Kids Potato Printing Is Super Fun
Potato Printing for Kids
I have a feeling that kids using potatoes to print stuff probably goes back hundreds of years. Well, at least as long as we have had cheap potatoes.
A potato is just the right size, easy to cut and does produce a nice flat surface that takes paint well. You can try and do printing with other things like apples, carrots, grapes? Lol maybe not grapes. But the potato does seem to be the king of the fruit and veggies printers.
Things We Need To Do Potato Printing
- A medium sized potato
- A cookie cutter, here we have a star
- Chopping board
- Sharp knife, only for adults to use
- Kitchen paper
- Paints
- Plain paper
Basic Potato Printing Tutorial
Step One
First we need to cut a shape. Of course you can make any shape you like. But we have a secret little cheat here.
Cut your potato in half. Get an adult to cut it neatly, so the cut is as flat as they can make it.
Put your cookie cutter on a chopping board, make sure the cutting side of the cookie cutting is facing upwards. Now press the potato down on top of the cookie cutter. We want your cookie cutter to go into the potato a little bit, but not all the way. We need to get it out again.
Next use the sharp knife, get an adult to help you, and cut away the potato that is on the outside of the cookie cutter. We want to be left with the star in the middle.
Once all the outside potato is removed, pull the cookie cutter back out. And ta-daaaa!! We have ourselves a little potato printing block.
Start Printing With A Potato
Step Two
Some potatoes can be a bit wet inside. So take a paper towel and smoosh it all over your new printing block. Mop up as much moisture as you can.
Pour some paint into a saucer or a paper plate. And we are nearly ready.
Gently pick up your super potato printing thingy, and press it into the paint. You can lift it and look at it. Make sure the star shape got completely covered in paint.
Practise Printing With A Potato
Step Three
Now get some paper and gently have a go at potato printing. Try and get used to a technique that makes a good print.
When you push your potato into the paper, you can give the potato a little rock back and forth. This sometimes helps produce a better print.
Be careful to not slide the potato or your prints won't be sharp. When lifting the potato, try and lift it straight up. Again this will stop the potato sliding around and keep your star sharp.
Not all your prints will be perfect, but that is half the fun of it. Sometimes the mistakes look really interesting too.
Keep reapplying the paint and have a practise.
Use More Potatoes For Printing Different Shapes And Colours
Step Four
For adding another colour, it is very tempting to smash that potato into the next colour, and do more potato printing. But this tends to mix the colours and will end up in a muddy mess at the end.
To use more colours, you can wash off your potato printer and then thoroughly dry it again. Before popping it in the new colour. Or it might just be simpler to make a new potato printer for each colour.
Remember, one potato can make two potato printing blocks.
If you have a new potato for each colour, the printing fun goes quicker as you don't have to wash everything every time.
When you have a bit of confidence, you can start doing some projects.
Potato Printing Wrapping Paper
Have a go at printing some wrapping paper. You can use a large piece of white paper and print some of the red stars all over it.
Try Printing With Apples
Hopefully you are getting the hang of potato printing. But what else can you print with?
For a different look, maybe try printing with an apple, instead of a potato. Get an adult to help cut an apple in half. Wow, you already have two printing shapes for two different colours.
Again, make sure your printing apples are dried off, and use the same technique as the potato. Maybe practise again at first. Apples can get quite slippery :)
You can easily print on fabric. You just need to get the right paint. Some paint will just wash off in the washing machine, whilst others will last a lot better.
You can paint the little stalks on with a paint brush.
Printed Apple Pictures
Why not brighten up your kitchen and make some simple apple print pictures. Again we can just paint the stalks on.
Maybe draw little eyes and stick arms and leg with a black felt pen. All with different funny expressions.
Have fun experimenting with potato printing and printing with other fruit and veg. Try and print other things like scatter cushions, table clothes, Christmas cards and decorations.
Have fun and let us see what you make.
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