Spring is on the way! So we are re-sharing this post from 2025.
After my post in the fall about process art ideas, I thought a revisit for spring was needed! Similar to the fall season, there is an abundance of natural materials available in the spring, ready for creating: violets, dandelions, magnolia petals, sticks, fresh weeds, and more. Process art invites the artist to focus on the process of making rather than the end product. Natural materials are perfect for process art since you never really know what might happen when you use them! Here are some of my favorite ways to use those natural spring materials for art that are lurking in your yards and parks.
Flower Prints
Gather some flowers and greenery from your yard, community garden, or even the grocery store. Flowers with wide, open blooms work best for this such as daisies, peonies, or daffodils. With some water soluble printing ink or any washable paint you have at home, press the top of the flower into a pot of paint. The less paint or ink you use for this, the better! Then, press your paint covered bloom onto paper, fabric, or any other surface you wish to experiment with. Try out different types of plants to see how the prints change! If you have flat greenery you wish to use, a brayer (or roller) rolled in paint will allow you to cover more surface area. This is a fun way to see the details of spring blooms and preserve them for years to come!
Sun Prints
Gather fallen items from your yard, garden, or park, like flowers, leaves, weeds, sticks, etc. Using some sun art paper that you can find on Amazon or at other art and crafts stores, arrange your items on the paper and place the clear acrylic plastic on top so everything stays in place. Place your creation in the sun and wait for the magic to happen! Once your paper has lightened, remove the items and soak it in water for a minute or two. Let it dry and watch your sun print appear!
Nature Weaving
Find a stick in the shape of a “Y” along with other found natural materials. Use whatever string or yarn you have available and tie it to one end of the “Y” stick. Wrap it back and forth across the “Y” shape until you have created your own loom. Tie it to secure it to the stick. Weave your found natural materials in and out of your loom for a fun nature weaving! The best part is this loom can be used over and over again.
Shadow Drawing
Play with the sunlight and shadows during longer spring days with this easy drawing prompt. Find a sunny spot outside to display a nature object in front of you–a large stick, a branch with blooms, a flower. Place a sketchbook or drawing paper near the object and arrange it so that its shadow hits your paper. Experiment with tracing its shadow! Allow this to be a jumping off point for a drawing of your own.
Rock Painting
It sounds as simple as it is. Find some larger rocks or stones and paint them using a paintbrush with water in the warm sun. This is a wonderful invitation to explore light and dark and cause and effect. It is so satisfying to watch the rocks get darker with your design and then watch as it disappears as the rock dries.
Keep on creating!
