In order to honor the spring as it should be, place at the Tataki Zomé. An art as simple as it is ecological, to test at home with three times nothing for a more true than life rendering!
DIY leisure enthusiasts? You are safe! Also known as Leaf Smash, Ecoprint, Leaf Pounding or Hapa-Zome, this Japanese technique highlights art, plants and fabric. In Japanese, “Tataki” means “hitting, hammering”. As for “zomed”, that means “dye”. As you can see, the principle of this ancestral art is to affix on paper or fabric by hammering plants.
The art of zomé tataki is not only to make pretty creations printed from plants. It is a practice inviting slowness, relaxation, simplicity. If it is possible to buy the plants or flowers that you want to print directly, the ideal remains to take a walk in the wild in search of pretty plants for a invigorating picking session. After picking up your freshly picked plants, hammer them on the fabric or paper of your choice. The water contained in the plants will impregnate the fiber and release its pigments. This must be washed previously. Do not expect a perfectly controlled result: the charm of this technique is precisely in imprecision and random, as DIY creations assume it. T-shirts, tablecloths, tote bags, here are your nicely decorated pieces!
Start hammering using a hammer or wooden mallet on a solid support. Be careful, you don’t need to hit loudly! The printing technique is made possible thanks to the hammering which releases plant pigments on your fabric which will absorb them and thus nicely color. Depending on your helping hand, you will get a more or less precise result. Rest assured, if hammering can create very clean contours, like a decalcomania, a more imprecise impression does not spoil the charm of the process, quite the contrary! Finally, remove the rest of your plants by shaking your fabric then dry them in the open air. You can finalize your work by ironing your fabric using a steam iron for better membership. If you want to have your DIY vegetable print last, it is advisable to wash your textiles by hand with a natural laundry.
Want to get started? Everywhere in France, workshops for young and old allow you to learn the Tataki zomé in a few hours. Associations, museums, libraries … There is necessarily a course near you, for less than 30 euros!
