How to Make Pressed Flower Wall Art

Readers often ask me what they can do with pressed flowers. Pressed flower wall art ranks high on the list! In this quick tutorial, I’ll show you how to press flowers to make art with a cool, coastal vibe. No one will believe you made it yourself.

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Pressed Flower Wall Art – The Basics

I’ve published loads of tutorials on how to press flowers and how to dry flowers. It’s one of my favorite hobbies. I feel like there’s something sentimental about preserving flowers, especially ones that have special meaning.

If you’re completely new to pressing flowers, watch my YouTube video on how to dry flowers 5 ways, which has over 431,000 views and counting!

For this tutorial, I’m using a technique that I first talked about when I made DIY pressed flower art using a Microfleur flower press. Below, you’ll find a coupon exclusively for my readers if you’d like to purchase your own.

The benefit of this type of art is that you don’t have to stress about how pretty the pressed flowers look. We only need a good silhouette, so choose a stem or flower with great curves and texture!

Supplies

• Fresh flowers or herbs
• Flower press
• Scrapbook paper or watercolor paper
• Spray paint
• Frame

Step 1: Cut the fresh flowers or herbs

If you’re planning to use flowers or herbs from your garden, cut the stems in the morning after the dew has dried. The best plants for pressing have single-layered petals and/or flat faces (think pansies).

Water-rich petals like those in the succulent family are typically not the best for pressing.

If you have some wildflowers, those would work well. As you’ll see, I used plain parsley for one of my botanical prints, and it still turned out great!

Step 2: Press the flowers in a microwave press or wooden press

If a traditional flower pressing is more your style, hop over to my instructions for the book press method. You can also make a simple DIY flower press in under 30 minutes with my step-by-step tutorial.

Pressing flowers in the microwave will take 5-10 minutes while using the book press method will take 2-3 weeks depending on the flowers.

Step 3: Spray paint the dried flowers

Once the flowers or herbs have dried fully, place the specimen on your paper or canvas. I suggest placing the paper inside a cardboard box to prevent the dried flowers from flying away or moving while you spray.

For best results, work in short bursts to add just a touch of spray paint, holding the can about 10-15 inches away from the canvas. You can add a small amount for a more splattered paint effect or thicker layers for full coverage.

If using paper, avoid spraying the same section with multiple coats at once, since this could cause the paper to warp.

Step 4: Frame and display your art

Allow the paint to dry 20 minutes before touching the artwork and 24 hours before framing it.

You can see how since the flower itself isn’t used for this project, even the parsley looks interesting as a silhouette. Who knew?!

I repurposed a few old wood frames by painting them with white chalk paint to match the white of the botanical prints. It’s a great way to upcycle old picture frames you might have lying around the house.

I’m really digging the calm coastal feel of this pressed flower wall art. It’s a wonderful way to add budget-friendly DIY decor to your home or create a unique gift for friends and family.

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