Thumbnail potato print Dan Williams
Illustration by Andi Farr
After a summer hiatus, visit web and now that Summer has firmly shut the door in our faces, the craft column is back, and what better way to celebrate its return than with a retrolicious project that both kids and adults will love?
Potato stamping is something that many of us experienced at school, complete with plastic apron and poster paints. But it’s also brilliant (and quite addictive) post puberty too.
You’ll need
Large potatoes
A sharp knife
Stuff to stamp onto
Paint – for paper and fabric if you would so desire
Newspaper
Illustration by Daniel Williams
More and more people are choosing to shop online, but packages bought online come with a sometimes ridiculous amount of packaging; padded envelopes, tissue paper, plastic and bubble wrap. Finding ways to reuse this packaging rather than throwing it away cuts down on waste, and saves you a bit of dosh too. If you’ve bought anything online recently, or purchased shoes or anything from a posh-ish shop, it is more than likely that your package came with an abundance of tissue paper. It can be customised using potato stamping, turning it into rather splendid wrapping paper.
To begin, etch the outline of your shape onto the potato using a ballpoint pen.
Then, using a small sharp knife, gently cut down directly around your design. Then cut in from the outside, revealing a relief of your design. WATCH YOUR FINGERS! Apparently,according to the below image, I nearly sliced my thumb off (oops) so be careful!
Set up a couple of trays of paint and some newspaper or a wipeable mat as the paint will leak through the tissue paper. A bowl of water to wash the potato between colours would also be useful (or you’ll end up with brown coloured tissue paper- not a pleasant combination) I found you got a better print if you painted the paint onto the stamp directly.
You can be as elaborate or as simple as you want. I tried both an anchor motif and a triangle. Then go crazy with those potato’s.
If you have a potato on the turn this would be a very good use for it.
Apart from wrapping paper, you could also stamp old envelopes and re use them, or create original home made cards. If you use fabric paint instead of poster paint you could print t- shirts, cushion covers, canvas bags….the list goes on.
Happy stamping campers!
If you come up with something stamptastic (sorry), link below so we can have a nosey.
Categories ,craft, ,earth, ,handmade, ,Potato Stamp, ,Wrapping paper
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