DIY Silhouette Leaf Art Using Leaves and Paint

How to create high-end looking DIY silhouette leaf art using spray paint and leaves from your yard for a modern boho style designer knock-off.

Creating art has been my “thing” the last couple of months apparently.

I’m over here playing with watercolor apps to make house portraits. Googling how to turn our regular smart TV into a makeshift Samsung Frame.

And now I’m gathering up leaves to spray paint in the driveway. Who needs jigsaw puzzles and knitting when you have DIY art ideas filling up your head?

If you’ve been following along at all on my Instagram, I started on a little master bathroom perk up last week to help make it a little more cohesive beside our modern-ish master bedroom.

The thrifty coastal art wall I threw together last year started to feel a little clutter-y to me, so I decided to simplify that corner of the bathroom with this leaf silhouette art I’ve been seeing everywhere lately (that of course is more expensive than I’m willing to pay).

I have to tell you this one was kind of a fail at first, but it had a happy ending. And this tutorial had a bit of trial and error. 😉

DIY Silhouette Leaf Art

(Some affiliate links are provided below. Full disclosure here.)

Supplies Used:

• XL Sketch Paper (I used the black kind.)
• Leaves and stems of your choice (either artificial or real will do)
• Spray paint
• Small/medium artist brush
• Acrylic/mineral paint in the color of your choice
• Painter’s tape or temporary spray adhesive
• Drop cloth
• Frames of your choice (I used these)

The Steps:

1. Lay your paper on the drop cloth outside in a well-ventilated area and place your leaves upside-down and stems in a design you choose. (I made the mistake of placing my leaves right-side-up and I think that’s where I went wrong on the next step.)

2. Once you’re happy with your design, spray the leaves with temporary adhesive or stick the leaves to the paper with painter’s tape.

3. Spray the paper with the leaves with spray paint and let dry.

4. Remove the leaves to reveal the silhouette underneath the paint. (This is where I realized I should have turned my leaves upside-down and used spray adhesive instead of painter’s tape. Buuuuut this next step remedied the situation. If you don’t have spray adhesive, you can just do this next step to finish it.)

5. If your leaf shapes aren’t defined enough, outline and fill them in with an artist brush dipped in a little paint.

6. Once dry, frame them and you’re done! Ta da! Easy leaf art.

I’m so surprised this leaf art turned out so well! And I swear I’ve seen silhouette art like this for $300 each, which is totally nuts.

I can’t wait to try this with other leaves eventually like ferns, palm fronds, and magnolia blooms.

If you want more simple art ideas, you can see lots more here.

And if you want some handy wall decor hanging tips and my absolute favorite trick for getting it right every time, you can see it all on my Instagram here. Not that I’m an expert… I’ve just learned things the hard way over the years. 😉

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