Cheap, Simple and Easy, Potato Printing Is the Best
Here we are going to decorate a pillow case. But really, once you get the idea of potato printing you can print anything. The whole idea of printing is that you can quickly make the same shape over and over and over again.
So if you were just making one card with a star, potato printing might not be right. But if you were making a hundred cards with stars, or wrapping paper or fabric patterns, potato printing is the best.
Things we need for potato printing?
- Potato
- Kitchen roll paper
- Acrylic paint or poster paint
- Paper or fabric or pillow case
- Sharp knife
- Paper plate
- Brush, sponge or paint roller
Potato Printing Tutorial
Step One
The first step is to cut our potato on half. Obviously we can make two printing shapes because we have two halves of a potato.
Some potatoes can be a bit wet inside, so use some paper towel or kitchen roll to mop up some of the moisture on the freshly cut potato.
Now we can draw a simple shape, or really anything you like. But remember, fine detail is going to be difficult with this technique.
Cut And Clean The Potato
Step Two
Now ask an adult for help.
Take a sharp knife and carefully and slowly cut down from your shape. Then cut in to cut out the excess pieces of potato.
We want to just leave the shape we draw originally.
Again, pad down with a paper towel to dry off the surface a little.
Applying Paint To The Potato For Printing
Step Three
Now we are basically ready for some printing. So decide what you want to print and get it ready on a flat surface. Make sure to pop down some old newspapers or similar to protect surfaces from any spilt paint.
Now put some paint into a paper plate or similar. You can use a paint roller to apply some paint to the potato printing shape. If you don't have a paint roller, you can use a paintbrush or even just a sponge to apply the paint to the potato.
Start Printing With Our Potato Print
Step Four
Finally press your potato printer on to the surface you want to print. Be careful when printing to not slide the potato around or your print will be blurry.
And here we go. If you are not too confident, practise printing on some spare paper to get the hang of it. Try using more paint or less paint to see the different effects.
Remember, your potato print might not look perfect, but this is actually ok. Things that look more handmade are more interesting in my opinion. So don't worry about little mistakes. Often people find the mistakes interesting.
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