Looking to give those weeds in your garden or yard a creative purpose? On this Earth Day, give chlorophyll painting a try!

First, you’ll need to go outside and pull a few pesky weeds or pluck a few strips of grass from your garden or yard and get ready to use their leaves to paint! Larger, leafy weeds might give a different look to your artwork.

Feel free to use scissors to cut needed clippings, but only take what you think you’ll need. If you cut too much of a plant it won’t grow back.

   

Then, gather up some paper and a metal spoon and settle in for an afternoon of painting.

STEP 1

Set up all your materials at your workspace.

STEP 2

Fold your paper in half hamburger-style.

STEP 3

Put the desired amount of leaves or clippings inside your paper.

STEP 4

Take a spoon and rub it firmly against the paper to release the chlorophyll. You should start to see green marks come through the paper.

STEP 5

Open up the paper and remove the leaves to track your progress.

STEP 6

Switch to a different type of leaf and see what shapes they make. Remember to take your spoon and rub it firmly against the paper to release the chlorophyll again.

Try painting without the spoon. Roll the leaves and rub them directly on the page. Did it work?

Here’s the painting we created.

Feel free to add little details directly to your artwork.

Last but not least, let your painting dry, then hang it up for everyone to see!

What masterpiece will you create?

Happy Earth Day!