Find some interesting leaves. Ferns, oaks, maples and birches work well. Avoid pines or anything that is not fairly flat and smooth.
Step2
Lay the leaf face side up on a table or flat surface.
Step3
Cover the leaf with tracing paper or other thin paper such as onionskin paper.
Step4
Sharpen a regular pencil and hold it sideways so that the tip is on its side on the paper. You can also use a thick drawing pencil.
Step5
Lightly rub the side of the pencil tip over the paper covering the leaf. Make sure you cover the entire area and that you also rub around the edges of the leaf so that you can see the contrast in this area.
Step6
Consider framing your rubbing.
Step7
Try making a grouping of different leaves and doing a rubbing of the entire grouping.
Crayon Rubbings
Step1
Prepare your leaf and paper as described above.
Step2
Peel the paper label off a crayon and lay the crayon on its side on the paper.
Step3
Make the rubbing using the crayon following the same steps as above.
Tips & Warnings
Try working with colored pencils for a different look.
Avoid mechanical pencils as they are too thin to work well for this project.