Making mini Monstera plants for your dollhouse, boombox or diorama is very easy and can be done with just a few supplies. In this tutorial I will show you how to make a mini Monstera plant using paper print outs that are available from my website. The step by step tutorial has easy to follow directions and comes with tons of photos to help you along.
If you happen to have a Cricut machine, you can upload the PNG file and save yourself the time it takes to cut out all the leaves.
For this project you will need:
- Glossy Photo Paper
- Inkjet printer
- small scissors - I found that curved fine point scissors like this one work the best
- super glue ( I use Gorilla Super Glue)
- 32 gauge Artistic Wire which is very thin
- something that can be the pot (like a large bead)
- filler material to line the hole of the bead ( ideally you should be able to insert the wires into this so they stay put) you can use a bit of airdrop clay or packaging styrofoam if on hand
Let's begin ...
1. Download the free Monstera printable from here or by clicking below (it's free and once you have added it to your cart, you will be emailed the free file)
If you use Cricut design space you can upload your file there ( here is a video how it is done)
2. Open the file and load your Glossy photo paper into your Ink Jet printer
3. Print out the sheet and cut the Monstera leaves out
4. Add some filler material into the hole of your pot.
5. Cut some wires in different lengths, add a dab of crazy glue to the ends and stick them into the filler material. These will make up the main stems of the plant.
6. Now cut even smaller wires pieces to act as the side branches that branch out from the main branches
7. In order to be able to easily attach them to the main wire stems, create a tiny loop by twisting the wire. Thread the hole through the main stem and glue in place. you now should have a funny looking wire structure of stems.
8. You can print and cut the leaves twice and glue them over each other to get a front and back side, or just paint the underside of each leave with a matching green Sharpie. Make sure to paint over the edges as well to cover up any of the imperfections.
9. Before we glue the leaves to the stems form the leaves my pressing them into shape with your fingers. You can also use a round tip clay tool to give the leaves that curved shape more easily. Below is a link ...
10. Now it's time to glue the leaves on. I start with the largest leaves first towards the bottom and then for the side shoots add the smaller ones. To cap off the ends I sometimes use tiny leaves or medium size ones. Take your time to let each leave dry in place before moving on to the next set. As you touch the plant it's easy to undo what you just did if the glue has not dried sufficiently. Since the stems are made of wire you can still more the leaves around to get the desired look.
11. To finish it all off, you can either coat the leaves with Mod Podge or Liquin. I paint my pet portraits with oil and use Liquin a lot to layer colors. It is translucent and can be applied as is to give the leaves a nice sheen and make them even more pliable. What I like best about it is that I can mix dabs of Acrylics (undiluted) or Oil paints and create something that looks like a translucent lacquer. This than can be added to create variations in the leaves for a more realistic look.
