Potato Printing with Papi’s Mami (aka Dari Litchman)
Supplies needed: Potatoes large and small (2 of each are good to start), cutting board, one large knife and one small knife or
linoleum cutting tool, scissors, pen or pencil, scrap paper, newspaper for under work surface, paper plate or tupperware for paints,
paper towels and or rags, paintbrushes, paints or printing inks, and any paper items of your choice - blank cards, craft paper, folders,
gift boxes, photo boxes, etc.
1. Gather some inspiration! Here I took a photo of my duvet cover I love the shapes on here. Simple graphic shapes work best.
2. Cut your potato in half with a large knife, trying to make one clean
and straight cut down the middle.
3. Trace around your potato pieces onto a piece of scrap paper.
You can draw some ideas for your design right inside the potato shapes.
4. Use scissors to cut out your design from the scrap paper,
then stick it onto the potato. Trace the shape with a pen, pencil, or knife.
Use the small knife or linoleum cutters to cut out your design. Be very careful and always cut
away from you. When working with young children, you should always cut the shapes out for them.
Wherever you cut away will be white, whatever is left raised up will print.
**note: if you want to write a word, remember you must write it backwards on your
potato so it will print frontwards!!**
Here are my potato stamps. The beauty of potato printing is the hand-cut
feel of the designs. Don’t worry about getting anything perfect - just let
yourself go and have fun. There is no such thing as a mistake, and the
imperfections end up looking beautiful.
5. Blot your potato stamp with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
Then ink your stamp using a paintbrush. Try to coat your stamp with an even and thin layer of ink.
Here I am using a paper plate for my paints, it cleans up very nicely! (a tupperware container is much
more earth-friendly! ;o)