You made these? Impressive! How about a Mimosa leaf ;) More realistically, a palm frond might be a good challenge. Would an English Holly be possible?

Those are excellent, Carol! Very nice work you've done!

How about a smaller version of Acanthus mollis?
~R

Thank you, Shrubs_n_bulbs and Rosemarie. Oh, if you every take a workshop on these, be sure to use earplugs since everyone is hammering at once.

Acanthus mollis would be interesting! I'll check into the Ilex, too. The more veins in a leaf, the better it turns out.

While searching the net for ideas I came across two leaves. What are they?
http://www.twosmiths.ca/media/Work%20Images/Vertical/leaf.jpg

These look interesting, too!

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:63232}}

The 1st thought I had on the 1st leaf was Water Lily. Maybe it's something else--but that was my 1st impression. Don't know on the other.

~R

I found an example of a leaf like that 1st one...see link below.

I imagine it WOULD be a good idea to wear earplugs! LOL

~R

Here is a link that might be useful: Lily leaf & flower

Rosemarie, that does look similar. I wonder if the artist may have exaggerated the lobing?
The second leaf could be a figment of someone's imagination! Remember a post asking for identification of a flower used in an old print?It seemed like a combination of traits of a few flowers.

I've found an Acanthus photo and will give it a try.
A friend just had copper roofing completed and the roofer left me some material : - )))))) I'll look for an English Ilex pattern.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:63233}}

Not only are the leaves beautiful, but your picture of them is great, too.

Those are lovely! The leaf that looks like a water lily might also be Sagittaria latifolia. For another possibility, what about bloodroot?

That must have been fun Carol! How about trying a fiddle-leaf-fig leaf?

How about rhubarb leaves. They have such cool leaves...

Oh, thank you for the suggestions! I love them all.
Bloodroot has such an usual leaf. Rhubarb and the fiddle leaf fig would be interesting, too.
I've made a new leaf and will post it to see if anyone can identify it!

Here's the leaf. The real leaf has a much longer and very narrow petiole but it wouldn't be practical to make it that way. It's not a common tree in my zone 6 area.
{{gwi:63235}}

These are just exquisite! Wish I had the patience and talent to create something so beautiful.

Thank you for the compliment. I took a suggestion and cut and hammered out a bloodroot leaf. The edges were a challenge. This was from old discarded copper roofing material so it's not so shiny like the other leaves.

I need Rosemarie to draw me an Acanthus leaf to trace!

{{gwi:63236}}

You did GOOD on the Bloodroot!

The other is great as well, but I still haven't figured out what it is, Carol! Acer rubrum has toothed leaves right? I don't even know if they are in your area or not though. Platanus occidentalis is toothed & not cordate. It doesn't seem truncate enough for Liriodendron tulipfera. I give up! :D I keep getting interrupted in my research! :P

I'll see if I can get over to my sister's (around the corner) & sketch an Acanthus leaf to e-mail you!

~Rosemarie

The leaf sure looks like Acer rubrum with a fat petiole, but surely there are plenty of those around. Did you not bother to make the leaf edges serrate???

So maybe a different Acer, maybe a Sycamore?

Shrubs_n_bulbs, it's not an Acer. The leaf is probably atypical since after searching through Google images I found most leaves a bit different. However, I traced the leaf myself after picking it up in a friend's garden.
It's in the family Sterculiaceae.

Here's the comparison between the leaf I traced and an Acer rubrum leaf.
{{gwi:63237}}

A Chinese Parasol tree? It wouldn't be hardy would it?

YES! Firmiana simplex. Charles Cresson in Swarthmore PA has one that is probably 20 years old. The bark has quite a green cast to it. Hummingbirds seem highly attracted to the flowers.

How wonderful that you are making such beautiful duplicates of leaves. How are you planning to display your work? It is truly a work of art. EP

On reviewing I see you had already mentioned your intentions for use, but your leaves would also make a beautiful artistic display and are very beautiful against the background of the first photo. EP

I am doing scans of fallen leaves in our environment if you wish to use any for patterns. Will be adding little by little. link below. EP

Here is a link that might be useful: scans

Hi Carol, I am dazzled! These are wonderful, and the more patina the better. I would love a short outline of the directions and the gauge of the copper sheeting. Could you please oblige?

Thanks for posting, Sara

Beautiful! I just moved to a part of the country where bloodroot is native and I've fallen in love.

A technical question (following on Sara's): could one size them down, like for jewelry?

Something I'm going to try in the spring is using a rhubarb leaf as a mold for a small concrete birdbath. By then I hope to have a digital camera!

I like!
Karen

I'm happy you enjoyed them!
The copper is roofing material. I think it comes in one thickness. The best tool is jewelers snips, tin snips with curved tips so you can navigate around the leaf margin. I use a Sharpie to mark out the pattern edge and the leaf veins. Cutting is difficult and you need to wear gloves.
A ball hammer is used, a file for the sharp edges - go in one direction only with the file. I have a small chisel which I use to delineate the leaf veins. I hammer the chisel all along the lines I've drawn for the veins.
After that I turn over the leaf, hammer between the veins( no chisel). There's a French word for this puffing up but I cannot recall it. I go back and forth on both sides if the veins get compressed. You can also make the edges so they are not flat.
I would think you could make jewelery but it could depend on how small a size you want. That may require special jewelers tools.

"repousse"

Thank you, snb!

Here's a photo of the basics. I've cut out a few new leaves but not done the hammering. I'll search for the jeweler's snips as I had to give them back to their owner.
I've posted a site that shows the same snips as I used.
they were curved with a spring and are marked Snips No Ears.
Two more comments - wear earplugs while hammering.
Use acetone, nailpolish remover to erase the Sharpie marker lines after the hammering is finished.
{{gwi:63238}}

Here is a link that might be useful: snips no ears

Hi Carol,
Way too cool! Thanks so much for the directions and the extra photos. Keep up the beautiful work.

Sara

Thank you Sara. I just finished the grape leaf yesterday.

Enchantedplace, thank you for the leaf scans. I've made a sugar maple leaf pattern but haven't cut it out yet.

I like the rhubarb idea, too, and think a birdbath of that shape would enhance any garden!
{{gwi:63239}}

carol...All the leaves are beautiful and I printed off your instructions and some of the pictures. I can highlight the text I want to save and copy and paste it to our documents program. I can right click on the picture we want to print and print it out. Then, I can trim the information and pictures and scotch tape them together, and If I want to, later, I can scan it to share. If that is not OK with you please advise. I don't know if we will ever try doing it but it is very special information to keep. EP

EP, feel free to copy and save anything I post!

I think the grape is the best yet.

carol, what a fabulous new talent you're showing! i can't wait to read through all this and learn about doing it. I have a suggestion for these leaves that you might enjoy and i can photograph it for you BUT I NEED TO BUY MY OWN digital camera first! will you contact me about yours? (did you rcve my email about this before?)
best, mindy

I agree with shrubs n bulbs: the grape is especially gorgeous.