Curvy lines, silver finish–this DIY carved metallic leaf art has texture and style and looks amazing with black and white room decor.
Need metal accent pieces for styling a table? These leaves can handle that…
…or place them on wood panels to make a set of 3D silver leaf wall art.
They can be used in so many ways to add artistic panache, originality, and hand-crafted style to your room.
While they look like carved metal, these leaves are actually crafted from air dry Creative Paperclay, and then coated with super reflective silver metallic paint. That means you don’t have to be a metal worker to create them. Just follow the step-by-step directions below using the free patterns to make your own set.
You can paint these leaves in any finish–copper, gold, rose gold, pewter, iron, or bronze–or try a specialty metallic paint like Rustoleum hammered metallic colors. Chalk paint, latex, or acrylic paint will also work for giving them a pop of color.
supplies
- Creative Paperclay or other good quality brand of paper clay
- Free leaf shape patterns–LEAF 1 and LEAF 2
- rolling pin or thick wood dowel
- cutting tool (such as an inexpensive hobby knife, clay “clean up” tool, or old X-Acto knife)
- non-stick work surface such as a silicone mat (parchment paper or wax paper will also work)
- dish of water
- cotton swabs
- metallic paint
step 1:
Download the two leaf shapes–LEAF 1 and LEAF 2. Print the shapes on normal copy paper. Then use scissors to cut out.
step 2: roll out clay
Open the package of paper clay. Place the clay on a non-stick surface (or place on wax or parchment paper). Separate the clay into two sections. Roll each section into a 1/4 inch thick slab as shown below.
Stack one slab of clay on top of the other.
step 3: cut a leaf shape
Place the leaf pattern on top of the clay. Cut around the outside edge of the paper leaf, cutting through both layers of clay, with your cutting tool.
Remove the paper pattern. Take the excess clay that you cut away from the sides of the leaf, and seal those scraps back inside the paper clay package or place them inside an airtight resealable bag. Seal tightly so that the clay will not dry out.
step 4: begin cutting a design
Next use the cutting tool to begin cutting out geometric or organic curved lines. For this step– Cut ONLY through the top layer of clay.
Use the pointed tip of your cutting tool to pull up and remove the curved section of clay that you just carved. Since you only cut through the top layer, the bottom layer of clay should stay intact while the cut portion is removed.
Now use the cutting tool again to cut another set of curved lines. Again, make sure to only cut through the top layer of clay.
Remove another section of clay.
Continue cutting curved lines, carving through the top clay layer only, and removing alternating pieces of the design.
This is a fun part of the project where you can be creative and make any design you like.
When you are finished making your design, collect all the clay scraps that have been cut away, and place them inside the resealable airtight container or package with the scraps from Step 3.
Use the leftover scraps for other paper clay projects.
step 5: smooth the edges
After carving your design into the clay leaf, some of the edges of the clay may look rough or ragged. Use your fingers or cotton swabs dipped in water to smooth away edges that are rough. After the leaf dries, you can also use sandpaper to smooth any uneven areas.
step 6: second leaf
Make another leaf using the second leaf shape pattern. Follow the same steps as you did for the first leaf.
step 7: dry
Your 3D clay leaf art will now need to dry. If left at room temperature, it can take several days for the leaves to completely dry. To speed the drying, you can place the leaves on a metal baking pan or cookie sheet covered with a layer of parchment paper. Then place inside an oven set on a very low temperature such as 170 – 180 degrees F. Check the leaves every hour to see how they are progressing.
As the clay loses moisture, the leaf shapes will shrink slightly. They will also begin to curl a little, which gives them an artistic, curvy appearance.
step 8: sand and paint
When the leaves are completely dry, use 220 or 320 grit sandpaper to smooth away any remaining rough spots. Then you can start painting.
I tried several different brands of metallic paint during the test phase of these leaves. The brand that produced the shiniest and most reflective metal finish was Rustoleum Specialty Metallic spray paint. Rustoleum also makes a silver, brass, copper, and gold version of this spray paint, so there are lots of options for getting an amazing metallic look on your leaves.
Apply 2 to 3 coats of paint. Between each application of paint, sand lightly with 320 grit sandpaper to get a smoother finish.
step 9: display
Once dry, your finished leaves can be used as accent pieces…..
….or you can create a set of frames to display them on the wall.
step 10: make a frame
To make a set of inexpensive frames, I started with a wood panel and attached a small sawtooth picture hanger to the top. Ordinarily, the side shown in the photo below would be considered the front of the panel, but since we’re going to make sort of a shadow box frame, the normal panel front is going to be used as the back.
After the sawtooth hanger is attached, flip the panel over to the opposite side so that it looks like a tray.
To give the frame a little more visual interest, you can attach an additional section to the front to create a raised platform. This is totally optional, but it does transform the look of the frame from basic to custom.
Here’s an easy way to do this–Use a 16 x 20 size birch wood panel. Then purchase an 11 x 14 MDF board like this one. Glue the smaller MDF board to the center of the 16 x 20 panel. Then paint in colors that coordinate with your decor. And there you go. Easy frame.
To attach the leaves–
One option is to just glue the leaves directly to the center of the frame. But, if you want a more pronounced 3D look, you can first glue a small object to the back of each leaf before gluing it to the frame. The added thickness, from the object on the back, will cause the leaf to stand off the frame surface and look as if it is floating. If you decide to do this, paint the object with metallic paint so that it matches the leaf and will not be noticed if the art is viewed from the side.
Be sure to use a strong adhesive for all the gluing. Gorilla clear epoxy works really well–it’s super strong, and the 5 minute drying time is definitely a plus.
Now, find an empty wall and transform it with your beautiful leaf wall art! Or have fun decorating a table with your carved silver leaves. They make great metallic accents for a tablescape.
If you enjoyed this leaf art project, you may also enjoy these leaves, this carved wood panel wall art, or these other projects that use paper clay.
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