Art carving on leaves - this is what the Chinese masters of Longal Craft Co., Ltd. have been doing for several years. They perform unusual and unique works made on autumn fallen leaves, or rather they are engaged in carving on dry leaves. The surface of the sheet is like a canvas for the artist, but before starting work, it requires some processing. All leaves, and these are mostly maple, according to the owners of the company, are collected in ecologically clean areas.
Leaves are selected for further work only symmetrical shape, whole, without flaw and damage, beautiful and bright, different colors and shades. Then they are processed, dipped in boiling water, to destroy all microbes and give the sheet elasticity and softness, then dried, removing excess moisture.
And here the most mysterious action begins - this is carving on a sheet, the subtleties of which are not disclosed by the company and are kept secret. Upon closer examination, it can be seen that only the upper layer of the leaf is carved on the leaves, leaving the frame itself intact, consisting of a “mesh” of leaf veins.
Thus, an unusual, weightless image is created, which, as it were, rests on a thin and transparent grid held by a fragile leaf stalk. We must pay tribute to the patience and skill of the masters, because it is necessary not only to accurately convey the entire artistic value images, but also while working to maintain the integrity of the sheet frame itself. The work is actually very delicate and jewelry.
By the way, the company accepts orders from individuals and undertakes to make any image of the customer, and then deliver the finished work in integrity and safety to any specified address in the world. For the first time, a new direction in the art of leaf carving was demonstrated by Huang Tai Shang. It was in 1994, and at the same time it was entered into the Guinness Book of Records.
Work in this direction is very jewelry, because the leaves are not cut through anywhere. When creating a picture, only part of the sheet surface is cut off. As a result, a very thin, almost invisible translucent layer remains.
Creation work carved leaves takes place in several stages:
leaves without defects are selected only in autumn
the leaves are dried in the sun for ten months
then put them in boiling water for a few hours to soften and kill bacteria
when the final image is ready, the leaves are dried again
At first it may seem that the artists use the leaves of an ordinary maple. However, another tree is used - plane tree.
It is very difficult to cut a drawing on a thin leaf. The long tradition of paper cutting and the corresponding experience will save the Chinese craftsmen here. But even great experience does not save those 60% of works that are torn in the production process
Lorenzo Duran's approach to this species creativity is considered original, since the author uses a thin knife or scalpel as a tool, instead of the usual scissors.
This direction self made the author himself calls naturayarte. To engage in such art, you must be extremely careful and attentive. One twitch of the hand is enough to destroy the painstaking fruits of activity in an instant. Such refined, filigree work can take on average from one week to three months. Now imagine what an “accidental miss” can cost?
The very idea of such a carving is not new. Lorenzo says that he carefully studied kirigami ( Chinese technology paper carving, whose roots go back centuries) and scherenschnitte (Swiss and German paper cutting technique, which is characterized by reduced symmetrical motifs).
According to Duran, paper carving has more oriental character, V Western world they practically didn’t know about it ... In the end, the intrigues led the artist to the thought - “Why not try carving on the leaves of trees?” I think we can safely say that the experiment was a success and even Furthermore, led Lorenzo to a new kind of activity.
From early childhood Lorenzo Duran was fond of art. He was interested in sculpture and painting. He was not afraid to listen to his inner feelings, look for a muse, and experiment. He wanted art to enter his life both as a hobby and as a job at the same time. But life is such that it often has its own plans for how to manage human destiny. Lorenzo had to try his hand at various professions in order to earn a living. However, he did not quit in an effective way to gestate cherished dream by taking part in thematic competitions.
To one of those beautiful sunny days, which do not pass without a trace, Lorenzo was surprised how an ordinary caterpillar, without denying itself anything, voraciously eats a leaf of a tree. It seems that nothing special happened, but the artist's creative thinking and the tendency to distinguish details took precedence over the ordinary situation, opting for an interesting idea with future bizarre patterns on the foliage of trees.
Thus, the caterpillar became a kind of weather vane for the further realization of the artist in his new niche. Lorenzo first started working on leaf carvings in 2008. To date, his works have already found their audience, they are appreciated by both private individuals and collectors from different parts of the world.
Prices for Lorenzo Silva's creations vary depending on the complexity of the design and the type of sheet. The most expensive sheet sold by the master cost the buyer £2,400. Sales are made through a personal blog Spanish artist.
Lorenzo Duran Manuel Silva believes that nature is an inspirational source for creativity. According to the artist, almost any form of art can be created from wood, metal, mineral glass and the like. Nature lover Lorenzo Duran believes that fate gave him the opportunity to express his love for environment through its own fruits - natural materials.
Lorenzo reduced all the work to the following stages: Collecting the leaves, Washing, Drying, Pressing, Carving on the leaves. In principle, the same as with Chinese masters and amateurs.
While the leaves are under pressure (curiously, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne acts as a press, and this is not a coincidence, but Lorenzo's favorite book), the artist, without wasting time, creates a sketch of the future pattern, after which he overlays the resulting drawing onto the sheet and proceeds to the final stage of cutting according to the stencil principle.
Cutting is done with a small knife. At the very end, with the help of a magnifying glass, the final touches are applied, making a completely finished work out of a sketch. It is responsible and hard part work, as the material is very fragile. Spoiling it is the same as wasting weeks of hard work.
Relatively recently, a new leaf carving technique, at the origins of which is the Spanish artist Lorenzo Duran. The ancestor of leaf carving is considered to be the Chinese artist Huang Tai Shan, who in 1994, thanks to the innovative decorative arts entered the Guinness Book of Records. However, Lorenzo Duran's approach to this type of creativity is considered original, since the author uses a thin knife or scalpel as a tool, instead of the usual scissors.
The author himself calls this naturayarte. To engage in such art, you must be extremely careful and attentive. One twitch of the hand is enough to destroy the painstaking fruits of activity in an instant. Such refined, filigree work can take on average from one week to three months. Now imagine what an “accidental miss” can cost?
The very idea of such a carving is not new. Lorenzo says that he carefully studied kirigami (Chinese paper-cutting technique with roots going back centuries) and scherenschnitte (Swiss and German paper-cutting technique with abbreviated symmetrical motifs). According to Duran, paper carving has a more oriental character, in the Western world they practically did not know about it ... In the end, the intrigues led the artist to the thought - “Why not try carvings on tree leaves? I think it can be safely noted that the experiment was a success and even more than that, led Lorenzo to a new kind of activity.
Since childhood, Lorenzo Duran has been fond of art. He was also interested in painting. He was not afraid to listen to his inner feelings, look for a muse, and experiment. He wanted art to enter his life both as a hobby and as a job at the same time. But life is such that it often has its own plans for how to manage human destiny. Lorenzo had to try his hand at various professions in order to earn a living. However, he did not stop nurturing his cherished dream in an effective way, taking part in thematic competitive competitions.
On one of those beautiful sunny days that do not pass without a trace, Lorenzo was surprised how an ordinary caterpillar, without denying itself anything, voraciously eats a leaf of a tree. It seems that nothing special happened, but the artist's creative thinking and the tendency to distinguish details took precedence over the ordinary situation, opting for an interesting idea with future bizarre patterns on the foliage of trees. Thus, the caterpillar became a kind of weather vane for the further realization of the artist in his new niche. For the first time Lorenzo began to work on leaf carving in 2008. To date, his works have already found their audience, they are appreciated by both private individuals and collectors from different parts of the world. Prices for Lorenzo Silva's creations vary depending on the complexity of the design and the type of leaf. The most expensive sheet sold by the master cost the buyer £2,400. Sales are made through the personal blog of the Spanish artist.
Lorenzo Duran Manuel Silva believes that nature is an inspirational source for creativity. According to the artist, almost any form of art can be created from wood, metal, mineral glass and the like. Nature lover Lorenzo Duran believes that fate gave him the opportunity to express his love for the environment through its own fruits - natural materials.
The main thing about the process of carving leaves
All work can be reduced to the following steps:Collection of leaves
the washing up
Drying
Press
While the leaves are under pressure (curiously, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne acts as a press, and this is not a coincidence, but Lorenzo's favorite book), the artist, without wasting time, creates a sketch of the future pattern, after which he overlays the resulting drawing onto the sheet and proceeds to the final stage of cutting according to the stencil principle. Cutting is done with a small knife. At the very end, with the help of a magnifying glass, the final touches are applied, making a completely finished work out of a sketch. This is the most responsible and difficult part of the work, since the material is very fragile. Spoiling it is the same as wasting weeks of hard work.
Having only scissors and paper available, artists do not get lost, and with the help of this poor arsenal they create real masterpieces. For example, like Laura Cooperman, like Emma Van Leest, like Pablo Lehmann. And if we admire the works of these masters, then what can we say about the work of the Spanish artist Lorenzo Duran who deals with leaf carving turning them into delicate laces and patterns?
Once we already wrote about, and even then we were surprised how jewelry, painstaking and delicate work it was. After all, in order to prepare the leaves of trees for interaction with scissors, a scalpel, a blade - or whatever the artist is working with, you need to take them through several stages. Collect, dry, treat with boiling water, dry again, compress, and only then proceed to turn an ordinary maple, walnut, poplar or any other leaf into a work of art.
Lorenzo Duran "borrowed" the technique of cutting patterns from leaves from historical research paper carving in China and Japan, where this type of art was traditional and widespread among the people. True, the leaves are a much more fragile and thin material, respectively, working on it requires much more precautions, not to mention patience and perseverance. Perhaps this is how Zen is learned...
Spaniard Lorenzo Duran works in unusual technique, carving whole pictures on the leaves of ivy and plane tree
Naturayarte - personal creative project Spanish artist Lorenzo Duran from Guadalajara, Mexico. Lorenzo is engaged in stone carving and oil painting, and also - leaf carving!
The reason why L. Duran got into it unusual view carving is as follows: one day he saw how the caterpillar gnawed off parts of the sheet, and decided to try to do something similar with his tools.
The artist studied various techniques paper cuts that exist in China, Japan and Germany, and based on them he created his own author's method threads. A talented self-taught man tried to apply the method in practice, and, according to him, spoiled a lot of leaves before he began to get his plan through trial and error.
The master began his openwork experiments with Celtic and Arabic ornaments. According to Lorenzo himself, harmonizing patterns with leaf shapes was very exciting, and it also allowed him to hone his skills for more complex work.
The creation of each masterpiece begins with the careful selection of the appropriate sheet. This is followed by cleaning of the material and drying under pressure. Depending on the type of tree chosen, such preparation for work takes from 8 to 14 days. Although Lorenzo uses for his creations various breeds trees, sycamore leaves and ivy remain his favorite.
The next step is drawing the image. The sheet is carefully fixed, and the carver, armed with a scalpel and a magnifying glass, begins his painstaking work. Ready product placed under glass. The creation of such a man-made miracle can take from 3 to 5 weeks, depending on the complexity of the chosen pattern. The result is a masterpiece, thin and fragile, like Nature itself, which surrounds us. 
Sometimes a whole time-consuming process that takes whole weeks can be crossed out in a matter of minutes. After all, the material is very fragile, and work is especially vulnerable at the time of separation of the sheet from the substrate.
It is also noteworthy that the author does not put a price on his works, leaving it to the discretion of the buyer, who himself evaluates the aesthetics of the works and the efforts of Lorenzo. So, if you are interested in the works and want to buy something, then you can visit the site http://naturayarte.blogspot.com/p/inicio.html
Lorenzo is in a constant creative search for such natural materials with which he could embody his new ideas, which he hopes to eventually present to the general public.
“My work requires calmness and patience, the process of work is akin to meditation for me, so I consider it useful for myself, it helps my inner growth”,
Lorenzo says, 
The surface of the sheet is like a canvas for the artist, but before starting work, it requires some processing. All leaves, and these are mostly maple, according to the owners of the company, are collected in ecologically clean areas.
The leaves are chosen for further work only symmetrical in shape, whole, without flaw or damage, beautiful and bright, of different colors and shades.
Then they are processed, dipped in boiling water, to destroy all microbes and give the sheet elasticity and softness, then dried, removing excess moisture.
And here the most mysterious action begins - this is carving on a sheet, the subtleties of which are not disclosed by the company and are kept secret.
Upon closer examination, it can be seen that only the upper layer of the leaf is carved on the leaves, leaving the frame itself intact, consisting of a “mesh” of leaf veins.
Thus, an unusual, weightless image is created, which, as it were, rests on a thin and transparent grid held by a fragile leaf stalk.
We must pay tribute to the patience and skill of the masters, because it is necessary not only to accurately convey the entire artistic value of the image, but also to preserve the integrity of the sheet frame itself during work. The work is actually very delicate and jewelry.
By the way, the company accepts orders from individuals and undertakes to make any image of the customer, and then deliver the finished work in integrity and safety to any specified address in the world.
For the first time, a new direction in the art of leaf carving was demonstrated by Huang Tai Shang. It was in 1994, and at the same time it was entered into the Guinness Book of Records.
Work in this direction is very jewelry, because the leaves are not cut through anywhere. When creating a picture, only part of the sheet surface is cut off. As a result, a very thin, almost invisible translucent layer remains.
The work on creating carved leaves takes place in several stages:
leaves without defects are selected only in autumn
the leaves are dried in the sun for ten months
then put them in boiling water for a few hours to soften and kill bacteria
when the final image is ready, the leaves are dried again
At first it may seem that the artists use the leaves of an ordinary maple. However, another tree is used - plane tree.
It is very difficult to cut a drawing on a thin leaf. The long tradition of paper cutting and the corresponding experience will save the Chinese craftsmen here. But even great experience does not save those 60% of works that are torn in the production process
Lorenzo Duran's approach to this type of creativity is considered original, since the author uses a thin knife or scalpel as a tool, instead of the usual scissors.
The author himself calls this direction of manual work naturayarte. To engage in such art, you must be extremely careful and attentive. One twitch of the hand is enough to destroy the painstaking fruits of activity in an instant. Such refined, filigree work can take on average from one week to three months. Now imagine what an “accidental miss” can cost?
The very idea of such a carving is not new. Lorenzo says that he carefully studied kirigami (Chinese paper-cutting technique with roots going back centuries) and scherenschnitte (Swiss and German paper-cutting technique with abbreviated symmetrical motifs).
According to Duran, paper carving is more of an oriental character, in the Western world they practically did not know about it ... In the end, the intrigues led the artist to the thought - “Why not try carving on tree leaves?” I think it can be safely noted that the experiment was a success and even more than that, led Lorenzo to a new kind of activity.
Since childhood, Lorenzo Duran has been fond of art. He was interested in sculpture and painting. He was not afraid to listen to his inner feelings, look for a muse, and experiment. He wanted art to enter his life both as a hobby and as a job at the same time. But life is such that it often has its own plans for how to manage human destiny. Lorenzo had to try his hand at various professions in order to earn a living. However, he did not stop nurturing his cherished dream in an effective way, taking part in thematic competitive competitions.
On one of those beautiful sunny days that do not pass without a trace, Lorenzo was surprised how an ordinary caterpillar, without denying itself anything, voraciously eats a leaf of a tree. It seems that nothing special happened, but the artist's creative thinking and the tendency to distinguish details took precedence over the ordinary situation, opting for an interesting idea with future bizarre patterns on the foliage of trees.
Thus, the caterpillar became a kind of weather vane for the further realization of the artist in his new niche. Lorenzo first started working on leaf carvings in 2008. To date, his works have already found their audience, they are appreciated by both private individuals and collectors from different parts of the world.
Prices for Lorenzo Silva's creations vary depending on the complexity of the design and the type of leaf. The most expensive sheet sold by the master cost the buyer £2,400. Sales are made through the personal blog of the Spanish artist.
Lorenzo Duran Manuel Silva believes that nature is an inspirational source for creativity. According to the artist, almost any form of art can be created from wood, metal, mineral glass and the like. Nature lover Lorenzo Duran believes that fate gave him the opportunity to express his love for the environment through its own fruits - natural materials.
Lorenzo reduced all the work to the following stages:
- Collection of leaves
- the washing up
- Drying
- Press
- leaf carving
While the leaves are under pressure (curiously, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne acts as a press, and this is not a coincidence, but Lorenzo's favorite book), the artist, without wasting time, creates a sketch of the future pattern, after which he overlays the resulting drawing onto the sheet and proceeds to the final stage of cutting according to the stencil principle.
Cutting is done with a small knife. At the very end, with the help of a magnifying glass, the final touches are applied, making a completely finished work out of a sketch. This is the most responsible and difficult part of the work, since the material is very fragile. Spoiling it is like throwing away weeks of hard work.
