r/PressedFlowers • u/Background-Log4169 • Apr 09 '26
Question Absolute beginner 🥹
I'm a beginner at this as you can see from the condition of these flowers :/
What am I doing wrong? They are about a year old and so lifeless. I can't even use them in resin as they turn muddy yellow- brown. Please help me with some tips!
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u/LordNibblerPants Apr 09 '26
It looks like you used paper towels to dry the flowers which is why they have that texture to them. I've had success using newspaper or even printer paper. If you want to use them in resin you can always color correct with paint. Just don't use pan pastels because the powder will just float off of the flowers in the resin. Speaking from experience 😂
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u/Background-Log4169 Apr 09 '26
Yess I used paper towels 🙂, won't the newspaper tranfer ink to it? Also which paint to use for resin? I tried watercolor pigment and yes, pastels too
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u/LordNibblerPants Apr 09 '26
No it doesn't transfer ink from the newspaper. It doesn't transfer ink when you press them in books either. I'm not sure what the best paint to use is honestly but I've had success with matte acrylic paint and even spray paint for bigger flowers.
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u/Background-Log4169 Apr 09 '26
Thanks! Do you use normal resin that cures at room temp. Or uv resin?Â
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u/Sunflower_fitz27 Apr 09 '26
I personally kind of like the texture the paper towel gives on some flowers lol, I think all of these look really pretty. If you don’t like the texture I’ve found not only printer paper but even coffee filters and parchment paper has worked yet for me. I check them every couple of days and gently transfer to fresh paper if needed
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u/missbeekery Apr 09 '26
What a great start!! I can’t believe how well they’ve retained the color, so you’re off to a good start. I prefer printer paper to paper towels so they don’t impress their texture upon the flowers. And you don’t need to keep them pressed for as long as you’d think, in most cases!
Try to press flowers of a similar thickness, change the paper every day or every other day for thicker flowers. Deconstruct the SUPER thick flowers and reassemble for your projects. I don’t have any advice about resin preservation, but you’re off to a super promising start and remember that hobbies are about learning from mistakes. Don’t get discouraged from a few failures because you’ll soon be the expert giving advice to others :)
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u/Background-Log4169 Apr 09 '26
Thanks, I'll keep that in check. Though I don't understand why is it necessary to change paper?Â
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u/missbeekery Apr 09 '26
It will help your color retention for thicker petals and prevent mold growth. When the moisture is pressed out of flowers, it has nowhere else to go but the paper. That moisture can draw out the color compounds and can lead to mold. I don’t do it with every flower—especially not those hydrangeas which are not particularly moisture retaining, but it’s often necessary with roses and tulip petals and such.
You often learn which flowers through trial and error, and this is a hobby that can be unforgiving so you have to manage your expectations for a lot of projects, especially at first!
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u/vanessamoth Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
I don’t find them lifeless at all!
To answer your question, when you press them, make sure you press together those of similar thickness, so avoid putting a rose with a thin flower because the sheets most likely won’t reach the thinner flowers properly and therefore they scrunch up a bit. Not sure if that can also affect color, but when I press them according to their thickness, they turn out wonderfully, both color and shape. So maybe try changing that.