Making your own wrapping paper is a great school holiday activity before Christmas. Plus, it ends up much cheaper and more personalised than buying regular paper!
So, we’re going to keep it simple with potato prints! We made some Hello Kitty themed paper by printing a little bow shape. You only need one paint colour, we chose red, like Kitty’s bow, then we added a pop of neon with some bright wool.
You will need:
- A potato, or a sweet potato
- Some paint and a paintbrush
- Some plain paper
- A saucer for your paint
Potato printing is super easy once you have your shape cut out. A couple of tips…
- To make a bow, start by cutting some straight lines to create the simple bow shape. Start a lot larger than you need because it gets smaller, then carefully carve the bow shape until it has more rounded edges. Please ensure you have adult supervision and help when doing this!
- Sweet potatoes are easier to carve because they are a little less juicy. Before you print with your potato you might need to place the potato cut side down on some paper towel or tissue to remove the excess juice.
- It’s best to use a paintbrush to put your paint on the potato so it doesn’t get too gloopy.
Steps:
- Cut your potato in half and cut some straight lines into it to create the simple bow shape. Start a lot larger than you need because it gets smaller.
- Carefully carve the bow shape until it has more rounded edges.
- Place the potato cut side down on some paper towel or tissue to remove the excess juice.
- Now it’s time to print, it’s best to use a paintbrush to put your paint on the potato so it doesn’t get too gloopy.
- Now print!
If you want to find out more art top tips and tricks, you can follow Emma Scott-Child on Instagram.
