Take and mound a huge pile of damp sand, and then cover with plastic.(old garbage bag) Make sure that the leaf will fit, and then place the leaf with the vein side up. Mix your concrete a bit on the drier side, like making mud pies, and then place on leaf. No real need for chicken wire. Should be fairly thick, and pat it and pat it to help release air bubbles.

Grannyfern is right! But may I add...

When you mound the sand, mound it so that when you place the leaf on it, the leaf is in the shape you will eventually want, only upside down. If you want a bowl shape, make the sand into a dome and lay the leaf over it. Make sure to pack extra sand around any ruffles in the leaf's edge. The concrete mix is heavy and the leaf needs lots of support. Grannyfern is also wise to tell you to pat the patty and pat it and pat it. Air bubbles will be released..you don't want them on the face of the leaf! If you start with your mud patty on the spine of the leaf and pat it, you will see it spreads, really cool! put your next patty overlapping the first a bit, and pat away. As you get close to the edge of the leaf, you will see the concrete get right to, but not go over the edge. Stop right there and continue in another spot til the leaf is covered. I like to cover the leaf with 3/8" of concrete or so, lay on a piece of fiberglass screen, whole or in strips, then add another layer of concrete for reinforcement. Keep the screen 1/4" or so from the edge. Use only a concrete/sand mix for the fine detail you want.

One good idea is after you have mixed your concrete/sand and water, "thump" the bucket of concrete on the ground a few good times, you will see lots of air bubbles rise. When finished, cover the leaf with a piece of plastic, out of the sun, and let it dry for at least 24 hrs. before unveiling.

Go back during that 24 hrs (could be longer in your area, 48 hrs won't hurt,if you can stand the wait! :-) ) a few times and spray with spray bottle of water. This helps the concrete cure. If it dries too quickly it will crack...boooooo. Good luck! And show us your handywork when you finish!

A

I am so jealous of your giant leaves!

Hop on over to the Hypertufa forum, you will find a gazillion tidbits & tutorials with pictures that will show you how it's done.

Please post photos of your completed project!

Thank you SOOOOOO much for the advice. When I did a search here I was overwhelmed.

So, I should use a concrete/sand mix and not the one with the pebbles in it? (I will have to run back to the store, but I want to do this right!)

Also, how thick are we talking? An inch, two?

Thank you so very much!

Gina

gina, You want Portland cement and sand not concrete. That's one recipe anyway.
Concrete is portland cement, sand and an aggregate, like gravel. Gravels not great to use if you want fine detail. Good luck! Billie

Yes Gina, as Billie_ann said, you want Portland cement and sand - 'play' sand works just fine, or even a masonary sand. Stay away from anything that has pebbles or rocks in it. You'll want to make your leaves at least 3/4" thick, it depends on what you are going to use it for. Reinforcing is always good, but I find it's not necessary in most cases.

I'm no leaf casting expert, again, check out the hypertufaneers... they're a clever bunch.

Trust me, cast one leaf and you'll learn more than you can imagine!

i just started making these leaf castings also Gina so i am no pro like others but have followed there advice , i first would put a thin layer of portland, and sand (just make sure you can run your fingers threw the sand and it feels very soft ) i use 1-1 mix , and 1-2 mix, so far the detail turns out okay. i put the crete on in layers and put cheese cloth directly on it after the second layer , then i let it set up a little then the 3rd layer is added, mine are all about 3/4 inch thick when done, but i would think u need another layer for a birdbath, so far i have just used sand from my creek. i just sift it with an old window screen, my boyfriend has told me that the sand i am using is called silt, i dont know the difference in play sand and it. oh yea, one more thing , i make my first mixture a very creamy peanut buttery mix, never tried the drier method on the leaves.and i use elmers glue in the first part of the water in the mix,just enough for the water to turn white.

Thank you so much. I'm now waiting for the temperatures to cooperate. I took my quickrete back and got a sand mix, no pebbles. It does say on the bag to use a bonding agent, so I left HD with that too. Thanks for the idea of the fiberglass screening. When it hit me what that meant I realized that I'm a pack rat and I have a bunch of old screens with holes in them ... I must have known they would be of use. :)

Thank you all for your input. I can't wait till the weather says we won't be dipping into the low 30s and night!

When y'all say first layer, second layer, etc., you mean within the same batch, right?

:-) I've never been so antsy to go outside in a sandbox :-)

yes, i mean the same mix , i always just make a new batch because by the time i am ready to put the next layer on my cement my mix would have gotten kinda gritty in the mixing bowl, so i seem to have little containers set aside incase i have extra from the first layer or i do a small leaf. i have never bought any bonding agent, i need too but i have tons of elmer's glue and it is doing the job!

Well, here's a concrete leaf I did and it's very easy. The curve/depth of the bowl will be determined by how you "mound" the leaf before patting the cement mixture on the back of it.
I also just made a concrete birdbath which I made by piling cement on the bottom (upturned mixing bowl placed on a flat surface, covered with plastic wrap) of a large bowl I had. I then patted extra cement about 3/4 inch thick around the edge down onto the flat surface and extended it outwards to make the rim. I'll post a pic soon - I then mosaiced it with stained glass tiles and handformed ceramic fish.

Happy cementing!

GinaC

Here is a link that might be useful: Cement leaf, colored

Well, I did it. I don't know how many times I repeated "Pat the Patty!" :-) I hope it works!! I waited until everyone was gone and went into my little "dragon" sandbox. After patting and patting, I put the cover back on and came in. I think I could have patted that thing forever! I'll have to sneak back out later and check on it. Maybe give it a spray. I will probably put some blankets on it tonight in case it gets too cold =)

Ok, I said I'd post some pictures. I let the leaf sit in the damp sand for over a week, flipped it once - it's heavy!! I brought it in today so the green leaf can dry. This is so cool! I hope I don't goof up the paint job. I've been updating my father on it and he was coming over today. I didn't know he'd bring Mom, so I ran over to toss a sweatshirt over it (well, most of it!). Ok, is there anything special I do next? to keep the veins crisp and such? This is so fun! Too bad it's becoming winter... :(

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to Pictures of my Leaf

I have been wanting to do this since I saw it in a magazine a couple of months ago but don't have access to any huge leaves. The magazine article recommended rhubarb leaves. What other types of leaves could be used and any ideas where to find them? These would make wonderful Christmas presents!

Kaymidga, You will learn mostly be actually DOING it. Start with a leaf about the size of your outspread hand. Try a hosta, or maple or cabbage leaf. Then "grow up".

'Pup

ginamarina, that looks great! what kind of paint are you using and what are your plans for your casting?
heatherisnotaweed

Thank you all so much for your help! I used the regular acrylic paint from Walmart- 44c per bottle. I didn't like how it was looking, too streaky, I didn't want it all the same color though. I put dots of cranberry, crimson, orange, and a tiny bit of magenta in the bottom of a margerine cup and then with a kid's watercolor brush and some water, just began fluttering the brush across the leaf, picking up colors here and there, the variations are subtle, and it's hard to see them in the photos. This was so fun, I can't wait to do it next year. I have snow on the ground now, although the burdock is probably still alive out there :) I sealed it with concrete sealer.

Here is a link that might be useful: my casting

Gina!
absolutely scrumptious!
GH

Gina, great job. I have yet to do a leaf casting, but it's on my list!!! My mom even showed me a great plant with huge leaves to try it with near her house, but I think I'll start small with some hosta leaves first.

Here is a link to Garden Gate magazine which has great instructions for making the birdbath. It also includes an online video. Hope this helps! Betty

Here is a link that might be useful: Leaf casting Instructions

If you go to GardenArtandGifts.com, where they sell their sand cast leaves, you can purchase a bag of "Natural Oxide" paints for concrete. There are 11 colors. These are the same concrete paints they use to color their leaves. I've really appreciated all the tips for sand casting leaves. Have done my first 2 and they are wonderful (the big acanthus especially). Thanks!!