By CraftingStepByStepPublished
Based on a video by Gardening TLC.
Leaf casting is one of the few concrete projects where the mould costs nothing - you go and pick it off a plant. The veins on the back of a big hosta or rhubarb leaf press into fine concrete and come out sharp enough to look almost botanical.
Michelle from the Landscape Connection shapes a sand bed first, which is what decides whether your finished leaf is a flat tray or a cupped dish. The only real skill is keeping the concrete an even thickness as you pack it out. Rush it to the edges and the rim goes thin and breaks when you lift it.
10 steps · about 19 minutes.Check off each step as you go and your progress saves automatically.
The veining on the back of the leaf is what you are actually casting, so pick something with pronounced ribs. Hosta, oakleaf hydrangea and rhubarb all work well.
Turn a candidate over before you commit. If the veins are shallow on the back they will be invisible in concrete.
Tip
Bigger is easier. A small leaf gives you very little margin when you are packing concrete out to the edge.
Use a fine vinyl cement patch rather than a general mix. It has almost no aggregate in it, which is what lets the casting pick up fine vein detail.
Add water a little at a time and mix from underneath. You are aiming for a Play-Doh consistency that binds together but does not slump.
Tip
If it goes too thin, leave it a minute. It thickens as it sits. Long kitchen gloves beat thin latex ones here.
Pile up damp sand to make the mould. Mound it if you want the finished leaf cupped like a dish, or flatten it if you want the leaf flat.
Make sure sand sits under every part of the leaf, and spread the bed a little wider than the leaf itself.
Lay plastic wrap over the whole sand bed so no sand works its way into the back of your casting.
Cut the pieces to fit and smooth them down over the mound. A few folds are fine - what matters is that there are no gaps.
Tip
An extra pair of hands helps here, and something heavy on one corner stops it blowing away outdoors.
Set the leaf vein-side up on the plastic, positioned so the sand extends past the edges all the way round.
Coat the back with cooking spray. That is what lets the concrete release cleanly when it is cured.
Tip
Use a plain spray, not a butter-flavoured one - the butter versions stain the concrete.
Start in the middle and work the concrete out towards the edges, laying it on rather than pushing it thin.
Keep the depth even across the whole leaf. If you shove it out to the rim it goes thin there and cracks when you lift it.
Hold your free hand against the edge of the concrete as you work so the rim stays defined instead of feathering away.
Carry the same guide right around, including the tip of the leaf. This is what gives the finished piece a clean outline.
Dip your hands in water, shake off the excess and skim the surface to take out fingerprints and ridges.
Go gently near the rim so you do not lose the edge you just built up.
Tip
Lift the casting slightly as you go to check for spots you missed underneath. Small cracks can be pressed back together.
Any concrete left over can become a pedestal. Pat it into a small square in the middle of the back of the casting.
It will add to the drying time, but it lets the finished leaf sit raised instead of flat on the ground.
Leave it about three days out of direct sun. Some people tent a bin bag over the top to slow the drying and reduce cracking.
Lift the casting off the sand, peel the plastic and the leaf away, then run a grill brush around the rim to knock off the rough bits before painting.
Tip
A cheap grill brush from a hardware or dollar store is the right tool. Do not overwork it - you only want the loose crumbs gone.
Keep going
How to Make a Mosaic Suncatcher
E6000
E6000 Craft Adhesive, Clear (3.7 oz)
The industrial-strength craft glue that bonds glass, wood, ceramic, metal, fabric, and concrete. The one adhesive most craft projects reach for.
Gorilla
Gorilla Dual-Temp Full-Size Hot Glue Gun
Dual-temp so it handles delicate florals and heavy materials alike. A precise nozzle and built-in stand make it the everyday craft-table gun.
OLFA
OLFA 18" x 24" Self-Healing Cutting Mat
The pro-standard cutting surface. Gridlines for square cuts, self-healing so blades never leave grooves, and big enough for paper, fabric, and leather.
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