Autumn Canvas

I find that I have a few favorite paper making accessories that I am repeatedly turning to. This Maple Leaf Casting Mold is one of them. I've used it for jewelry and framed art projects as well as a greeting card embellishment.

Maple Leaf Casting Mold

I followed these basic instructions to make my paper casting. When it was dry, I painted the leaf with a mixture of clear acrylic glaze and mica powders thinned with a bit of water. I painted the veins first, using a coppery mica powder. Then, I painted the entire leaf, even going over the just-painted veins with a blend of green shades.

When that was dry, I painted the entire piece—leaf and background—with a glaze and wheat colored acrylic paint mixture. I just wanted to take the edge off the stark white of the paper casting. The last step before mounting was to ink the edges of the casting with walnut stain distress ink.

I mounted the finished casting onto a wax encaustic. I did this by gently heating the surface until the wax softened, then pressed the casting directly into the wax. Here is the finished piece.

Carole