How to Make a Leaf Rubbing

Last Updated: November 6, 2021

Leaf rubbing or drawing is an excellent and kid-friendly and Adults can use this as well nature craft. It's suitable for all ages and a great camp project.

Steps

1
Find a good leaf to draw from. Look at the texture and features on the leaf. Are there holes on it? Has it dropped on the ground recently or has it been on the ground for some time?^{[1]
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2
Place the leaf on a hard surface. A good suggestion is to use a notebook or a piece of cardboard. Put the leaf "veins" towards you (the bottom of the leaf).^{[2]
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3
Put a white sheet of paper on the leaf. To prevent the leaf from moving, you can tape it down on the hard surface.^{[3]
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4
Rub a crayon, pastel pencil, colored pencil or marker on its side and gently color on the layered paper over the leaf. Notice that you'll be "drawing" the leaf on the paper.^{[4]
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5
Repeat this craft with other leaves and colors. Use soft and hard leaves to compare how drawings come out.^{[5]
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Community Q&A

Question

How could I do this with a pencil?

Community Answer

Tilt the pencil at an angle where it will glide over the paper. Then just follow the instructions in the article, making sure to keep the pencil tilted.
Question

How do I make the color purple?

Community Answer

Depending on the shade of purple you want, mix blue with either red or pink.
Question

How do I make it black?

Hannah bauer

Community Answer

You can use a black crayon and rub it on the paper with a leaf under it.