Potatoes and other vegetables are endlessly adaptable tools for printmaking. Carve designs into the surface and create stamps to make patterns. The natural textures and shapes of different vegetables add a distinctive character to each print too, making every piece a fun, one-of-a-kind, creative experiment.
art recipe
repeat pattern printmaking
Making time:
45 minutes to 1 hour
recipe summary
Explore the art of creating repeat patterns with vegetable prints. By carving simple designs into the surface of your vegetable, you can create stamps that produce intricate and varied patterns when pressed onto paper or fabric.
ingredients
- potato, onion, carrot or another food item of your choice
- a knife
- acrylic paint (or experiment with other inks & paint)
- paper plate
- paper or fabric to make your prints on
recipe instructions
Step 1: Cut your veggie in half.
Step 2: Check out the surfaces of your cut vegetable and see what natural design exists. You might want to make a print of that first, before carving in a design.
Here’s an example where I used the existing swirl of the onion as my design:
Step 3: For carving a design, use a table knife, ball point pen, tooth pick or any other pointy object you have on hand.
Step 4: Pour out some paint onto a paper plate or one of your pieces of paper. Press your veggie into the paint until the surface with your design is covered.
Step 5: Take your painted veggie and press it paint side down, onto the surface of your paper or fabric, transferring the paint and the design.
Step 6: Repeat this process over the entire surface.
Step 7: Play and experiment.
Check out Ruth Asawa’s potato prints below for inspiration.
benefits
1. Creativity Boost & Personal Expression
Vegetable printmaking allows for endless creativity. You can experiment with different shapes, patterns, and colors and try new things.
2. Accessibility and Affordability
This activity is accessible to people of all ages and skill levels. Vegetables are inexpensive and readily available, making printmaking a cost-effective way to make art.
3. Mindfulness and Relaxation
The process of carving and printing can be meditative and relaxing. Focusing on repetitive patterns helps quiet the mind and reduce stress, promoting a sense of calm and well-being.
4. Educational Opportunities
This activity can be a great educational tool for children and adults alike. It introduces concepts of pattern making, symmetry, and color theory in a hands-on, engaging way.
5. Social Interaction
Vegetable printmaking is a fun group activity and encourages collaboration and communication as participants share ideas, techniques and stamps with each other.
additional resources
“An artist is an ordinary person, who can take ordinary things and make them special.” – Ruth Asawa
I’ve been watching every video I can find about an exhibit of Ruth Asawa’s work titled Through Line, which is currently showing (March-July 2024) at the Menil Drawing Institute in Houston.
Known primarily for her wire sculptures, this is the first exhibit organized around Asawa’s drawings and works on paper. The exhibition catalog is drool-worthy, full of photos of her sketchbook pages over the years.
Included in the exhibit and the catalog are these potato prints from the early 1950s where Asawa is experimenting with pattern, color and density:
The featured image is also by Ruth Asawa, stamped ink on Japanese paper.
Author:
Lanell Dike
Lanell leads art workshops & retreats for beginners and experienced artists in Zion National Park and Southern Utah.
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