Hammering Plants to Create Color
Images made from hammered plants created by CSUMB students.
Hammering plants breaks down the cell walls, and releases pigment. Collecting the plants, arranging them and hammering them is fun - and my students find it therapeutic.
Materials needed:
Watercolor paper (or heavy paper)
Plants
A hammer or mallet
To introduce the project, I use indigo leaves and morning glory flowers.
Young indigo leaves are bright green. When crushed, the green liquid slowly turns blue. Students love seeing this transformation.
To create the project:
invite students to collect plants and/or use plants you’ve brought.
Students can fold the paper in half and arrange the plants between the folded page.
After placing the plants, students can hammer on the the paper, crushing the plants between.
Invite students to see how the colors change over time.
