Make skeletonized leaves. Leaf skeletonization at home

Skeletonized leaves are leaves that have only veins left. soft tissues leaves (scientifically "epidermis") are removed different ways, and the so-called "skeleton" remains - an openwork mesh of veins.

Skeleton leaves can be easily purchased at flower salon, in a florist shop, in a decor store... You can also order in the online store. It's fast, simple, convenient. Another plus is that the store sells skeletons of trees that do not grow in our area. For example:

Leaves of religious ficus (ficus religiosa) or Bo tree (tree Bo), Bodhi, Banyan; pipal (Peepal or Pippal):
Leaves of the rubber tree or Hevea brazilian (Hevea brasiliensis):
Magnolia leaves (Magnolia):
mango leaves (Mangifera indica):

However, buying leaves in the store is not always possible and not for everyone. Yes, and the choice is limited to only two or three types. It is much more interesting to make skeletons yourself!

There are many articles on the Internet on the topic of leaf skeletonization, but alas, all these articles are, in fact, just reprints of the same foreign master class. And not the best. Why not the best?

First, boiling leaves in washing soda is mentioned everywhere - not the most good option, since not everyone can find this powder in their city. I didn't find it either, although I've been looking for a long time.
Secondly, the effect of this soda is very doubtful. Readers of the site often write to me and tell me that they can’t do anything with soda!
Some people try to use baking soda instead of washing soda, but it does not work even more. Yes, some leaves can become skeletal after boiling, but even just boiling in hot water without any additives - soft, loose leaves, such as chestnut, this is enough.
It is generally ridiculous to talk about soaking in green tea - complete nonsense.
Thirdly, there are much more effective and affordable means.

So how do you actually effectively skeletonize leaves?

There are several ways:

Dry
Wet
Natural

Dry way

The dry method is good when you urgently need one or two skeletonized leaves. You are tormented to do more, since it takes about 15-20 minutes of vigorous action per sheet.

The method seems to be simple - take a brush and beat a leaf with it. But! Having bought a special brush with a comfortable handle and after working for about ten minutes with this brush over a leaf, I was very upset - nothing worked out for me! And all because the bristles on the brush were made of synthetics, and besides, not hard enough.

So remember - the brush should only be made of natural bristles, the pile is not too long. Please note - the stiffer the bristles, the better! You can buy such a brush in the market or in a hardware store, they are usually designed for cleaning clothes or shoes. By the way, you can attach a long handle yourself.

We take very fresh leaves, without spots and holes, lay them out on a newspaper and beat them with a brush. You will break the soft tissues of the leaf, leaving only the veins or the skeleton of the leaf! The method is ideal for maple leaves, sycamore, Benjamin's ficus, poplar, ivy, etc.

Press-dried leaves can also be used. In this case, you will get not a skeletonized leaf, but simply an openwork one - too interesting option. And here just the brush may not be very hard.

Natural skeletonization method

The leaves are wonderfully skeletonized natural way- that is, nature itself creates such leaves, you just need to notice and pick them up in time.

How does this happen? And here's how - the leaves get wet in the rain, under the snow, lie on the damp ground, they are trampled on with heels, so they turn into a net by themselves. I usually collect such leaves when the snow melts. Also, the leaves can be "eaten" by some insects:

In order not to rely on nature and not to wait for a suitable leaf to come across, we arrange a natural skeletonization of the house. Pour plain water into a jar and put the leaves there. Close the lid, leave alone for about a month. As a rule, a month is enough, but sometimes even less time is needed. Then we take out the leaves and watch how the flesh of the leaf departs. If the sheet is softened enough, rinse it under running water with three fingers so that all the mucus comes off.

I experimented with Benjamin Dunetti's ficus leaf, which had been in the water for a month. After that, it exfoliated, and I simply removed the film from it, which covers the sheet on both sides. It turned out to be a very soft and delicate skeletonized leaf (although initially ficus leaves are very hard). The structure resembles that of a dragonfly's wing, doesn't it?

And in this way it’s great to skeletonize physalis. These are such bright orange lanterns on a branch, florists love to use them to make bouquets of dried flowers.

In principle, the lanterns themselves are ossified, naturally on a bush (from rain and snow) - you just have to not miss the moment and collect them in time before they rot. And you can also put them in water and after a couple of weeks get ready-made "skeletons".

You can also see how I skeletonized the leaves in this way.

wet way

If you need a lot of leaves, it is most effective to skeletonize them in a wet way. Pour the leaves with water and add the Mole powder (pipe cleaner). In general, any aggressive household chemicals. There is a lot on the Internet. You can take soda, of course, but I do not guarantee the result.

So, throw two or three tablespoons of the powder into the water and boil the leaves for several hours. For maple leaves, an hour is enough, for sycamore leaves (and other hard leaves) - two to three hours. Moreover, the smaller the plane tree leaf, the more time it needs to be cooked.

Next, we take out the leaves and wash them in a bowl of water. Three fingers to remove the pulp. Rubber gloves with pimples also help. If the pulp does not come off - cook more. Hard leaves need to be brushed with a toothbrush on wooden board. Wherein toothbrush constantly wet in water. See more about this method

Skeleton maple leaves

Skeletonized leaves are leaves that have only veins left. The soft tissues of the leaf (scientifically "epidermis") are removed in various ways, and the so-called "skeleton" remains - an openwork mesh of veins.

Different types venation

Skeleton leaves can be easily bought in a flower shop, in a florist shop, in a decor store... You can also order it in a shop. It's fast, simple, convenient. Another plus is that the store sells skeletons of trees that do not grow in our area. For example:

Leaves of religious ficus (ficus religiosa) or Bo tree (tree Bo), Bodhi, Banyan; pipal (Peepal or Pippal):

Ficus religious (Ficus religiosa)

Skeletonized Ficus Leaf ((Ficus religiosa)

Leaves of the rubber tree or Hevea brazilian (Hevea brasiliensis):

Rubber tree (Hevea)

rubber tree leaf

Magnolia leaves (Magnolia):

Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana L.)

Magnolia (Magnolia_acuminata)

Magnolia (Magnolia_acuminata) Mango leaves (Mangifera indica):

Mango (Mangifera L.)

However, buying leaves in the store is not always possible and not for everyone. Yes, and the choice is limited to only two or three types. It is much more interesting to make skeletons yourself!

Firstly, boiling leaves in washing soda is mentioned everywhere - not the best option, since not everyone can find this powder in their city. I didn't find it either, although I've been looking for a long time.
Secondly, this soda copes with very few leaves. Some of our crafters use baking soda instead of washing soda, but it works even worse, if not to say that it does not work at all. Yes, some leaves are scaly, but even just boiling in hot water without any additives is enough - soft, loose leaves, such as maple, this is enough. It is generally ridiculous to talk about soaking in green tea - complete nonsense.
Thirdly, there are much more effective and affordable means.

So how do you actually effectively skeletonize leaves?

There are several ways:

Dry
Wet
Natural
Chemical

Dry way

The dry method is good when you urgently need one or two skeletonized leaves. You are tormented to do more, since it takes about 15-20 minutes of vigorous action per sheet.

Skeletonized sycamore leaf

Press-dried leaves can also be used. In this case, you will get not a skeletonized leaf, but simply an openwork one - also an interesting option. And here just the brush may not be very hard.

Leaf skeletonization

skeletal leaves

Natural skeletonization method

The leaves are remarkably skeletonized in a natural way - that is, nature itself creates such leaves, you just need to notice and pick them up in time.

skeletal leaves

In principle, the lanterns themselves are skewered, naturally on a bush (from rain and snow) - you just have to not miss the moment and collect them in time until they rot. And you can also put them in water and after a couple of weeks get ready-made "skeletons".

And in this way it’s great to skeletonize physalis. These are such bright orange lanterns on a branch, florists love to use them to make bouquets of dried flowers.

wet way

If you need a lot of leaves, it is most effective to skeletonize them in a wet way. Pour the leaves with water and add the Mole powder (pipe cleaner). In general, any aggressive household chemicals will do. You can take soda, of course, but I do not guarantee the result.

Next, we take out the leaves and wash them in a bowl of water. Three fingers to remove the pulp. Rubber gloves with pimples also help. If the pulp does not come off - cook more. Hard leaves need to be brushed with a toothbrush on a wooden board. At the same time, we constantly moisten the toothbrush in water.

What kind of leaves oskeleize well? These are, first of all, maple leaves, plane trees. Poplar leaves (black or silver), birch, linden, aspen, oak, garden blueberry, walnut, alder, ficus leaves are excellent.

Skeletonized black poplar leaves

Skeletonized linden leaf

Skeletonized sycamore leaf

Skeletonized silver poplar leaf

Chestnut leaves are very delicate, but they can also be skeletonized. You just need to straighten them right in the water, and then get them already straightened, prying them with a saucer or a wooden spatula.

After skeletalizing, I leave the leaves to air dry. And then I just iron it with a warm iron. You can immediately put under the press, or immediately iron the wet leaves with an iron - that's how you want. Very flimsy leaves cannot be shifted - they will tear or wrinkle. Let them dry first in a straightened form - the way you got them out of the water, and then transfer them wherever you want.

Chemical way

The chemical method - in fact, is also, in fact, wet. But here you do not boil or boil anything. Just fill the leaves with bleach (“Whiteness” will do) in half with water and wait. As they turn white - pull out, rinse. Turns out white transparent sheet ik. You can also beat with a brush. And you can skeletonize the leaves by boiling and then bleach - it will turn out generally like the thinnest white lace - very beautiful.

Well, now the most important question - why did we actually do all this? Why are they needed, these skeletonized leaves?

First of all - such leaves are beautiful in themselves. And very unusual. An openwork cobweb made of veins, a transparent sheet, soft, as if made of fabric ... Of course, such a creation of nature undoubtedly attracted the attention of a person with artistic taste.

Here, for example, the artist Irina Ivi covers skeletonized leaves with gold or silver paint, then collects them into a composition in the form of a branch and seals them between two glasses. It turns out a very unusual transparent picture, in the depths of which weightless leaves mysteriously shimmer ...

From lacy, openwork leaves, you can make interior dishes! The artist Kay Sekimachi was so impressed with the beauty of the skeletonized leaves that she decided to use them to create simple, but at the same time very effective bowls and vases. And the fact that all these thousand dollar (!) vases have already been sold out clearly indicates that the audience appreciated the natural beauty of the skeletons:

You can also draw on skeletonized leaves! IN ancient india paper has always been expensive, but with leaves they grew everywhere and completely free. So the masters guessed to use foliage instead of paper. The leaves were processed by long soaking in water (wet method). It turned out an interesting material, thin, but at the same time durable. Then the skeletons were painted and sold.

And here is how the modern Kochetova Nadezhda draws:

Kochetova Nadezhda "Red Beauty"

Kochetova Nadezhda "Jay"

Kochetova Nadezhda "Song"

Kochetova Nadezhda Barn Owl

What is there to draw! Feather applications can be made on the leaves:

You can make miniature straw applications:

You can even print photos!

Do you think that's all? It would seem, well, how else is it possible to create paintings on leaves, and even skeletonized ones? Are there other options? Oddly enough, but there is! It turns out that images can be created on ordinary leaves by partially skeletonizing them! The way it is done in China: plane tree leaves (they are called "plane trees" there) are boiled in a special solution, and then the leaf is removed with a knife to the veins according to the sketch.

Leaf Carving Art

You can also embroider on skeletonized leaves! See what a gentle spring picture you get:

You can use them in patchwork or quilt (patchwork) as one of the elements of a complex background:

Gisele Blythe

Deborah Gregory

You can also use skeletons in felting - decorate imitation wool surfaces - felted scarves, dresses, hats, bags ... For example, the way Lyubov Voronina from the city of Ivanovo does it:

Lyubov Voronina

Made from skeletonized leaves eco-friendly wallpaper with unique decor. After all, each sheet is unique in itself!

They also make decorative paper:

Skeletons decorate postcards, albums (scrapbooking), passport covers, etc.:

Present handmade(Ekaterina)

[email protected](irochka84) "Envelope for money"

Evgenia (kjane) "Eco-postcard"

Marina Fazylova (m-tomcat) Passport Cover

They decorate the interior wedding bouquets, napkins:

Bridal bouquet

Love (luba-pol) Wedding bouquet "Air mood"

Festive napkin

Skeleton leaves are great for decoupage of vases, cups, boxes, watches, etc.:

TARI (tari-elkiotter) Cup with skeletons

N@stenk@ Vase "Leaves in ice"

Elena Efremova (zzorik.ru) Cup with skeletons

Olga Koshkina (xsanf) Physalis salad bowl

Zuli Watch "Autumn Breath"

Murashka (Smile at your home) Wall clock and napkin holder

Oksana Mineeva (Kseniya) Hedgehog in the Fog Watch

Oksana Mineeva (Kseniya) Decorative plate"Hedgehogs"

For decoupage or felting lamps:

Skeleton vase

Wool "Skeleton lampshade"

Skeleton night light

Lampshades with skeletons

Mironova Inna (various colors) Lamp "Autumn Forest"

Lamps with skeletons

In addition, they create Jewelry different ways.

For example, pour skeletons epoxy resin Earrings, rings, necklaces...

DarKera Necklace "Magic Tree Leaves"

"Pendant with skeleton"

NATURE IN A DROP (smolka-uvelira)

Anastasia Arinovich (bisenkan) Ice Leaf Pendant

Creative workshop "Mastyushka" Pendant " Autumn leaf»

NATURE IN A DROP (smolka-uvelira) Rings

Anastasia Arinovich (bisenkan) Earrings

Or they electroplated the skeletonized sheet with gold, silver or copper, creating a metallic patina of iridescent colors. It turns out amazing and unique in its beauty pendants ...

Katya Design Jewelry

Leonova Marina Leaf fall "Pomegranates"

Handmade by AlekSanta

Leonova Marina Falling leaves "Cat's eye and amethyst"

And of course, skeletonized leaves are used by florists!

Leaf skeletonization is a long and painstaking, but very interesting process! Under the influence of water, air and chemical substances the pulp is separated from the veins, forming an openwork contour in the form of a leaf.

Processing methods

It should be said that skeletonized blanks can also be bought in needlework stores or via the Internet. There you will find leaves of such trees that cannot be found in your city: magnolia, Canadian maple, cork tree, bamboo.

But do not give up the process of obtaining skeletons at home - it is much more interesting to watch how the leaf turns into an openwork plexus of veins in your hands. In addition, this method is more economical than buying ready-made leaves.

Skeletoning is based on several methods, depending on how many sheets you need, what density and stiffness they are.

This technique is used if you need to skeletonize 1-2 leaves. You can dry process and large quantity blanks, but it will take a lot of time - 1 sheet is cleaned for 15-20 minutes.

All you need is a pulping brush. Pay attention to the pile: buy brushes only with natural bristles. And the tougher it is, the better you will carry out skeletonization.

Lay the light-colored leaves in front of you and start brushing them. So you separate the pulp from the veins, leaving only the frame.

In the same way, you can process dried herbarium leaves, but you will get not a sinewy, but simply an openwork blank.

natural way

In a similar way, skeletonization of leaves occurs in natural environment- hence the name of the method.

Pour water into a jar, put a sheet there, close the lid and leave it in this state for a month. Follow the process carefully - you may need less time.

When will depart upper layer sheet, remove the workpiece and wash it under running water from slime.

Carefully separate the pulp with your hands or with the help of thin brushes of medium hardness.

Pretty blanks will remain in your hands. Skeletonization is completed by drying in a dry place for 2 days. Thus, it is good to process ficus leaves and physalis fruits.

wet way

Wet skeletonizing is used if you need to cook several leaves at once.

Put the leaves in a pot of water and add 2-3 tablespoons of a chemical solvent like Mole.

Boil the leaves for several hours. The average cooking time is 2-3 hours for medium hardness blanks.

After cooking, remove the leaves from the pot and rinse with water in a bowl.

With your fingers, rubber gloves, or a toothbrush, start scrubbing the flesh away from the veins.

To learn more about wet skeletonization, watch the following video.

Carefully spread the straightened blanks in a dry, well-ventilated place and leave to dry for 1-2 days.

The skeletonization of leaves with the help of chemistry is similar to wet way. The difference is that you do not need to cook the blanks.

Just fill the leaves with whiteness with water in a one-to-one ratio. You can take out the blanks when they turn white and begin to lose the pulp.

During drying, all blanks must be placed under the press so that they turn out flat and even.

The success of the separation of the pulp from the skeleton depends mainly on the stiffness and thickness of the leaf. The leaves of such plants are easier to skeletonize than others: poplar, plane tree, linden, oak, blueberry, birch, aspen, ficus. Experiment with cherry and currant leaves.

Think also about decorating the skeletons: their coloring, lamination, additional coating.

Staining of skeletonized leaves can be done in several stages:

in the process of separating the pulp from the veins - whiteness, potassium permanganate will help you;

after the final drying of the product - use watercolor or gouache, coloring cans.

Cover the finished product with varnish or fixative to make it more durable. Use sequins, rhinestones and beads for decoration.

Types of needlework

Leaf skeletonization - only First stage. Thanks to the openwork appearance blanks began to be used to create a wide variety of do-it-yourself products.

Below you can find some popular uses for skeletonized leaves.

Leaf paintings

Branches or other patterns are drawn on the finished background, blank sheets are glued - a wonderful picture is obtained.

In addition, skeletonized sheets often act as a canvas for images themselves. And not only images - such a type of needlework as artistic carving on leaves has recently appeared.

Texturing

Leaves are also used to give a special texture to some materials.

In quilting and patchwork techniques, skeletons are sewn into fabric. And masters of felting wool roll blanks to products so that the pattern of veins seems to be visible from the inside.

But the most amazing invention is the pressing of leaves under pressure into paper. So skeletonization contributes to the appearance beautiful sheets for crafts and photo wallpapers with skeletons inside.

Scrapbooking and decoupage techniques were among the first to take note of leaf skeletonization as an economical way to get new working material.

Decoupage with openwork blanks is used for dishes, lamps, furniture. And the leaves, carelessly glued to postcards and albums, add airiness to the product.

Decorations with particles of skeletonized leaves have recently been rapidly gaining popularity. Almost every craftsman considers it his duty to try the creation of pendants by pouring skeleton leaves with epoxy resin.

The following technique is also common: an openwork sheet is covered with gold or silver plating, fixed with a fixative varnish and used as an independent pendant.

Skeleton leaves: master class

Try skeletonizing for simple master class decorating beer glasses. All you need: skeletonized blanks, glue, clear varnish, red and yellow paint on glass, glasses.

Cover one side of the skeletons with glue and randomly glue them to the glasses.

In between the leaves, paint the leaves with paints. Dotted leaves will look like real carved blanks.

Cover the glasses with a fixative varnish and leave to dry.

Such autumn-style beer glasses will become great gift for the holiday. Especially in October, when the Beer Festival traditionally takes place. Moreover, they are designed to cheer you up on a dark autumn evening.

Now is the time to start skeletonizing and preserving leaves and plants! Under the cut, a selection of products using skeletonized leaves, 4 skeletonizing recipes, 1 preservation recipe, and a master class on making a plate.

Skeletonized leaves are leaves that have had their flesh removed and only the veins remain. Canned (stabilized) plants are plants that retain their flexibility and color. These plants and leaves are widely used in interior design and gifts, bouquets, scrapbooking and card making. It will be very interesting to work with children.

Mug decorated with skeletonized leaves.

skeletonized physalis

Decoration

Vase KAY SEKIMACHI - "RUST LEAF" and "GREEN LEAF" used by Skeleton Leafs are surprisingly priced at -$1,000.

Drawings on the leaves

Straw applications

Wallpaper from skeletonized leaves on non-woven base, price from 4000 rubles per roll

Skeletonized physalis branch

And now a few recipes for skeletonizing leaves. The simplest in my opinion:
skeletal leaves
In a bowl of water, dilute the bleach (for example, "Whiteness") and soak the leaf in it until it turns white.
Then rinse the leaf and carefully remove the flesh with a brush or scrape with the back of a knife until only veins remain.
Rinse the sheet and blot with a tissue. Leave to dry.
For skeletonization, choose large healthy leaves. Suitable leaves of oak, laurel, maple, ivy, poplar, magnolia.

Second option
See how Lola advises doing this procedure. The following are the words of the author

For work we need:

Soda (the one used for laundry)
- Water
- Toothbrush
- saucepan
- and the leaves themselves (Try to choose strong and even ones).

The procedure is as follows:
- Prepare a saturated soda solution.
- Then we immerse our leaves in the prepared solution and boil from 40 minutes to 1.5 hours. To speed up this operation, I use a pressure cooker (cooking time is reduced to 20-40 minutes).
- We wash the leaves, fill them with plain water and cook for another 20-30 minutes in a pressure cooker or 40-60 minutes in a regular saucepan (I want to note that the cooking time may vary. It depends on the stiffness of the leaves. At the end of cooking, you should get brown-black leaves).

We take out one leaf from the saucepan and carefully clean its flesh with a toothbrush. If the pulp does not give in, cook this leaf for some more time, and while it is cooking, take care of another leaf.

If during work you tore a leaf a little, do not throw it away, finish cleaning, rinse and lay it on the table so that the tear is not visible. After drying, you will not see a flaw.
So, we thoroughly wash the leaf and get such a skeleton. It can be ironed or put in a book.

We do the same with the following leaves.
When they dry, they can be painted. (I use spray paint)
You can bleach the leaves with the help of chlorine-containing products. Be very careful!!!
By the way, do not pour out the liquid left from the leaves (the one in which the leaves were boiled without soda). If you evaporate it a little, you get a beautiful sepia ink. I don’t know how durable they are and whether they will be suitable for calligraphy, but they are ideal for aging paper.

So the leaves are dry. Let's start painting.

I use chrome effect spray paint. In my arsenal, gold, silver and holographic.

Today I dabbled in silver and gold paint

After drying, I got these leaves

Leaf skeletonization master class from Marat Ka

On the video, sheet skeletonization is a master class from Baba Lena.

Vase with gilding

You will need:
clear glass dishes or plates
skeletonized leaves
white and gold acrylic paints in a balloon
adhesive for glass, porcelain, ceramics
1. We cover the leaves from the balloon with white and gold paint. We glue them to the back of the plate / dish, for example, only white leaves on one plate, only gilded leaves on the other.
2. Apply to back side plate a small layer of glue and bake in the oven, following the instructions on the tube of glue. If you intend to use the plates only in decorative purposes, then they can not be burned.
3. We paint the back of the plate with spray paint. We painted the plate with white leaves gold and the plate with gold leaves white.

Canned leaves (not scaled) are used here!!!

And here, too, canned!
Preservation with glycerin
Dilute glycerin with boiling water at the rate of 1:2.
Place the harvested plants in the solution and place in a cool, dark place for 1-2 weeks.
Take out the leaves and lay them on paper napkin dry and then hang to dry completely.
The leaves will remain elastic and hold firmly to the branch, allowing them to be shaped and glued to uneven surfaces.
In this way, even thick branches can be preserved, while preserving berries.

To stabilize flowers or a whole bouquet, you need to dilute a solution of ordinary glycerin and water room temperature in a 1:1 ratio, after that you need to put the flowers that you want to stabilize in it.
Then every day for a week, you need to gradually cut the stems of the plant. After seven days, we prepare a fresh solution of water and glycerin and put flowers in it. This time there is no need to cut the stems. Two weeks for stabilization will be enough. At the same time, the leaves and flower buds may slightly change their color, but this will only make the flowers look more original and unusual.
Many variations of leaves and applications

Skeleton maple leaves

Different types of venation

Leaves of religious ficus (ficus religiosa) or Bo tree (tree Bo), Bodhi, Banyan; pipal (Peepal or Pippal):

Ficus religious (Ficus religiosa)

Skeletonized Ficus Leaf ((Ficus religiosa)

Leaves of the rubber tree or Hevea brazilian (Hevea brasiliensis):

Rubber tree (Hevea)

rubber tree leaf

Magnolia leaves (Magnolia):

Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana L.)

Magnolia (Magnolia_acuminata)

Magnolia (Magnolia_acuminata) Mango leaves (Mangifera indica):

Mango (Mangifera L.)

However, buying leaves in the store is not always possible and not for everyone. Yes, and the choice is limited to only two or three types. It is much more interesting to make skeletons yourself!

Firstly, boiling the leaves in washing soda is mentioned everywhere - not the best option, since not everyone can find this powder in their city. I didn't find it either, although I've been looking for a long time.
Secondly, this soda copes with very few leaves. Some of our crafters use baking soda instead of washing soda, but it works even worse, if not to say that it does not work at all. Yes, some leaves are scaly, but even just boiling in hot water without any additives is enough - soft, loose leaves, such as maple, this is enough. It is generally ridiculous to talk about soaking in green tea - complete nonsense.
Thirdly, there are much more effective and affordable means.

So how do you actually effectively skeletonize leaves?

There are several ways:

Dry
Wet
Natural
Chemical

Dry way

The dry method is good when you urgently need one or two skeletonized leaves. You are tormented to do more, since it takes about 15-20 minutes of vigorous action per sheet.

Skeletonized sycamore leaf

Press-dried leaves can also be used. In this case, you will get not a skeletonized leaf, but simply an openwork one - also an interesting option. And here just the brush may not be very hard.

Leaf skeletonization

skeletal leaves

Natural skeletonization method

The leaves are wonderfully skeletonized in a natural way - that is, nature itself creates such leaves, you just need to notice and pick them up in time.

skeletal leaves

And in this way it’s great to skeletonize physalis. These are such bright orange lanterns on a branch, florists love to use them to make bouquets of dried flowers.

wet way

If you need a lot of leaves, it is most effective to skeletonize them in a wet way. Pour the leaves with water and add the Mole powder (pipe cleaner). In general, any aggressive household chemicals will do. You can take soda, of course, but I do not guarantee the result.

Next, we take out the leaves and wash them in a bowl of water. Three fingers to remove the pulp. Rubber gloves with pimples also help. If the pulp does not come off - cook more. Hard leaves need to be brushed with a toothbrush on a wooden board. At the same time, we constantly moisten the toothbrush in water.

Skeletonized black poplar leaves

Skeletonized linden leaf

Skeletonized sycamore leaf

Skeletonized silver poplar leaf

After skeletalizing, I leave the leaves to air dry. And then I just iron it with a warm iron. You can immediately put under the press, or immediately iron the wet leaves with an iron - that's how you want. It will not work to shift very flimsy leaves - you will tear or wrinkle. Let them dry first in a straightened form - the way you got them out of the water, and then transfer them wherever you want.

Chemical way

The chemical method - in fact, is also, in fact, wet. But here you do not boil or boil anything. Just fill the leaves with bleach (“Whiteness” will do) in half with water and wait. As they turn white - pull out, rinse. It turns out a white transparent leaf. You can also beat with a brush. And you can skeletonize the leaves by boiling and then bleach - it will turn out generally like the thinnest white lace - very beautiful.

Well, now the most important question - why did we actually do all this? Why are they needed, these skeletonized leaves?

First of all, such leaves are beautiful in themselves. And very unusual. An openwork cobweb made of veins, a transparent sheet, soft, as if made of fabric ... Of course, such a creation of nature undoubtedly attracted the attention of a person with artistic taste.

You can also draw on skeletonized leaves! In ancient India, paper has always been expensive, and with leaves they grew everywhere and completely free. So the masters guessed to use foliage instead of paper. The leaves were processed by long soaking in water (wet method). It turned out an interesting material, thin, but at the same time durable. Then the skeletons were painted and sold.

And here is how the modern Kochetova Nadezhda draws:

Kochetova Nadezhda "Red Beauty"

Kochetova Nadezhda "Jay"

Kochetova Nadezhda "Song"

Kochetova Nadezhda Barn Owl

What is there to draw! Feather applications can be made on the leaves:

You can make miniature straw applications:

You can even print photos!

Leaf Carving Art

You can also embroider on skeletonized leaves! See what a gentle spring picture you get:

You can use them in patchwork or quilt (patchwork) as one of the elements of a complex background:

Gisele Blythe

Deborah Gregory

You can also use skeletons in felting - decorate imitation wool surfaces - felted scarves, dresses, hats, bags ... For example, the way Lyubov Voronina from the city of Ivanovo does it:

Lyubov Voronina

Eco-friendly wallpaper with a unique decor is made from skeletonized leaves. After all, each sheet is unique in itself!

They also make decorative paper:

Skeletons decorate postcards, albums (scrapbooking), passport covers, etc.:

Handmade gifts (Ekaterina)

[email protected](irochka84) "Envelope for money"

Evgenia (kjane) "Eco-postcard"

Marina Fazylova (m-tomcat) Passport Cover

They decorate the interior, wedding bouquets, napkins:

Bridal bouquet

Love (luba-pol) Wedding bouquet "Air mood"

Festive napkin

Skeleton leaves are great for decoupage of vases, cups, boxes, watches, etc.:

TARI (tari-elkiotter) Cup with skeletons

N@stenk@ Vase "Leaves in ice"

Elena Efremova (zzorik.ru) Cup with skeletons

Olga Koshkina (xsanf) Physalis salad bowl

Zuli Watch "Autumn Breath"

Murashka (Smile at your home) Wall clock and napkin holder

Oksana Mineeva (Kseniya) Hedgehog in the Fog Watch

Oksana Mineeva (Kseniya) Decorative plate "Hedgehogs"

For decoupage or felting lamps:

Skeleton vase

Wool "Skeleton lampshade"

Skeleton night light

Lampshades with skeletons

Mironova Inna (various colors) Lamp "Autumn Forest"

Lamps with skeletons

In addition, they create jewelry in various ways.

For example, skeletons are poured with epoxy resin - earrings, rings, necklaces are obtained ...

DarKera Necklace "Magic Tree Leaves"

"Pendant with skeleton"

NATURE IN A DROP (smolka-uvelira)

Anastasia Arinovich (bisenkan) Ice Leaf Pendant

Creative workshop "Mastyushka" Pendant "Autumn leaf"

NATURE IN A DROP (smolka-uvelira) Rings

Anastasia Arinovich (bisenkan) Earrings

Or they electroplated the skeletonized sheet with gold, silver or copper, creating a metallic patina of iridescent colors. It turns out amazing and unique in its beauty pendants ...

Katya Design Jewelry

Leonova Marina Leaf fall "Pomegranates"

Handmade by AlekSanta

Leonova Marina Falling leaves "Cat's eye and amethyst"

And of course, skeletonized leaves are used by florists!