tang chiew ling's leafy scenes

Unless you're Picasso it can be hard to afford materials on an artist's wage, so sometimes it's best to turn to the things around you that come for free. Mother Nature has whipped up some pretty nifty supplies, for instance – take a wander in the great outdoors and you'll find flowers to press, pine cones to decorate, and seashells to clean up and thread onto a chain.

Malaysia-based designer Tang Chiew Ling chose leaves as her medium, adding teensy silhouette drawings to make the foliage come to life. With a whole lot of imagination (not to mention patience) she's turned twiglets into full-sized trees and fallen leaves into anything from kayaks to balloons and a floating cloud of bubbles.

There are a handful of other miniscule projects in Tang's portfolio (pole dancing on a skewer, anyone?) so pop past her website and have a gander.