Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0823031497, Paperback)

Since the beginning of time, artists have looked to nature for inspiration. They have sketched its shapes, admired its colors, painted its textures, and copied its patterns. Natural Impressions offers a unique way to cultivate creativity by making prints directly from natural objects. In this innovative book, author and crafter Carolyn Dahl demonstrates how printing with a natural material-covering it with a medium and pressing it to a surface-allows artists to see and appreciate exquisite, often-overlooked details and make physical contact with the earth that sustains us. Natural Impressions begins with practical guidance on collecting materials and objects, along with basic instructions for making a successful nature print. Divided into three sections-leaves, flowers, and fish-the book clearly demonstrates a variety of techniques using an array of mediums; for example, paints/pigments, bleach, collage, markers, textile paints, and even rubber stamps. Plus, a special section details how nature prints can meet today's technology with photocopying and computer manipulation. Carolyn Dahl mesmerizes readers with enchanting, emotional stories and observations about nature. She helps them realize the myriad ways nature impacts the creative spirit, and inspires them with dozens of inventive paper and fabric projects featuring remarkable nature prints. Whether one is a beginning artist or an experienced veteran, the techniques in Natural Impressions can be done successfully by anyone-and are sure to foster a deeper, more intimate relationship with nature.