Wondering what to do with pressed flowers? Create your own DIY oshibana art by learning how to press flowers with a book or paper.
Oshibana (押し花) is the Japanese art of using pressed flowers and other botanical materials, such as leaves and stems, to create a composition. Artists essentially “paint” a picture using pieces of nature. The petals and leaves are flattened using a variety of pressing techniques that eliminate moisture and light. The creative options are endless, with artists making floral wall art, cards, bookmarks, jewelry, place mats, decorative candles, and more.
Oshibana began in the 16th century as a Samurai discipline and has come in and out of fashion. Recently, pressing flowers has reemerged as many people try to find new ways to relax and connect to nature.
Benefits of Making Oshibana Pressed Flower Art
Oshibana creates an opportunity for nature connection, boosts mental health, and helps sustain us through physical ailments.
Nature Connection
Engaging with nature can be fun, inspiring, and invigorating. Oshibana links us to nature, helping us view our surroundings mindfully and with a fresh perspective. As artist Ellie Roden of Vermont Pressed Flowers explains, “The art form takes you outside to gardens, roadsides, and into the woods. You really start seeing things you never noticed before, such as the shapes of flowers and leaves and how a flower is constructed because you think about that as you press it.”
Many oshibana artists are also avid gardeners and turn to their garden for inspiration and material. Artist Inna Zatulovsky loves gardening and says she has become obsessed with looking for something interesting and different when she’s outside in nature. She now finds unexpected beauty in weeds.
Working with nature also provides a sensory experience. Susan McChesney of McChesney Art notes, “It’s such a sensory art form. There’s so much involved in the touch and smell. Your senses are invigorated. This somehow connects you to Earth’s pulse. It also makes me much more aware and connects me to the seasons.”
Mental Health
The therapeutic benefits of flowers and plants have been recognized for many years. A 2005 Rutgers University study found that picking flowers boosts emotions, heightens life satisfaction, and positively improves social interactions. Additional research has shown that flowers can increase creative energy and positive vibes.
Suzanne Faith, a registered nurse, award-winning pressed-floral artist, and the author of Flowering Your Mind, has conducted anecdotal research for over 20 years about how working with flowers can help people feel happier and calmer. She attributes these positive emotions to how our eyes take in the beauty of a flower and how our brain reacts to it. She writes, “The eyes respond to the visual symbol of the flower, and flowers give us a positive feeling. The brain’s response to the visual beauty of flowers helps to relax and open the body’s circulatory system, thus releasing stress and tension that has built up.”
In her experience, creating designs with pressed flowers is an easy way to bring calmness and joy to an otherwise stressful day. “Of all the available creative tools, flowers are by far the most powerful visually stimulating images,” she concludes in her book. “Whether painting, arranging, or growing flowers, or keeping a continued display of them in our living space, one could say that flowers are a gift nature has given us to manage stress naturally in our
everyday lives.”
Physical Ailments
Oshibana can also improve our quality of life. Zatulovsky taught oshibana to a girl with fibromyalgia who was in constant pain. “She told me how healing it is for her,” Zatulovsky says. “She totally forgets about all her pains and gets into it. She also loves gardening and nature and has found this route for her as the most healing and helpful in her situation.”
McChesney spent a lifetime drawing. When she began to have spinal problems that left her with trembling hands, she could no longer draw. She turned to oshibana, since she can deconstruct the flowers, press them, and use the petals like strokes of paint. “The work is like occupational therapy for my hands. I teach this technique at a local art museum and provide support to others with trembling hands,” she explains.
Oshibana: What to Do With Pressed Flowers
Oshibana is an accessible and affordable hobby. Although some artists opt for a high-end press, you can engage in this art form using a few simple household supplies. Follow the instructions here to get started on your oshibana project.
Oshibana Art Tools & Materials
- Pencil or pen
- Scissors
- Tweezers
- Small paintbrush
- Craft knife
- Botanical materials (flowers, leaves, grasses, stems, etc)
- Wax paper, parchment paper, coffee filters, or paper towels
- Large, heavy books
- Acid-free glue
- Ruler
- Thick paper, canvas, journal, scrapbook, notecards, or other material for mounting
How to Collect Flowers for Oshibana
Oshibana starts with selecting the pieces of nature you want for your artwork. You can find these gems in your own yard, at a local park, by asking friends and neighbors if you can take home some goodies from their gardens, or by partnering with a local flower farm. Zatulovsky loves this part of the process. “Every time I go for a walk in the neighborhood, I’m looking around to gather materials for my art. The treasured finds are unusual twigs, fallen leaves, and faded flowers that, normally, nobody will look at.”
Pick the flowers when they’re fresh and have recently bloomed so their colors are preserved as much as possible. Some experts recommend picking them in the morning after the dew has evaporated. Roden explains, “You have to pick the flowers on a dry day when [the] morning dew is gone if you want to press successfully and have flowers that are newly opened. Older flowers aren’t going to retain their color as well. You can also press leaves that have recently fallen on the ground if they haven’t wrinkled.”
Start with simple, light, and relatively flat flowers, such as buttercups, zinnias, larkspur, and Queen Anne’s lace. Thick, dense, or complex flowers, such as roses, orchids, and sunflowers, are more difficult to press. It’s best to deconstruct these types of flowers and dry them as individual petals.
How to Press Flowers for Oshibana
Press your materials soon after gathering them, since flowers tend to wilt quickly once picked. There are pressing options for all budgets. McChesney recommends, “Don’t go out and spend big bucks on presses. Go to a store and get paper towels. Layer with cardboard and heavy books on top.”
You can also press the flowers inside a book. Botanical materials tend to leave imprints behind as they dry, so choose a book you don’t mind staining. You can also protect the pages with wax paper, parchment paper, or coffee filters. Lay the leaves and petals as flat as possible.
When the items feel stiff and crisp and can be easily removed, take them out of the press. If they feel pliable or stick to the page, leave them in a bit longer. The drying process typically takes 2 to 4 weeks.
Another great option is a microwave press. “Thanks to modern technology, flowers can be pressed, dried, and ready to use in minutes when pressed in a microwave,” explains Roden. “The flowers or leaves come out completely flat, stiff, and wrinkle-free, and the rapid drying keeps the color so vibrant.”
Faith has some helpful tips for after the materials are pressed: She stores them between sheets of wax paper in airtight plastic containers and places desiccant packs (found in shoe boxes and other products) inside to keep out any additional moisture. She also labels containers by color to make the design process as easy as possible.
How to Make Oshibana Art
Now, it’s time to get your creative juices flowing. You can sketch out your design or let it just flow out of you. Some artists paint a background prior to arranging the pressed flowers. Consider using tweezers to move around the delicate materials. Zatulovsky suggests following these design guidelines: “Pay attention to how the stems appear on paper to avoid a chaotic look, use symmetry, try to use groupings.” Let nature inspire your designs.
Once you have your design set up on the background, secure everything in place. Using a small paintbrush, spread a thin layer of glue on the back of each pressed piece. Allow everything to dry for about 15 to 20 minutes. Once dry, use a craft knife to cut away any excess stems, petals, or leaves.
Finally, share your oshibana creation with others to brighten their day!
What to Do With Pressed Flowers
Try these other pressed flower crafts to add a natural touch to your home.
Learn More About Oshibana
- The Pressed Flower Guild, www.PressedFlowerGuild.org.uk
- Worldwide Pressed Flower Guild, www.WWPFG.com
- Microfleur, www.Microfleur.com
- Modern Pressed Flower, www.ModernPressedFlower.com
- Skillshare, www.Skillshare.com
- Flowering Your Mind by Suzanne Faith
- The Art of Pressed Flowers and Leaves by Jennie Ashmore
- Pressed Flower Art by W. Eugene Burkhart Jr.
Sandi Schwartz is a multi-award-winning author of the book Finding Ecohappiness: Fun Nature Activities to Help Your Kids Feel Happier and Calmer and a freelance journalist specializing in sustainability, home and garden, green living, nature, and wellness. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, National Geographic, Yahoo!, Dwell, BobVila.com, Earth911, mindbodygreen, and many more publications. She enjoys relaxing walks and bike rides, nature art, and her new meditation garden.
Originally published as “Oshibana Flower Art” in the April/May 2024 issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS magazine and regularly vetted for accuracy.
