Pressed Flower & Botanical Art
Press flowers and leaves between heavy books for 2-3 weeks, then arrange them into botanical illustrations on card, seal with PVA or laminate. Links to science (plant parts) and art history (botanical illustration).
Nature Crafts
Ages 5–1130 minsEasyIndividual
Watch on YouTube
Search: "pressed flower art craft kids how to press flowers tutorial" — video tutorials from popular craft channels
What you'll need
- Fresh flowers and leaves (flat varieties work best — pansies, daisies, ferns)
- Heavy books or flower press
- Absorbent paper (newspaper or blotting paper)
- Card for mounting
- PVA glue (thin)
- Tweezers for handling dried flowers
How to do it
- Place flowers between two layers of absorbent paper.
- Put inside a heavy book or flower press. Stack more books on top.
- Leave for 2-3 weeks minimum — 4 weeks for thick flowers.
- When dry, carefully lift with tweezers — they are fragile.
- Arrange on card in a pleasing composition.
- Glue down with thin PVA using a brush.
- When fully dry, seal with a thin PVA wash or laminate.
💡 Tips
This is a beautiful multi-session project. Press flowers at the start of term; arrange and display at the end. Pansies, violas, and small flowers press most successfully. Label the species if linking to science.
Books and materials
Convenience links for everything mentioned above. We link to Amazon — LessonKind may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Botanical art books
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B Botanical Painting with Watercolours — Margaret Stevens
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T The Art of Pressed Flowers and Leaves — Sheila Stancill