How to Make Potato Stencils

Potato stencils are fun to make with kids and are great tools to use to stamp greeting cards, wrapping paper and even clothing. Pictures made with potato stencils can be accented using crayons and markers, collage elements, glitter and other craft materials. Potato stencils can be as elaborate or as simple as you want and can even be used by adults to create beautiful prints and patterns that can be framed and hung on the wall.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Potatoes
• Paring knife
• Paint

1. Wash the potatoes. Leave the peels on.

2. Cut the potatoes in half, down the middle, to create two large stamps. Quarter the potatoes to create smaller stamps.

3. Etch a design into the cut side of the potato. The peel side will be the stamp handle. Etch with a sharp tool like a skewer or a paring knife. Cookie cutters can also be pressed into the potato to create stamp shapes. Try simple shapes such as stars, hearts and fish. More complex shapes will require more intricate carving. You can also make letters or abstract shapes.

4. Use your paring knife to cut a 1/4- to 1/2-inch-deep incision in the potato, outlining the design. Carefully cut away the part of the potato that is around the design incision. Carve away a 1/4- to 1/2-inch-deep layer. Your design will end up being a raised shape.

5. Pat the potato dry with a cloth.

6. Pour paint into a dish or platter. Old butter tubs work great. You can use acrylic, poster, tempera or fabric paint.

7. Dip the stencil into the paint so that it is evenly spread across the design. Do not load the stamp with too much paint, but make sure it is sufficiently covering the stamp.

8. Press the stencil onto the surface you want to stamp, applying light pressure. Don't let the stencil slide or shift.

9. Rinse the stencil and pat dry to switch colors.

References

• familyeducation.com
• greenlightwrite.com
• care2.com