mainly wanted to see how different my prints would be if using iron or rust water as a modifier and not using any modifier at all.

    (Iron water aka Rust water deepens and darkens many eco prints and natural dyes which are normally a lot lighter and paler. You can learn how to make your own liquid iron here)

    I also did a third experiment where I painted watercolor paints on one side of the cardstock paper to act as a ‘blanket’ and transfer the color to the other side during the processing of the prints.

    Check out How to Eco Print on Fabric

    How do you make an Eco Print on Paper?

    Since I have already covered the full step by step tutorial in this post, I will not go into the details. Mainly, this article is to show the difference in the prints depending on whether or not a modifier is used.

    Basic steps:

    1: First you need to mordant the paper
    2: Then, gather your flowers (Hint: keep them in water until ready to use)
    3: If using, dip the flowers in iron or rust water
    4: Next, place the flowers on one side (half) of each of your papers
    5: Fold over the paper and compress the flowers
    6: Finally, you need to steam or simmer the papers for 1-2 hours minimum

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    Flowers I used for Eco Printing

    As I said above, I was super inspired by the beautiful wildflowers I found in the Red River Gorge. Namely, Goldenrod, Milkweed, Ironweed and Chicory which I gathered and brought home.

    Additionally, I also used some flowers from my home garden: Orange Cosmos, Veronica, Four O’Clocks, Nasturtium and Zinnias.

    If you are going to experiment with this type of ecoprinting, I recommend testing every single flower you can find!

    And, if you don’t happen to have any flowers blooming in your garden right now (or if it is Winter where you live), you can always check out your local grocery store or flower shop. Some florists will even give you their cuttings for free.

    image of a circle of different flowers with their name labels

    How I made my flowers prints

    For each of these flowers, I made one print where I dipped the blooms in iron water prior to printing. I also printed the Veronica, Zinnias, Ironweed and Cosmos without dipping them in iron first.

    (Unfortunately, I did not have enough of the Milkweed, Goldenrod, Chicory, Nasturtium and Four O’Clocks for another print.)

    Also, for the Ironweed, Zinnias, Cosmos and Veronica I did a third ecoprint by painting the cover paper with watercolors. Those blooms were also not dipped in the rust water.

    Check out My Top 9 Eco Printing Tips and Tricks!

    Ironweed:

    image of a hand holding Ironweed flowers
    (Ironweed Flowers)
    image of dark ironweed prints on paper
    (Ironweed blooms dipped in rust water and ecoprinted on paper)
    image of lighter tan prints on Ironweed
    (Ironweed blooms ecoprinted on paper without iron – the orange marks are from the Cosmos flowers that bled through)
    image of Ironweed flowers on a piece of paper
    (Ironweed and watercolor paints)
    image of two light prints of Ironweed flowers
    (Ironweed eco printed with the watercolor ‘blanket’)

    Ironweed may be my new favorite flower. Next year, I will definitely make more prints with the blooms and leaves and a variety of different mordants and modifiers.

    Veronica:

    image of dark prints of Veronica flowers
    (Veronica flowers dipped in rust water and eco dyed on paper)
    image of light prints of Veronica flowers
    (Veronica printed on paper without iron)
    image of fresh Veronica flowers on paper and watercolors
    (Veronica and watercolor paints)
    image of light prints of Veronica blooms
    (Veronica on paper with the watercolor ‘blanket’)

    Honestly, I never expected these Veronica blooms to leave much of a print. The flowers themselves are super pretty but fairly pale in color so I was really surprised to find these strong images.

    Orange Cosmos:

    image of dark red and brown Cosmos flower prints
    (Orange Cosmos dipped in rust water and ecoprinted on paper)
    image of red and orange Cosmos flower prints
    (Orange Cosmos flowers on paper without iron)
    image of fresh orange cosmos flowers and watercolors on paper
    (Cosmos flowers and watercolor paints)
    image of bright orange cosmos flower prints on paper
    (Orange Cosmos flowers with the watercolor ‘blanket’)

    These might be my absolute favorite prints yet! The Cosmos blooms are the only ones that actually dyed with a color other than dark gray or brown.

    Check out the detail in each flower when I dipped them in the iron modifier.

    Closeup image of Cosmos flowers printed on paper

    Zinnias:

    image of dark gray zinnia blossoms printed on paper
    (Zinnia blossoms dipped in iron or rust water on paper)
    image of light gray zinnia blossoms printed on paper
    (Zinnia flowers printed on paper without rust water – the orange patches are from the Cosmos)
    image of fresh zinnia blooms and watercolor washed paper
    (Zinnia blooms with watercolor paints)
    image of pale gray zinnia blossoms printed on paper
    (Zinnia blooms with a watercolor ‘blanket’)

    The iron water prints (top photo) are super detailed compared to the non iron prints. The iron really emphasized the edges of each petal of the Zinnias.

    Milkweed:

    image of dark gray Milkweed flowers eco dyed on paper
    (Milkweed blossoms dipped in iron and eco dyed on paper)
    image of fresh Milkweed blooms and watercolor
    (Watercolor paints and Milkweed before printing)
    image of pale Milkweed flowers and a watercolor wash background
    (Milkweed flowers printed with a watercolor ‘blanket’)

    These Milkweed blooms were just past their prime so I honestly did not expect them to have much dye left in them. These prints were a pleasant surprise.

    I look forward to trying Milkweed again next Summer when the flowers are still fresh.

    Four O’Clocks:

    image of Four O'Clock flowers printed on paper
    (Four O’Clock flowers (not open) dipped in iron and eco dyed on paper)

    Since I picked these Four O’Clocks in the morning, the blooms had not yet opened fully. The prints along the bottom of the paper are from small clumps of flower buds and the leaves that were attached. Love the deep browns!

    Chicory:

    image of dark gray and rust chicory flowers and stems
    (Chicory flowers printed with rust water)

    Honestly, I was a little surprised that the chicory blooms did not leave stronger prints. The base of each flower printed deeply gray and the petals came out a pretty brown shade.

    Also, the chicory stems printed quite clearly. I did not use any of the roots but it is my understanding, that chicory root makes a great natural dye on its own.

    Nasturtium:

    image of light gray, green and rust nasturtium flowers and stems
    (Nasturtium flowers printed on paper with iron)

    I love the bright green of the flower stems of the Nasturtium. The orange of the petals did not translate to the paper but the shapes are there.

    Goldenrod:

    image of dark gray Goldenrod flowers printed on paper
    (Goldenrod flowers printed on paper with iron water)

    Too bad I did not have more Goldenrod to experiment with. It tends to have a super bright yellow dye. I will have to try again next year.


    As you can see, my ecoprints with flowers dipped into rust water modifier first came out much darker and stronger. The rust also brought out the greens in a few of the flower stems such as the Nasturtium.

    Overall, I am super happy with my results! Especially with the Zinnias, Veronica and Cosmos. Not only are those prints stronger but the iron brought out a lot of the finer details of the flower petals.

    Now I need to print them all using other modifiers and mordants such as Copper and Soymilk? Make sure and check back for those articles.

    Enjoy!
    Annette

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    ebook cover eco printing tips and tricks for success

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    How do you Print Leaves on Fabric?

    Just like you can ecoprint with flowers on paper, you can also print flowers and leaves on fabric. In general, protein fiber fabrics such as wool or silk will take the prints better and show more color.

    Plant or cellulose fibers such as cotton and linen can also be used but they are a little more difficult to get strong or colorful prints. If you decide to use cellulose fibers, you will need to appropriately mordant your fabric first.

    Check out how to eco printing on fabric in this article.

    How do you make Iron Water?

    Again, it is not absolutely necessary to use iron or rust water for this technique. This modifier does, however, create much stronger prints.

    It is super easy for you to make your own iron or rust water using rusty old nails and screws. Please note, though, that it takes a week or two to complete. Here is the recipe.

    If you do not have the time or want to fool with making your own modifier, you can also buy this soluble iron.

    Can you eco dye with dried flowers?

    The short answer is, yes you absolutely can use dry flowers, if those flowers are also appropriate for dyeing in the first place. In other words, if a flower does not contain any color in it when fresh, it won’t have any color after it has been dried.

    To use dried flowers, simply soak them prior to using in warm water for about an hour. This will reconstitute the natural colors within.

    Related Posts:

    • My 9 Eco Printing Tips and Tricks
    • How to make a Journal with Eco Dyed Papers
    • Eco Printing on Paper
    • How to Eco Print on Cotton and Silk
    • Making a Journal with Eco Print Papers
    two images of painted paper and flowers
    marketing image of a dark rust red flower on paper

    Ecoprint with Flowers on Paper

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    About Annette Browning

    Annette is a long time fiber artist and former alpaca farm owner. She shares her love of dyeing, felting, crochet and knitting as well as other craft projects.

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