FLORA OBSCURA OPEN STUDIO:
Notes, experiments, and knowledge
from THE atelier
Welcome to the Flora Obscura Open Studio—an open corner of the atelier devoted to learning, experimentation, and the first steps into botanical printing.
Here, you’ll find a growing collection of free resources for beginner botanical printers: foundational guides, material lists, simple techniques, and thoughtful insights drawn from my studio practice. From understanding natural fibers and mordants to working with leaves, flowers, and pigment, each offering is designed to help you begin with clarity and confidence.
Logwood Botanical contact Printing: Creating Inky Backgrounds with a Dye-Soaked Carrier Blanket
A dye-soaked carrier blanket is a simple way to create rich, atmospheric backgrounds in botanical printing. After mordanting the fabric, fresh dogwood flowers and Japanese maple leaves are arranged on the silk or velvet, then covered with a carrier blanket saturated in logwood dye. As the bundle steams, the dye transfers from the blanket to the fabric, flowing around the vegetation to produce deep violet tones while preserving delicate botanical silhouettes. The result is a one-of-a-kind textile with luminous plant impressions set against an inky, painterly ground.