Looking for a cute nature craft to make using real leaves? This bundled Q-tip and leaf print sunflower is gorgeous, easy to make, and involves two fun and creative painting techniques that your child will love!
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If you have a creative child at home who likes to explore different artistic mediums, this simple sunflower craft would be a great way to help foster their creativity. It makes use of simple materials that you probably already have at home, and includes a fun nature-themed component.
While the sunflower design and leaf printing technique are perfect for autumn, you don’t need to wait for September to make this craft. Save the tutorial and refer back to it the next time you’re looking for a bright, cheerful (and slightly unconventional) craft to make with your kids!
Why You’ll Love This Craft
- Incorporates nature: You’ll be using a real leaf to create the sunflower’s petals. This project would make a great late summer or fall craft, but as long as you can get your hands on fresh leaves, you can make it anytime. Use it as a way to extend the fun the next time you go for a walk.
- Paint without a paintbrush: If your kids are anything like mine, they probably love the chance to paint with anything that isn’t a regular old paintbrush. This craft makes use of two creative non-paintbrush painting techniques that are super fun for kids!
- Easy to make: Though it may look fancy, this craft is actually quite simple to make. Even younger kids should be able to do most—if not all—of it without any help from an adult.
- Simple supplies: You won’t need any fancy supplies for this project. If you like to get crafty with your kids, you probably already have everything you need at home.
Have some leftover Q-tips that you’re not sure what to do with? Try making this Bundled Q-Tip Fall Tree or sneak in some fine motor practice with these Free Q-Tip Painting Templates!
Required Materials
- Leaf: A real leaf (not an artificial one) will work best for this craft. Make sure the leaf is fresh, soft and pliable—you’ll have trouble making prints with a dry or cracked leaf, and you won’t be able to reuse it multiple times.
- Paintbrush: Any size will do, as long as it’s not too small. You’ll be using this to cover the leaf with paint.
- Paint (yellow and dark brown): Washable kids’ paint or acrylic paint will both work for this project. (I used acrylic paint.) You can even try watercolor paint tubes if you have them. If ever you can’t find dark brown, feel free to make your own by mixing a bit of black into your red paint.
- Cardstock: I used cream-colored cardstock because I thought the earthy tone went perfectly with the sunflower design, but you can use white or another light color. Just make sure to avoid yellow and darker tones. If you don’t have any cardstock, regular paper should do as well, but you’ll need to be careful and avoid soaking it with too much paint.
- Cotton swabs: You’ll need about 20 to 25, so make sure you have enough.
- Small elastic: I recommend mini hair rubber bands for this craft because they’re small enough that you won’t need to wrap them around the Q-tips too many times, but a regular rubber band will do in a pinch.
- Paint palette: Make sure you use a paint palette with a flat surface large enough to accommodate your bundle of cotton swabs. If you don’t have one, you can also use a paper, plastic or ceramic plate. (I prefer plastic and ceramic because they can be washed and reused.)
The full supply list and instructions can be found in the how-to card.
Choosing the Right Leaf
- Size: The leaf you use for this craft should be no taller than half the width of your sheet of cardstock, ideally a bit less (not including the stem). If you are using US Letter-sized cardstock like I did, pick a leaf that is about 3 to 3.5 inches tall.
- Shape: For best results, pick a leaf that has a pointed tip and a rounded bottom. Simple is better when it comes to this craft, so avoid leaves with complex shapes and multiple points, like maple leaves. The leaf I used was pretty wide, but a thinner leaf can work as well—you’ll just need to create more prints to fill in the sunflower design.
- Veins: Leaves with thick, prominent veins will create the prettiest prints with the most intricate details.
How to Make a Bundled Q-Tip & Leaf Print Sunflower (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Paint leaf. Use a paintbrush to cover the entire surface of the leaf with a generous amount of yellow paint. (You can spread the paint on either side of the leaf, but the leaf’s backside will yield more intricate prints. See the box below for more tips.)
Step 2: Create leaf print. While the paint is still wet, quickly press the painted side of the leaf onto the sheet of cardstock, with the leaf’s stem angled toward the middle of the sheet. Gently press down on the leaf, then carefully peel it off to reveal an imprint. Repeat 3 times, reapplying paint as needed and changing the position of the leaf to create a total of 4 prints arranged in the shape of a cross.
Tips for Making Perfect Leaf Prints
To create the prettiest leaf prints and transfer the maximum amount of details to the sheet of cardstock, paint the backside of the leaf (where the veins are most prominent) rather than the front, and press down on the leaf to transfer the paint.
To do this, you can either gently press down with your fingers or flatten the leaf with a rolling pin. Make sure to avoid moving the leaf around in order to prevent smudges.
For best results, press the leaf onto the cardstock as quickly as possible after adding the paint so it doesn’t have a chance to dry. When making multiple prints with the same leaf, you’ll need to reapply the paint after each one.
Step 3: Fill in sunflower petals. Reapplying paint to the leaf as needed, create 4 to 8 (or more) additional yellow “petals” to fill in the gaps between the existing leaf prints. The exact number will depend on the shape of the leaf—thinner leaves will require more. Continue to add more prints until you have filled in the entire shape of the sunflower.
Step 4: Bundle Q-tips. Grab about 20 cotton swabs, press them together with your fingers and tightly wrap a small elastic around the middle to bundle them together.
Step 5: Dip Q-tips in paint. Pour some brown paint onto a paint palette or plate, and dip the bundled Q-tips into the paint, pressing down as many times as needed to fully coat the ends of the Q-tips.
Step 6: Paint sunflower center. Before the paint has a chance to dry, gently press the Q-tips onto the cardstock to create a dark cluster of “seeds” in the center of the yellow petals. Repeat as needed, dipping the cotton swabs back into the paint if necessary, until there is a large dotted circle in the middle of the sunflower.
When you have finished painting the center of the sunflower, simply let the paint dry and your craft will be ready to display! My kids had a lot of fun with this one—they especially loved the fact that most of the painting was done without a paintbrush.
Helpful Tips
- Don’t skimp on the paint: To create the nicest sunflower possible, use a generous amount of paint. Make sure to cover the leaf with more yellow paint before every new print, and dip the bundled Q-tips in brown paint as many times as needed.
- Add some color depth: I used the yellow and dark brown colors from my acrylic paint set, but for added fun and depth, try mixing colors to create slightly different shades of yellow and brown, and use those shades when creating the sunflower petals and seeds.
- Make smaller sunflowers: Only have small leaves? Instead of making one large sunflower, create many small ones. Just don’t forget to use fewer Q-tips if a bundle of 20 to 25 looks too big.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have a question that wasn’t answered here? Let me know in the comments and I’ll be happy to help!
More Fall Crafts for Kids
If you have tried this Bundled Q-Tip & Leaf Print Sunflower or any other project on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments below. I can’t wait to hear from you!
Bundled Q-Tip & Leaf Print Sunflower
Materials
- 1 leaf
- 1 paintbrush medium or large
- paint (yellow and dark brown) washable or acrylic
- light-colored cardstock
- 20-25 cotton swabs
- 1 small elastic
- 1 paint palette
Instructions
- Use a paintbrush to cover the entire surface of the leaf with a generous amount of yellow paint. (You can spread the paint on either side of the leaf, but for more intricate prints, try painting the leaf’s backside.)
- While the paint is still wet, quickly press the painted side of the leaf onto the sheet of cardstock, with the leaf’s stem angled toward the middle of the sheet. Gently press down on the leaf with your fingers or a rolling pin, then carefully peel it off to reveal an imprint. Repeat 3 times, reapplying paint as needed and changing the position of the leaf to create a total of 4 prints arranged in the shape of a cross.
- Reapplying paint to the leaf as needed, create more yellow “petals” to fill in the gaps between the existing leaf prints. Continue to add more prints until you have filled in the shape of the sunflower.
- Grab the cotton swabs, press them together with your fingers and tightly wrap a small elastic around the middle to bundle them together.
- Pour some brown paint onto the paint palette and dip the bundled cotton swabs into the paint, pressing down as many times as needed to fully coat the tips.
- Gently press the cotton swabs onto the cardstock to create a dark cluster of “seeds” in the center of the yellow petals. Repeat as needed, dipping the cotton swabs back into the paint if necessary, until there is a large dotted circle in the middle of the sunflower. Let the paint dry completely before displaying.
Video
Notes
- Don’t skimp on the paint: Make sure to cover the leaf with paint before every print, and dip the Q-tips in paint as often as needed.
- Add some color depth: Try mixing colors to create slightly different shades of yellow and brown, and use those different shades when creating the sunflower petals and seeds.
- Make smaller sunflowers: If you only have small leaves, try creating many small sunflowers instead of one large one. Use fewer Q-tips if a bundle of 20 to 25 is too big.
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