Core skills - Part 1: How to press flowers

Part 1 - How to Press Flowers

It's now time to start pressing flowers, and in this lesson, we'll be covering all the basics you'll need to begin your journey into the craft.

The early stages

Flower pressing is essentially quite simple. You need to draw the moisture out of the flower while flattening its form - and following our method will achieve the very best result.

Step 1: Feed the screws through the holes in the bottom plate of your flower press so they are facing upwards.

Step 2: Take a piece of card and lay this flat onto your flower press. Layer a piece of absorbent paper on top, such as watercolour or blotting paper.

Step 3: Select a flower from your fresh cuttings and place it delicately onto the paper. You should leave plenty of room around the edge of the card. If the stem is too large, carefully trim off the larger pieces and press these separately - they can be rejoined later when you come to compose your artwork. Double check there aren't any bugs or dirt on your flower, as this could contaminate the press.

Step 4: Tease the flower into a pleasing position that feels natural; you don't want anything overlapping so each element should have nice breathing space around it. Some flowers will naturally want to lie in profile, while others might lie face up - you can give them a gentle press down to encourage them into position and don't be afraid to flatten out the petals.

Step 5: It doesn't have to just be one flower per page - if there is room, you can add another stem.

Step 6: Once you are happy with the positioning, place a piece of absorbent paper on top and press it down.

Step 7: Gently peel back the top layer of absorbent paper, and check to see if you are definitely happy with the positioning - now is the time to correct any mistakes or gently reposition petals and leaves. You don't want any overlaps or any part of the flower sticking out of the press.

Step 8: If any part of the flower gets detached from the main stem, still include it in the press as you can reattach it later when you come to compose your artwork.

Step 9: Place a piece of card on top, which will serve as your barrier layer and will prevent any moisture from seeping up into other pressings.

Step 10: Start a new pressing with a fresh sheet of absorbent paper, and repeat the same process until all your flowers are pressed. You can continue until your paper is almost at the top of the screws if you like. Make sure to only include flowers that will dry at a similar speed - it's often easier to only include one type of flower in a press.

Step 11: When you're finished, give all your layers of paper and card a firm press down using your hands and then place the top plate of your flower press on top, aligning all the screws with the holes.

Step 12: Wind the wingnuts onto each screw to tighten your flower press - use your hand to push the press down as much as you can, winding each wingnut onto the screw as tightly as you can.

Step 13: Use masking tape and a pen to label your press with the type of flowers contained within it, along with the date you have pressed them.

Step 14: Leave the flowers for at least a week, keeping your press in a warm and dry place. Larger flowers may need a longer drying time.