Echo Leaf Print is based in north London near Alexandra Palace. We use a variety of printing techniques, natural dyes and plants to create beautiful scarves, books, cards and prints. Techniques used include eco printing, cyanotype and gelli plate printing.
Everything started after seeing a very small picture of eco printing on Pinterest, after several months of reading and research we started printing on silk scarves using the leaves from the plants in the back garden. Two years later we are still experimenting, learning which leaves print, which print at different times of the year and the different reactions you get when using acid or alkali.
Along the way we have added more botanical printing processes learning gelli plate and cyanotype printing. Another method used is hammering flower prints – very satisfying to wallop a pansy with a hammer to get a beautiful crisp print!
The cyanotype process involves mixing two chemicals to form a photosensitive solution. This is then painted on fabric, paper, card, wood and even stones as the core material for cyanotype prints. We then place leaves, flowers or any other interestingly shaped objects onto the material and expose to ultraviolet light.
We try to reuse and recycle as much as possible to reduce any impact on the environment. We use old sheets (the bit around the edges that has had little wear and tear) as dye blankets. These blankets then become notebook covers or reusable make-up wipes. The notebooks are made using recycled paper. Cardstock used for making greetings cards is all recycled and most large cyanotype prints use waste card picked up from a local picture framer.