Kathi Cardinalli brings back a fondly remembered grade-school activity to show how potato printing can be an inexpensive and effective method for printing fabrics, art papers and flat furniture surfaces--with very sophisticated results.
Materials:
several very large baking potatoes
cutting tools: kitchen knife, craft knife, artist knife, pumpkin-carving tools and possibly an optional linoleum cutting tool
black marker
solid color curtains, slipcovers, pillow covers, etc., or yardage of fabric to make them
fabric paints and brushes (sponges work well, too)
fabric markers with permanent fabric inks
Steps:
- Cut potato in half with kitchen knife.
- With black marker, draw a simple design onto the cut surface of the potato.
- Use a craft knife or other tool to cut out or around any design details. Cut the potato so that the design is at least 1/4 inch above the surface of the potato (figure A). The linoleum-cutting tool helps provide excellent detail.
- Lay fabric out on a flat surface. Iron if necessary.
- Apply fabric paints to potato stamp (figure B) and test the design on a piece of paper. If fabric paint is not available, use two parts water-based paint to one part textile medium.
- Gently press the stamp onto the fabric and press, transferring the image to the fabric (figure C). Allow to dry.
- Ironing the fabric with an ironing cloth will set the color in the fabric.
Tips
- Make a series of stamps that will look good printed on the same piece of fabric. Mix colors and images for a more professional printed look.
- Potato printing is wonderful for getting sophisticated results, using simple designs such as leaves, flowers, animals, checkerboards, stars, etc.
- Make sure you are happy with the end result by trying the designs on paper first.
- If details on the potato get clogged with paint, wipe, gently rinse or pat with paper towels before continuing.
- Print with one color and, when dry, overprint with another design, and color for a layered design.
Resources Ceramcoat medium
Miscellaneous information: Other Delta products include Ceramcoat Acrylic Paint, PermEnamal, Renaissance Foil, Cherished Memories craft products, Fabric Colors paints, Color Accent paints and craft glues.
Delta Creative
Website:
www.deltacreative.com
Also in this Episode
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