Just regular leaves from around your area

Ultrarealistic handpainted leaves from Korea

I've been looking for realistic looking leaves for a while now, I want to be able to display foliage etc. in scenes true to scale. Recently I came across these extremely realistic, hand-painted mini leaves on the internet.


The artist is originally from North Korea and fled to the south in the 1970s. Her talent was recognized early on at the Pyongyang Art Academy and encouraged until she had learned to perfection how to paint leaves. In Socialist Realism, the images are extremely detailed and often framed by plants/flowers.
She uses the "Chosonhwa" technique, painting with ink on rice paper. The image (or leaf) is then carefully cut out.
Until now she only sold at arts and crafts markets in South Korea, but since her son set up an online shop for her, the business has also expanded internationally and she is more in demand than ever.

It's not mass-produced, it's all made individually, which is why you have to pay 3-10$ per leaf.
This may sound very expensive now, but you have to consider:
- Each leaf is unique and truly perfect
- each leaf also comes with a stamped certificate of authenticity
- the lady is in her 80s and planning to retire soon, so prices may skyrocket, especially as she doesn't share her great craftsmanship with anyone
- I therefore see the leaves as an investment

I wanted to take pictures with it outside, but it was a bit windy, lost four leaves ($24 in total...)

Here with hands for scale comparison and with the Fjellboy.

The leaves are totally precious. Beautifully realistic, and nicely accessorized with Fjellboy. Great find.

man, i feel your pain when you lost some of them to the wind...

Gone with the Wind...

If i need leaves for my project, i would probably print out leaves pictures from the internet (both sides). then use a sharp tool craft scissors to cut out the leaves.

looking forward for realistic flowers man!

Gorgeous art, thanks for sharing!

Sorry you lost some though.... O.O


A while ago I collected many tiny leaves from a shrub at the former house we lived in. I let them dry out and then put them in a plastic bag. I intend to eventually use them for dioramas.... maybe for the outdoor pics, you can use real dried leaves so if they blow away it's not such an expensive loss. ;p

GubernatorFan wrote:The leaves are totally precious. Beautifully realistic, and nicely accessorized with Fjellboy. Great find.

Thanks a lot? btw I got a 15% discount for the lot.

Lynkhart wrote:

 

brassco wrote:man, i feel your pain when you lost some of them to the wind...

Gone with the Wind...

If i need leaves for my project, i would probably print out leaves pictures from the internet (both sides). then use a sharp tool craft scissors to cut out the leaves.

looking forward for realistic flowers man!

Thanks man, I looked maybe an hour for them, but I lost them near other real leaves which looked similar to them so no success.

Great idea with the printer. Maybe even scan real ones? Or 3d scan them and 3d print them for more realism.

And yeah a figure completely covered in leaves and shrubbery is something I want to do one day.

skywalkersaga wrote:Gorgeous art, thanks for sharing!

Sorry you lost some though....  O.O


A while ago I collected many tiny leaves from a shrub at the former house we lived in. I let them dry out and then put them in a plastic bag. I intend to eventually use them for dioramas.... maybe for the outdoor pics, you can use real dried leaves so if they blow away it's not such an expensive loss. ;p

Thanks so much! Yes it was kinda risky taking them out.

But damn, gorgeous idea using real little leaves, why didn't I come up with that?

Ovy wrote:...
- I therefore see the leaves as an investment

...

(Glancing at the calendar on the wall)
Sure, sounds like a great plan.

Randam Hajile wrote:
(Glancing at the calendar on the wall)
Sure, sounds like a great plan.

I bought this pack for 2 Euros. Am I rich now?

What a neat grab, Ovy. And interesting history on the artist. Looking forward to seeing what you do with them.

Stryker2011 wrote:What a neat grab, Ovy. And interesting history on the artist. Looking forward to seeing what you do with them.

Whatever their story, they seem like the most realistic miniature leaves I have seen.

They look great with your Fjellboy! Sucks that you lost several of them.

I do like Sky's idea of drying out mini leaves!

Randam Hajile wrote:

Ovy wrote:...
- I therefore see the leaves as an investment

...

(Glancing at the calendar on the wall)
Sure, sounds like a great plan.

I deny any involvement in any kind of 1/6 April Fool's Joke!
https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t3928-new-product-ova-toys-1-6-series-of-angels-ranger-april-of-laserstorm-the-armoured-avenger-industrial-air-force-female-sexy-figure-vo-soa-001a

ElBundy wrote:

Randam Hajile wrote:
(Glancing at the calendar on the wall)
Sure, sounds like a great plan.

I bought this pack for 2 Euros. Am I rich now?

Hmmm...good..but..I have a CERTIFICATE!

Stryker2011 wrote:What a neat grab, Ovy. And interesting history on the artist. Looking forward to seeing what you do with them.

Thanks, yeah a lot of opportunities.

GubernatorFan wrote:

Stryker2011 wrote:What a neat grab, Ovy. And interesting history on the artist. Looking forward to seeing what you do with them.

Whatever their story, they seem like the most realistic miniature leaves I have seen.

Yeah, they look like real dried mini leaves or something.

csyeung wrote:They look great with your Fjellboy! Sucks that you lost several of them.

I do like Sky's idea of drying out mini leaves!

Thanks! I didn't lose any btw, it was just for dramatic purposes.

Speaking of drying mini leaves, of course that's what I actually did here. When I find some outside, I put them between phone and phone case, forget them for a time and they come out pressed and dried. If there really is an artist out there painting and cutting ultrarealistic miniature leaves, I would contact them and tell them about this much cheaper and faster method.

I thank everyone who either played along, was fooled or otherwise got any kind of entertainment out of this.

And

Don't believe every ****** you read on the internet! - Confucius

LOL, guess I should have known. ;p

I didn't pay any attention to silly April fool's holiday this year, I'm too focused on disturbing real world events.

To be honest, it was the background story that seemed a little far fetched, although I did not know whether that was because it was fictitious to begin with or whether it was presented with a lot of humorous elaboration on the part of the storyteller. And the leaves themselves looked very cool and realistic, yet at the same time were not particularly familiar to me (though I claim no expertise in tiny leaves), so I could not completely rule out the possibility that they were, in fact, artificial.

Yeah, I'd never seen leaves like that before, so I thought maybe they were some kind of asian leaves I wasn't familiar with.

skywalkersaga wrote:LOL, guess I should have known. ;p

I didn't pay any attention to silly April fool's holiday this year, I'm too focused on disturbing real world events.

Yeah, this stuff here is a coping mechanism, kind of.

GubernatorFan wrote:To be honest, it was the background story that seemed a little far fetched, although I did not know whether that was because it was fictitious to begin with or whether it was presented with a lot of humorous elaboration on the part of the storyteller. And the leaves themselves looked very cool and realistic, yet at the same time were not particularly familiar to me (though I claim no expertise in tiny leaves), so I could not completely rule out the possibility that they were, in fact, artificial.

Thanks, yeah that 'artificial/unfamiliar' look had a reason as you will read soon. Glad you had a bit of enjoyment.

skywalkersaga wrote:Yeah, I'd never seen leaves like that before, so I thought maybe they were some kind of asian leaves I wasn't familiar with.

You are right, they aren't your regular European Forest leaves, I collected them in Sweden, in Northern climate and sometimes they were above the tree line. The red ones are from blueberries, the other ones might be from crowberries. the Reindeers love them. They are rather juicy.

That's why I chose them for the joke, I took only the 'perfect' ones, not the damages ones. They look a bit like someone could have painted them on rice paper.
The other ones from around here look more like miniature regional tree leaves. I prefer them slightly curled. The flat ones are better suited for representing fresh leaves. I only invested some minutes into collecting them yet as there are other priorities, but if someone concentrates on filling a large are for a diorama it can be done in a short time. Just keep your eyes open, and take a look at the floor from time to time.

They started out fresh and green mostly.

That would also explain why you displayed them with Fjellboy! Thanks for filling us in. And what an inspired idea!

Those look so beautiful all together! And yes, I prefer them slightly curled too, looks great as a 'forest floor' diorama.

Thank you for sharing your souvenirs from your Sweden trip. :')

Haha, good one Ovy! I missed the one you and Valiarde did last year, that was pretty good too!

Jokes aside, these leaves do look great. If anyone is ever looking to make a bunch, you can get the full sized dried leaves at the craft store, and they actually make leaf shaped hole punches that are perfect for scale. You just need to line them up with the veins, and can punch a ton of tiny leaves out of each full size one. I used a bunch on Alice's scabbard.

Genius idea, Rev!

whoa thanks for the tip Rev!

GubernatorFan wrote:Genius idea, Rev!

csyeung wrote:whoa thanks for the tip Rev!

So glad I could share that trick!

That´s very good. Sometimes i buy a new bonsai tree as a background for a 1:6 figure shot. Sadly i killed erevy single bonsai i get. Looks like i have no skills to care for a bonsai. Maybe i can glue these on a naked bonsai.....  Thanks for showing

Brilliant idea, Ephiane! Macabre as it sounds, maybe dead bonsai trees can be of some use in your dioramas?