Botanical Printing on Paper

I got together with my study group friends to do some more botanical printing, this time exclusively on paper. All of the prints I made during class and subsequently have been mailed to friends. I purchased a box of Fabriano cards in the diminutive size of 2.5” x 3.75” along with envelopes for mailing, gathered my supplies, and headed off to Katherine’s home.

I had read on Rita Summer’s blog that she had read about the best way to achieve consistent orange/red eco prints from eucalyptus leaves by using a pre-soak of vinegar/water solution. When I learned about eco-printing in 2017 I was taught to use aluminum acetate (a mordant) for cotton fabric along with an iron blanket (cotton or silk fabric dipped in a 5% iron solution). Rita responded to me right away: she is using the vinegar solution on wool and silk fabrics (animal source) and they do not need a mordant for this type of printing. I was glad I asked her. She also shared that she is experimenting with using soy milk (a protein) with cotton fabric (plant source). Now I was excited!

I shared this news with Katherine who, coincidentally, had just experimented with the very thing! We were off to the kitchen. Water pre-soaked soy beans and water were whirled in the blender, strained and adjusted with water for the right consistency (about whole milk consistency). I was ready to give it a try. She also had learned about using steel wool pads soaked in white vinegar until they rust as a quick and handy source for the iron needed in the printing process. She had some steel wool pads, dropped them in a jar, poured the vinegar to cover and set it aside.

I set myself up to use the original method using aluminum acetate and a method using soy milk. The original stacking method for printing the paper cards goes like this:  Thick board, smoothest side up placed on table; place plastic (I use cut up sturdy plastic garden bag); card moistened in water; botanical dipped in alum acetate solution; cotton iron blanket (fabric dipped in iron solution); plastic. Repeat for each card. Top stack with thick board, smoothest side down. Secure tightly with rope or clamps. Steam in a large pot for 1 to 1 ½ hours. I used this method for 12 cards. The final card I stacked was dipped in soy milk, layered with a clean (undipped) botanical, layered with an iron blanket, topped with plastic.

Here are the results of the eucalyptus leaves.

I couldn’t note any difference in the quality of the print using the soy milk with no alum acetate. Can you? The soy milk card is bottom row, right.

I also printed 6 indigo leaves using the original method. The leaf creates a much more subtle print. I’m very pleased with these prints. The print on the top row middle used a leaf with a bloom and a second smaller leaf attached.

And here are the prints created on the iron blankets.

These secondary prints may find their way into work in the future. I created one piece in 2017 using iron blankets. I am very happy with it.

Altogether this was great fun and great learning as well. I am very pleased to have a printing method that uses fewer toxic chemicals and that I can do in my own home. More cards are in my future.

Note here:  When it was time to dip the cotton fabric in an iron solution, the steel wool pads had not created rust. Hmmmm. I learned the next day that the steel wool that Katherine had was considered kitchen quality and had been coated in an anti-rust solution. Good to know. My local hardware store has plenty of the steel wool pads that I remember from growing up. Those will rust before your eyes when covered in vinegar.