PRESSED BOTANICAL TILES

Create affordable artwork with clay and simple flowers.

You will need

Plant stems and flowers Greaseproof paper School clay Plastic roller used for sugarcraft Kitchen knife Plaster of Paris Lolly stick, coffee stirrer or long piece of thick card Emery board

To make

❶ Gather short samples of flowers and plants from the garden or a bought display.

❷ Place a piece of greaseproof paper on your table or kitchen surface. Then take a piece of clay and roll it out on top of the greaseproof paper so it is around 1cm thick.

❸ Position your flowers or stems on the clay and press each stem gently into the clay with your fingers so that they stay in place. Put another piece of greaseproof paper on top of the flowers, then use the roller over the top to ensure they sink into the clay and become flush with its surface. Carefully peel away the greaseproof paper and the stems.

❹ Cut the clay mould to size using a kitchen knife and use the trimmings to make little vertical ‘walls’ around it, about 2cm tall. This is to contain the plaster of Paris while it solidifies on top of your clay mould.

❺ Prepare the plaster of Paris. For a tile around 10 x 10cm, you’ll need 100g of the dry plaster with 50ml of water. Calculate according to the size of your mould. Mix the powder and water very thoroughly with a wooden stick.

❻ Pour the plaster on to your mould, ensuring it spreads into each corner. Very carefully shake the piece of greaseproof paper underneath the mould to level the surface.

❼ Leave the tile to solidify overnight, then carefully peel away the walls and lift the tile from its clay mould. Use an emery board to smooth the edges.

To add colour to the tile, work pastels on to spare paper to form a pile of powder and apply with a paintbrush.