Louise Jane Parker

22/06/2026

20/06/2026

16/06/2026

If anybody tries to tell you that there is a technique to hammering a flower it's an absolute nonsense. Please do not pay for it. Save your deep dives for the things that really matter: Like which flowers to use and when. These are the variables that impact most on your work. Honestly, I have taught enough workshops to know that everyone can do it. The biggest mistake you can make is to choose the wrong flowers and leaves. In only a few rare instances is it the hammer you use or the way you use the hammer that counts.

As a general rule huge slow vertical swipes with too much power are not going to be very effective, and short constrained, accurate and repetitive strokes that ensure the entire plant is evenly forced into the surface are the most effective.

To achieve the kind of clarity that you see in this piece, a small ball pein hammer was perfectly adequate. Never pound everything at once. You have less control over movement.

So, you will find no deep dives into the use of a hammer here. Save those for Shakespeare. In fact my observation is that everyone finds a hammer that fits them. There is no single dream hammer that fits all. It is the plants you need to understand, not the tool. The plants are the temperamental pigments you are mobilising. They prescribe your limits and your possibilities. You can have everything I know about the hammer for free. It is not the information that you should be paying for.