Creative Activities
Create a Printer’s Fleuron

Printer’s flowers or fleurons were small typographic elements created by Renaissance printers and used for punctuation and decoration.

For this activity, design and make your own fleuron which you can use to print a repeat pattern or border.

Fleurons are usually stylised forms of flowers and leaves (acorn, vine, ivy leaf, arabesque etc.).

Patterns and borders using fleurons became increasingly complex in early printed books. Start with a natural form (leaf, flower, shell). Transfer your stylised drawing to piece or card, rubber or cut potato to make a stamp. Use paint or an inkpad to make a repeat pattern. You can also make your pattern more complex by overprinting different designs in different colours.

Here's what you'll need

Download the Create a Printer’s Fleuron resource.

Create a Printer’s Fleuron

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Create a Printer’s Fleuron

Andrew Johnson

Creative Activities Create a Printer’s Fleuron

Here's what you'll need

Create a Printer’s Fleuron

Create a Printer’s Fleuron

Creative Activities
Create a Printer’s Fleuron