Gorgeous gunnera leaf and for your first try, too! I love the painting you did on it.

Deb

Gosh Cindy I am so envious of you! I've been looking and looking for someone who grows gunnerra in my area, but can't find anyone (waaaaaugh!)

Really Super job on the casting AND the painting AND the displaying of this beautiful leaf!

I WISH like heck that the professional concrete industry (specifically the manufacturers of stamps for stamped concrete) would start making a "stamp" one could use to do GUNNERRA leaves! I can just see this leaf imprinted all over a patio! It would be so georgeous.

ONE tiny question for ya....did you paint the leaf veins or is that dark color just the color of the tufa showing through there?

Kathy/Longlocks

So glad you all liked it. It is amazing how leathery that leaf ws. I let it sit for a month, and still bery leathery leaf parts on it. Kathy, I did not do the veins, just dry brushed the top, so that is the tufa you see .Marly that is a blue fescue, I liked the colors with the leaf and the spheres. I dug up about 8 grasses from various parts of the yard and put little bits in that area of the garden. It had been a rose bed when I moved here last year, but the roses were very pathetic. I also have deer around that like to eat them, so ornamental grasses are a better choice. I am hoping I can scrounge another leaf from someone yet this year and do another for the back yard. Cindy

Cindy,
Nice Gunnera casting. The grasses will compliment it nicely. Dena

Cindy

GREAT leaf casting! My Gunnerra is still a baby, but hopefully, it will make it through it's first winter, and I'll have nice BIG leaves for next year. I think I'll cut the largest leaf before it gets a frost, and do it this fall.

I LOVE the idea of doing a sand mixture for the detail, and then going over with tufa for keeping the weight down!
Did you put the tufa on immediately after, or did you wait for the concrete to set up first? I'm going to do this!
I didn't care for the lack of detail using tufa on leaf castings, and now, here is a way to do it that will make them not so heavy!

Now, if it would just stop raining for a day or so. . . . . . . . . . .

Jean

Klinger,very nice job as is all your work .I really enjoy all your pics.Keep them coming,and Thanks for sharing.Robin

Jean, I don't want to hijack Cindy's thread but wanted to let you know that if you live in W. WA like I do, you shouldn't have a problem overwintering your gunnera. Save your rattiest leaf to cover the crown of the plant and mulch over that with some straw. Then uncover in the Spring when danger of frost is past.

Deb

Would you consider making a POP casting and then a latex mold for a pass around for those of us who don't have those leaves????? *Ã* Yours is sooo impressive, it makes my leaves look like miniatures! BB

Hi Cindy,

WOW! I just LOVE your Gunnerra leaf. I'm so envious cause I can't grow this plant in my zone. I would love to be able to cast this also. I love the colors you used such a beautiful leaf.

Sandy

Hi BB, I have never used pop, but after your posting gave it some thought. I took a look at my casting and the veins of the leaves are a bigger diameter inside than the opening for them is. (hope this makes sense). Any how I cant think that my leaf will work. Perhaps Jodi, the lurker I made this leaf with, and the owner of the gunnerra plant might sacrifice another leaf for the cause. I will try and scrounge another leaf, from her or ? and if possible try a silicone mold. Cant make any promises though. Cindy

When I made a POP cast of the pumpkin leaf, the opening of the vein is smaller than the vein is. I think this is the same with your leaf?? I found that the silicone fills the vein very nicely. I did a thin first coat, then added more layers to get a nice 1/2 inch thick mold, at least that thick. When I removed the silicone, it is flexible, so that it pulls out of the veins without hurting anything. and then when I cast a cement leaf, and let it set up, the silicone releases from that, also. The cost would be what would deter anyone. I used two tubes ($4.79 each) of silicone for a 10 inch pumpkin leaf. How big did you say yours was???? And I don't know, but was advised on this forum that silicone may not hold up as well as, say, Smooth On mold making mix. I think if you did have a mold, you could probably make quite a few leaves and sell them. I would be willing to chip in to the cost of the mold. And, like I said, pass around? There is another person on this forum looking for a gunnera leaf, too. Maybe you should post a question, how many would be interested in the pass around? See what response you get? From the picture, your leaf looks marvelous. Is it as good close up? Would it make a good mold? Let me know what you decide to do! BB

I forgot to ask you, on your other leaves that you have done, did you direct cast from each of the leaves? No molds? I love the reds in that rhubarb leaf! Since the silicone or latex mold is flexible, you could position it in different ways, supporting with sand underneath, to get different looking leaves from the same mold. Love your site. Nice things. Here is a picture of a leaf bowl I just cast in POP. I need to try again. The leaves that should have been behind the two main leaves ended up in front??? Go figure. BB

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:73202}}

So sorry to keep doing this!! But you mentioned POP. To do a casting of the leaf in your picture, I would just put Murphys oil soap on the concrete leaf, and do a silicone or Latex mold directly off of that! The POP you would make DIRECTLY from a leaf. You couldn't do a POP of the cement just because of that vein thing we were discussing. Pop would not release from those concrete veins like the silicone would!!! I didn't want you to mess up that leaf with plaster!! I think you could very easily make a Latex mold from the concrete leaf. Am I confusing you or just myself?? Sorry. BB

G-o-r-g-e-o-u-s Leaf!! Well Done!! Would like to share my experience with making a mold from a cement cast leaf - and paint colors...

You can cast directly from that leaf without harming it. If you can find anyone in town that works with fiberglass, i,e, boat repair, go schmooz with them and see if they will give you a little mold release wax and some Partall #10. The guy I went to see gave me a seemingly empty can of the wax with a wax soaked rag. (It goes on forever! I can probably do 10 more leaves with what's in that "empty can!")Use 2 coats of that wax, buffing lightly in between. The Partall is a watery film that you spray or brush on very lightly (it will wash off when you are done molding.) A very little bit of this stuff also goes a long way. I shot it on with an airbrush. Two good coats. If you got a small mayo jar full it would last you. Then mold away. Fool proof..even for me!

As for leaf color...I am big into realism with my leaves and couldn't find just the right shade of green. I am using exterior latex. Soooo, I just dragged one of my big elephant ear leaves into Home Depot. The paint dept. scanned it directly and we smeared a bit of the finished product on to the leaf and had a hard time guessing where the paint was! A perfect match. Elephant ears have a yellow veining and undertone in these parts so I first shoot the whole leaf with bright yellow, like the French's mustard bottle, then again with the Elephant Ear Green, avoiding the veins. Looks so real! I had one propped up in the middle of my yard and a friend came by and wondered why I had planted an EE in the middle of my yard. Mission accomplished...realism!

Amanda - fellow addict

Hmm lots of food for thought. This leaf is pretty good, as far as detail etc. There are a couple of spots that arent perfect thought, and I guess that in the overall look they arent noticeable.I will try and contact Jodi though and see if she will sacrifice another leaf for a mold. I know she wanted to cast more, and do a water feature. So perhaps I can work something out and do it directly on a new leaf. When I cast this one I left it out in a unused part of my yard for about a month and then just hosed off most of the leaf and picked off the rest.I am guessing if I did a mold I should probably do it indoors so it would cure okay. That would mean my garage floor likely. Any idea how long I would have to leave it for the silicone to set? Also any idea how thick the silicone would have to be ?I like Amandas idea of a release. Amanda is it then possible the leaf could be reused and I might get a couple of molds out of it ?If I was able to make a couple of molds that might be even better. Any more input would be appreciated. I have used a brush on latex to make molds but never of leaves. BB I like your leaf bowl. I have usually used brighter colors on my leaves, this is the first softer looking one I have done. Cindy

I think the Smooth On would make a more durable mold. I used the silicone. I put on surgical throw away gloves and smeared on a very thin layer all over, pushing it in all the crevices! It was only about 1/4 inch at this point. I let that dry overnight, and then put another layer on a bit thicker, and at this point, you don't have to worry about smearing in all the crevices like you did the first time, so it went faster, I let that dry overnight. Then I did another layer. My leaf mold was about 3/4 inch thick, and it is stronger this way. If you put on one thick layer, you may not get all the detail, and it might not cure all the way thru, and it might make a mess if you try to remove it and it isn't set in spots!. It dries quickly if you do it in thin stages. It really wreaks of acidic fumes, tho, and you need to work in a ventilated area, with a fan! It really chokes you up, can't be good for you!. If you are in business? you may want to invest in the good mold making stuff!!! Doesn't anybody else out there have any advice on this??? BB ps: thanks for the compliment on the bowl, we'll see how the concrete one turns out in a few days! But I put leaves on the outside of a beach ball, and it made the leaves the reverse of how I wanted them. I really need to find a large (30 ") bowl, so I can place the leaves in that, concave vs convex issues! +

Cindy,
Because our area is experiencing rain and good conditions for curing I would see no reason why you could not continue to let the leaf/ves cure outdoors.
I have done them inside and out with the same results. In fact the outdoor ones I can hit with a little more water now and then just as extra insurance. The ones that I did in the garage and dutifully sprayed with water managed to capture some extra heat underneath and the leaf itself molded in a few spots, this was not a big issue as painting will cover that.
Smooth on product will make a beautiful mold. You can then make several of the same leaf by placing it over a plastic covered damp sand hump. You can manipulate the undulations and drip spouts by altering the sand under your mold.
It is also important to treat you silicone mold by washing it off and using a good release that is made specifically for silicone.
Amanda,
I like you persistence in getting the right color. Last year I took digitals of leaves at different stages of color, then could print off the pic when doing painting techinques. The people at the paint department of Home Depot are really helpful.
Happy casting, dena

I posted asking for a mold or to make a mold for me. I very much would like a mold made and will be willing to pass it around. So like BB said to post a question upon mold pass around and there will probably be alot of interested people, there's 2 of us already, BB and myself. I like the idea of smooth on so the mold would be flexible enough to cast different contours of the leaf. And like I stated in my post I would be willing to provide for the cost to get a mold made for me. Please let me know also if this is possible. Thanks.

Sandy

Here is a link that might be useful: gardenweb forum

Bump.
Cindy's leaf is so pretty, I could not let this post fall off.

Thanks Dixie's mom, I have another leaf that has cured about a month now, will have to figure out my paint for it, and get busy when we dont have a rainy day. Maybe I will take pics of the paint and the process of basecoating and dry brushing etc. Cindy

Your leaf is beautiful!!! I'm going to try to build a bog in my yard so I can grow a Gunnera plant, the leaves are so hard to come by. I've done a couple of elephant leaves and I love this craft but the leaf we all want to do is the gunnera leaf.
You did and outstanding job, I am so impressed!

Cindy,

I would really appreciate it if you would do a leaf-painting tutorial. I feel like a successful leaf casting is such a miracle--I need to have my hand held for painting one because I don't want to ruin it.

On the availability of gunnera leaves--this will make you laugh. Last Sunday I visited the Point Defiance Zoo's brand new Asian exhibit (Tacoma, WA). Planted along the paths were young gunnera plants! Oodles of them! I noticed three different variations of leaf shape. When those plants get bigger they may start having problems with leaf poachers, LOL. And no, I'm not taking anybody to the zoo during 'Tufastock 05.

Deb

Hang on there Deb, leaves AND mysterious exotic ingredients? Hummmmmm, maybe we should think about a zoo tour.

Here is a link that might be useful: Exotic supplies

Cindy, your leaf is beautiful. I love the paint job and how you displayed it. It looks like it's standing, shouting, "Look at me, see how beautiful I am."

Kay

I've just been lurking here and am amazed by the gorgeous work.

"We did a sand mix for the detail, reinforced then finished with a tufa mix to lighten it up a bit."

Can you explain:
How thick the sand mix was
What re-enforcement was used
And how thick the tufa layer ended up
Was the tufa layer added right away or after the sand mix dried?

I may have access to 5-6 foot leaves and would like to try but haven't found much information on the re-enforcing need.

Thanks, Krystyna

Hey Deb, i have a few painting tips for you. First of all do not be afraid of paint, it is very forgiving. If you slap a color on and don't like it, just do it again. I would suggest using stencil brushes (not the sponge type). You want to dab your colors on, not brush them. You could start by choosing a base color, and then mix one color with another. If your using yellow, dip your brush into orange, or green, or red or all. If you end up with colors you don't like, then repaint everything white, let it dry and start over. Use a few different shades of greens, or any color you are working with, clean your brush and start playing with color combinations. You will get the feel of it and you won't ruin anything. Practice on something else first if it helps. I love to paint, and very seldom do i get it right the first time, including walls ! hope this helps. Good luck and have fun painting !

Hi Krystyna, we put about an inch thick layer of the portland and sand mix, this was to capture lots of detail, then put strips of hardware cloth down, then finished with a layer of another 1 to 2 inches of the tufa.The tufa was added while the cement mix was still wet. Deb, I do use some of juleps painting techniques, but also do use sponge brushs and do drybrush type techniques also. She is right, dont be afraid just go for it, it can all be repainted and done again. Cindy

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Hi to all,
I just placed one of my large gunnera leaves (38"), it is located on a column just outside of the garden room, but you can see it from most every angle of the yard. I really like the colors I did. My gunnera is now emerging for this year, it is here a little early, and as long as I can conserve water from somewhere else I will be able to have several large leaves I hope, The Gov has delclared a drought here in Wasshington. Yesterday and all last night it rained, the plants are HAPPY!!!! The wind also blew, and there are large alder trees just outside of our back yard, I looked this morning and no damage was done, whew!
Dena

Here is a link that might be useful: gunnera leaf

Dena I really like that paint job, the colors look so natural, and blend so well. What colors did you use exactly?Is this leaf placed to catch water?Just a couple of days ago I went over to my friends who has the gunnera plants and picked up my leaf we had cast last fall, it is still riding around in the back of my jeep because I can't lift it out by my self. As soon as I can get a helper to help me get it in my wheel barrow then I will start painting, it has a slight bowl shape, and I thought I would like to put it on a column, similiar idea to yours.We had cast 4 of them in a row, I wished I had my cement mixer with me. She is going to do a water feature in a rocky hill area she has by her house when she gets hers painted. Cindy

Cindy,
I used ceramacoat leaf green, kiwi green (micheals), Rodda paints; spring fancy 7805, rodda persimon 8029, and rodda dark drama 7677, and a touch of rodda somerton (yellow)#?
Rodda provides a quart of paint, your choosing or providing a sample and they will make up a sample for you. All for under 5.00, and it is in a nifty little sort of clear plastic paint can, so you can always see the color. The draw back is that they do not always mix it thoroughly, and it is a flat paint. They said it is not meant to last long, but a chair I painted a couple of summers ago has lasted just fine.
I finished this leaf on the back with all spring fancy, and then TileLab overall.
The colors from Rodda are a couple years old.
I think the leaf is much more dramatic in person, the pic seems a little washed out to me.
The column is part of a culvert pipe with a square paver on top, the leaf is held stable by some pieces of 2x4, just so it wont wiggle. This one is not cupped enough to hold any water.
Happy casting,
Dena

Thanks for the colors , I work next door to a Michaels, so easy to get in there. I think I have a few of these colors, but I really the persimon you used. Got my leaf out of the car so hopefully can paint soon. Cindy

Dena, that's lovely. You did a wonderful job with the coloring. I really like how you are solving the problem of how to display it, too.

Bless you for listing the colors! I'm going to print this out for future reference.

Deb

Gorgeous job, Dena!

You have been using acrylics for several years now -- do you like how they are holding up? Some concrete people say they fade in the sun, but maybe they're from TX!

'Pup

Dena, Maybe we should send you some care packages of water. We went through a drought several years ago and I saved "gray" water for watering. You probably already know but just in case... I got a plastic barrel, put it under a downspout and saved rain water for hypertufa. I washed dishes in two plastic tubs and watered plants with the leftover water. I kept a bucket in the shower stall to catch water.
Great paint job!
Pup, Acrylic paint will last quite a long time. Don't know about Texas climate. I think Dena using a protective coat or sealer. Not sure about that. I don't use anything but the paint from a craft store. Billie

I have used a variety of paints. I do use acrylics mostly, the amount of paint that is used on, even a large leaf, is relatively little, so the craft paints in LOTS of colors really is nice.
Deb,
I usually gather several colors before I start the painting and try to stick to those colors. I keep a water sprayer nearby, different paint brushes, and old cloths to move paint around.
I am not really giving away any secrets here, but another place to look for paints is at your home improvement center, I have gotten some of the 'wrong' mixes for very little. some of these are latex, I tend to stay away from oil bases paints, only because I don't want the clean up.
As Billy said I do use a sealer, I did not use to. Paint fades that is just part of it's nature. TileLab is clear, not glossy, about the thickness of skim milk. I have not had any problems with this sealer. I have another sealer made for concrete and am less happy with that. I did the autumn/fall leaves with that and it is a bit glossier than I like.
Thanks Billy for the reminder about the water.
Pup, regarding fading, it is a reminder to update the garden pieces. The sphere that I did in blue faded a bit, also cracked because of the stand it was sitting on (water froze underneath it), I repaired the sphere and updated the paints and sealed it again.
Happy casting Dena

Here is a link that might be useful: updated sphere

Sign painters use Acrylics on concrete and everything else and they can last decades.
But most of them aren't buying them in craft stores.:)
Check this link as a start.

Here is a link that might be useful: Paint

Dena, great lookin leaf, wish I had some gunnera to try, but I do have rice paper plants,( that for a long time I thought were gunnera, they grow large leaves, so I like them to use for my crete leaves.) and talk about invasive! But we have 5 acres to fill up, so I really like invasive plants.
In fact I have sent a lot of them to people on GW, and they have sent me plants or seeds in return. I have gobs of them if someone here would like to try growing them.
I used acrylics on all of my outside projects and all of them that I sealed are like new, the items I haven't sealed fade a bit, but it is a good look for some things.
bonnie

Here is a link that might be useful: leaves

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All of your leaves are beautiful! I can't wait for my plants to get growing! One question - how thin can you make the casings around the edge of the leaf? All this talk of reinforcing and several inches of hypertufa, but the edges of the leaves in all of the pictures look thin and ruffly - just like the leaf. How do you achieve that and still make it strong?

thanks
Jill

Jill,
I think looks can be decieving with the leaf edge. The edges are usually thinner than the body, however the ruffle edge is viewed deom the top, with the detail of the leaf. The edges on large leaves (mine) are anywhere from 1/4"~~1/2". Those parts of the edge that are thinner are much more likely to dry quickly, pushing things to crack and chip. On large leaves I also try to take the reinforcing dry wall/fiber tape out to within about 1/2" of the edge.
With small leaves I try to go thinner, however large leaves need that depth, and yes they can be heavy!, they are less likely to be upturned by a squirrel or racoon getting into them.

the rhubarb is looking so good right now, it is pouring sheets of rain this morning, so I know my gunnera plants will be very happy too.
happy casting,Dena

One word......

sweet

Like Dena said the outer edges are thinner, but more fragile. I also have used drywall tape on the outer edges to give a little more strength. I have another gunnerra leaf I haven't painted yet.A girlfriend and I did 4 leaves one afternoon, made me wish for my mixer. She is using three for a water feature, the other one I brought home recently. It is so heavy I can't lift it myself, Cindy

Sorry if I missed I, but how did you get that tie-dye affect on the spheres.

Cindy, can you share the recipes for the sand and hypertufa mixtures you used? Also, how did you use the drywall tape to reinforce the edges of the leaf?

Thanks!

Hi, The spheres were painted using a little sea sponge, and a very dry brushing paint technique.I used a 3-1 sand and portland ratio for directly on the leaves to pick up detail, then went to equal sand ,peat, portland, perlite, and vermiculite to lighten up the top.We didnt have any dry wall tape so didn't use it. Tried to go as close to the edges with our hardware cloth as possible. Cindy

Wish I could grow some of the larger leaves! I do have Elephant ears that get big though.

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Here's a leaf for you!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: monster gunnera