Eco Printing or Natural Dye Printing on Paper with Botanicals

Hello, my name is Michelle from Phoenix Flow Art. I am inviting you to join me on a journey to explore ECO Printing (EP). I have never done this process before, but I love the results. So, this weekend I am going to try it for the first time. Wish me luck. Successful or a total flop I will write about my experience and post my results. My way of documenting the journey. This is how it started....

About 2 years ago I took a mixed media art class. In the class, they touched a little on Eco printing which peaked my interest. Because I love working with nature and the cyanotype process, I thought this is something I really want to pursue. I purchased an online class called Eco printing with botanicals. The class was informative but overwhelming for me. The instructor shared her setup which was outside on a burner. My first thought was because she is outside the fumes must be horrible, then I don't have a backyard I live in a townhouse, followed by I am not doing that in my kitchen. With all my negative thoughts it’s no wonder why I walked away before I even attempted a single print.

Now fast-forward 2 years later. My Mother died March 19th, 2025, we had a beautiful homegoing for her. I want to pay tribute to her in my art so I took some of the flowers from her homegoing and I created cyanotype prints so I can create a mixed media art piece for my home. As I start to tone some of the cyanotype pieces, I thought these would be beautiful also as ECO Prints. That's how I get started again to learn and want to explore EP. This seed was kind of planted 2 years ago, but I was not ready. This time it seems less daunting. Less overwhelming and much more exciting.  I am ready. This week I will head to my local good will and buy a cheap pot or kettle to turn into my first dye pot. So let the botanical dying begin. Next week I will give you my thoughts and share pictures. Till then be blessed and keep creating.

Michelle

Phoenix Flow Art