Botanical Printing May 2021: Osage Orange Vat

 More botanical prints...I'm trying different things to compile a list of "good printers" and combinations to see what I want to reattempt. I've switched to Fabriano sketch paper for all, using a foldover technique to capture on both paper and fabric, which for me is old unmordanted sheets.  I use a wooden dowel to roll on unless otherwise noted. These are all from one vat that probably deepened as I used it with addition of iron molecules as I went along...colors are more yellow in real life 

paper imprint on fabric for comparison

some nice images from ornamental  Japanese Maple, 2 types

here is the leaf arrangement for above:

I like the large fern leaf above and below, but it did not give off much tannin, I found it in the fall and had dried  then rehydrated it, the fern was a very dark purple when I picked it as you can see

I went to a more reliable printer, fox grapes leaves, there's a fern image as well on the paper which is mirror image of the fabric, I like a reliable printer!  I would like to handstitch this one...

  here is the leaf arrangement for above:

Next I switched to a copper pipe and dipped the fabric in half vinegar and half water. It brightened the color of the osage orange but still did not get much print, clearly it needs iron to pull it out, again mirror image on the paper. The paper always gets a different sort of print color wise 

back to iron water dip for the fabric this time wrapped on copper pipe. I like the mauve quality to these; not sure what caused it...the unidentified tree leaf?

here is the leaf arrangement for the above: below: tree leaves, unidentified, hydrangea upper right and lower left, early magnolia leaf, and lower right geranium.  

something went green on the one below, I think it was the hydrangea leaf. A dot of pink-red came onto the paper from the hopi red amaranth leaf, but not onto the fabric

this matches the right side of the above panel