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A pink and orange combo always captures my attention with its playful energy.
Week 1  Week 2  Week 3  Another month ending - week 4 of my August Concertina Sketchbook "Breathe the sweetness that hovers in August." ~ Denise Levertov  The finished 4 panels  End of the month collages using leftover scraps
Pink and orange are a great color combo in the garden too. The photo on the left is from Harkness Memorial State Park. I took a walk there this week and the cutting garden was amazing. They change it up a little each year with different color and plant combinations but it is always lovely. The other two photos are of my garden. A light pink cosmos and a cactus zinnia mixing with orange cosmos.
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It can be tricky to get successful eco-prints from flowers. You've chosen bright-colored flowers to use, and you're all excited about unwrapping your bundle after 'cooking'. Then you see very little or nothing at all on the paper. I've been there and know that feeling of disappointment : ( This used to happen when I was first learning the eco-printing process. Now after much research and many experiments, I'd like to share with you my #1 'must have' and absolute favorite flower for making eco-prints is Cosmos sulphureus 'Cosmic Orange'.  This annual flower packs a big punch of happy color in the summer garden. They are super easy to grow and if you don't have space for a garden they also do well in pots. These are heat and sun loving flowers so I wait until the ground has warmed before planting. If the weather has been warm I'll plant them at the end of May but more often than not they get planted in early June. I don't bother starting the seeds indoors as they have always done so well when I plant directly in the garden. Cosmos flowers will bloom throughout the summer starting in late July until the first hard frost here in the Southeastern part of Connecticut. I always have more than enough flowers to print from fresh and to dry for later use. They can grow to approximately 3-4 feet tall with 2-inch flowers, love full sun, and attract bees and butterflies.  The prints can range in color from pink, orange, to even red, depending on the paper and mordant used. They never disappoint, they make the best and most consistent prints of any flower I've tried.   Bonus: The leaves, which have an attractive lobe shape, also print well.   To keep the bees happy, and so I'll have seeds for next year, I always leave some of the flowers unpicked. Look how pretty these spiky seed heads are.  Subscribe to my StudioNews
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AuthorHi, I'm Kathy an artist working in the mediums of collage, eco-printing, rust printing, and slow stitching who loves to teach. I enjoy sharing my process and guiding you on your creative journey. Archives
May 2025
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