I have seen Marc’s work. He is a skilled craftsman and that is the secret. Not everyone can do this kind of work. Thanks to bead shops, a lot of my friends now consider themselves jewelry makers, but if you do not have the artist’s instinct, access to supplies isn’t going to help. (Just my two cents.) If Marc brings some leaf casts to Allentown this year (if he is coming) I will buy one. That will be my secret method.

Hi Elizabeth:

You wouldn’t turn a beginning gardener loose with a snow shovel to turn over their beds. So you shouldn’t tell folks to go make leaf casts with regular old concrete.

This is a project that even those of us who struggled to keep the crayon between the lines can turn out decent work — if we use the right materials. Sure, people like Marc are going to crank out better pieces faster than the rest of us. But that’s no reason why the rest of us shouldn’t give this project a try.

[…] UPDATE: Thanks to Kim, a fellow garden blogger, for this link to Craig Cramer’s blog, “Ellis Hollow.” He’s got some tips for leaf casting you might want to read: http://www.remarc.com/craig/?p=391 […]

[…] UPDATE: Thanks to Kim, a fellow garden blogger, for this link to Craig Cramer’s blog, “Ellis Hollow.” Check out his advice here: http://www.remarc.com/craig/?p=391 […]

Hi Craig,

A fellow blogger referred me to your site and I’m really enjoying it! I especially liked the tip about leaf casting. I just posted about my own experiences doing such a project, and although we got great results, I love to improve on my technique. We do the “paint it black and rub metallic pigment” look on most of our leaves…either that, or just straight acrylic paint, sealed afterwards. I’m not sure what Little & Lewis do to make their leaves that intense glow-in-the-dark color. What is your painting technique? Acrylic? Have you mixed in pigment into the mixture before you cast? Check out our efforts here: www.cindydyer.wordpress.com.

I’ve linked to you to my blogroll; hope you don’t mind!

Cindy

Oh, excellent. I’ve seen some cool leaf castings, but I was discouraged by the blog posts I’d read about using straight concrete. I’m definitely going to have to try this vinyl patch technique. Let’s hope that it’s not too late for me to plant some castor beans!

Is there a name for the vinyl patio patch? I can’t find it at the lumber yard.

Hi Debbie:

Quikrete — one of the most common brands — makes a vinyl formulation:
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=10397-286-14407&lpage=none

Hi, I started making leaf castings quite by accident, a customer asked me to design her a tropical water feature, so I opened a freebie magizine I received, and low and behold there was a leaf casting of a rubarb leaf bird bath, I said huh, why cant I put a hole in one and make a three tier water feature. So I did. I use Type S quickcrete mortor mix. I don’t have a problem with breakage AT ALL!. I cast them in the morning and turn them out the next day (the extra large ones I let sit 2 days, 3 to 4 ft ones). I have only cracked 2 of the 30 or so that I have made thus far and that was my husbands fault (he said I could turn them out after about 4 hours!!). The smaller leaves (8 to 15 inches) I dont use any reinforment on. The larger ones 2 to 4 ft I do 2 layers, after the first layer I use fiberglass wall tape, pat pat to bring cream up to the surface (this also helps to reduce the air bubble holes left after you turn them out) and then add another layer of mortor. I also don’t bring the mortor to the edge of the leaf. After the second layer of mortor I pat pat pat to bring the cream to the top and while I am patting I put my hand on the edge and pat it down to about 1/8 from the edge. As it is drying it will sloop a bit but pretty much stays at the edge, where it went over, I use a dremel to grind the edge to smooth it out. Also, don’t make it too wet. I make mine like thick mashed potatoes or peanut butter. Still a bit on the dry side, but moist enough that when you grab a handful it stays together. I keep a spray bottle handy, and spritz a bit on what I applied (VERY LITTLE BIT) if it seems to dry. SO, I have that part down pat (no pun intended LOL) I let them sit for a week or so, then prime and paint with the acrylic paint. My problem is the sealer. I have read over and over to use Krylon or rustoleum spray acrylic sealer (exterior). This looks great but I am getting peeling. What I am doing wrong I dont know. Maybe someone can recommend something to me? preferably paint on as I live near water and we get quite a breeze and I loose a lot when I spray. My paint is cracking and peeling! Can someone help?
Sorry this was so long.

I think if your paint is cracking, it might be that you are not letting the concrete cure long enough — you should wait at least 30 days before painting. Also, I don’t seal the bottom of my leaves as I would like them to breathe. The only tip I might add to these comments is that when I cast leaves on an old wooden table, I trace the leaf with chalk, remove it, then make my sand mold, being careful to stay well within my chalk boundaries. You really want enough of the leaf laying flat to help prevent the concrete from going off the leaf. With this method, I don’t need to cover the sand mold with plastic. When I am finished with my leaves, I cover the whole table with plastic and let is sit a good 3 or 4 days before moving them around much. Ok, I peak at day two. Also, using a cooking oil spray on pouruos leaves will help them peel away easily. http://www.morningwoodfarm.com/leaf/gallery.htm . David

[…] David Waugh, leaf-caster extraordinaire at the improbably named Morningwood Farm Nursery and Garden Center, left a comment on my post last June, The secret to great leaf casts. […]

[…] tried to push back on the bland reporting on leaf casts in the garden media, and reported on the infamous Memorial Day jello […]

Hi - I am wanting to try these great leaf castings. I am confused about the vinyl patch - do you use just the past or mix it with the concrete? I just bought a back of concrete today, so I can return it if I can figure out what I need to do. Also, what is the painting technique you use? So vibrant and gorgeous. Any help would be greatly appreciated. THanks! Laurie

Laurie, I add the adhesive to my wet concrete mixture. As for the colors, I usually start out with a mixture of 2 parts water and one part acrllic paint and completely cover the entire piece. I then start layering more colors over top. I finish off with touching up with undiluted paint. I use both brushes and sponges to apply the paint.

Leaf Casts

I have been working with concrete leaf casts for about a year and lately it seems they are all cracking during curing. I have been spraying them with water during curing and getting the inital concreate to about a brownie consistency-what gives???
Help!!!

can you tell me the technique you use to apply the powdered pigments. I tried a paint brush, sponge brush and my finger and can’t seem to get good coverage. Also what colors did you use on your castor bean leaf cast on your website? It is absolutely stunning!

hi - just wondering if you could let me know what kind of sealer do you use? thanks a bunch. sue