Amelia’s Magazine | Potato stamping

Thumbnail potato print Dan Williams
Potato print Andi Farr
Illustration by Andi Farr

After a summer hiatus, visit web and now that Summer has firmly shut the door in our faces, the craft column is back, and what better way to celebrate its return than with a retrolicious project that both kids and adults will love?

Potato stamping is something that many of us experienced at school, complete with plastic apron and poster paints. But it’s also brilliant (and quite addictive) post puberty too.

You’ll need

Large potatoes
A sharp knife
Stuff to stamp onto
Paint – for paper and fabric if you would so desire
Newspaper


Illustration by Daniel Williams

More and more people are choosing to shop online, but packages bought online come with a sometimes ridiculous amount of packaging; padded envelopes, tissue paper, plastic and bubble wrap. Finding ways to reuse this packaging rather than throwing it away cuts down on waste, and saves you a bit of dosh too. If you’ve bought anything online recently, or purchased shoes or anything from a posh-ish shop, it is more than likely that your package came with an abundance of tissue paper. It can be customised using potato stamping, turning it into rather splendid wrapping paper.

To begin, etch the outline of your shape onto the potato using a ballpoint pen.

Then, using a small sharp knife, gently cut down directly around your design. Then cut in from the outside, revealing a relief of your design. WATCH YOUR FINGERS! Apparently,according to the below image, I nearly sliced my thumb off (oops) so be careful!

Set up a couple of trays of paint and some newspaper or a wipeable mat as the paint will leak through the tissue paper. A bowl of water to wash the potato between colours would also be useful (or you’ll end up with brown coloured tissue paper- not a pleasant combination) I found you got a better print if you painted the paint onto the stamp directly.

You can be as elaborate or as simple as you want. I tried both an anchor motif and a triangle. Then go crazy with those potato’s.



If you have a potato on the turn this would be a very good use for it.

Apart from wrapping paper, you could also stamp old envelopes and re use them, or create original home made cards. If you use fabric paint instead of poster paint you could print t- shirts, cushion covers, canvas bags….the list goes on.

Happy stamping campers!

If you come up with something stamptastic (sorry), link below so we can have a nosey.

Categories ,craft, ,earth, ,handmade, ,Potato Stamp, ,Wrapping paper

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Amelia’s Magazine | Potato stamping

Thumbnail potato print Dan Williams
Potato print Andi Farr
Illustration by Andi Farr

After a summer hiatus, visit web and now that Summer has firmly shut the door in our faces, the craft column is back, and what better way to celebrate its return than with a retrolicious project that both kids and adults will love?

Potato stamping is something that many of us experienced at school, complete with plastic apron and poster paints. But it’s also brilliant (and quite addictive) post puberty too.

You’ll need

Large potatoes
A sharp knife
Stuff to stamp onto
Paint – for paper and fabric if you would so desire
Newspaper


Illustration by Daniel Williams

More and more people are choosing to shop online, but packages bought online come with a sometimes ridiculous amount of packaging; padded envelopes, tissue paper, plastic and bubble wrap. Finding ways to reuse this packaging rather than throwing it away cuts down on waste, and saves you a bit of dosh too. If you’ve bought anything online recently, or purchased shoes or anything from a posh-ish shop, it is more than likely that your package came with an abundance of tissue paper. It can be customised using potato stamping, turning it into rather splendid wrapping paper.

To begin, etch the outline of your shape onto the potato using a ballpoint pen.

Then, using a small sharp knife, gently cut down directly around your design. Then cut in from the outside, revealing a relief of your design. WATCH YOUR FINGERS! Apparently,according to the below image, I nearly sliced my thumb off (oops) so be careful!

Set up a couple of trays of paint and some newspaper or a wipeable mat as the paint will leak through the tissue paper. A bowl of water to wash the potato between colours would also be useful (or you’ll end up with brown coloured tissue paper- not a pleasant combination) I found you got a better print if you painted the paint onto the stamp directly.

You can be as elaborate or as simple as you want. I tried both an anchor motif and a triangle. Then go crazy with those potato’s.



If you have a potato on the turn this would be a very good use for it.

Apart from wrapping paper, you could also stamp old envelopes and re use them, or create original home made cards. If you use fabric paint instead of poster paint you could print t- shirts, cushion covers, canvas bags….the list goes on.

Happy stamping campers!

If you come up with something stamptastic (sorry), link below so we can have a nosey.

Categories ,craft, ,earth, ,handmade, ,Potato Stamp, ,Wrapping paper

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Amelia’s Magazine | Wrap Magazine: An Interview with Co-Founder Polly Glass

Polly & Chris by Gemma Cotterell
Christopher Harrison and Polly Glass by Gemma Cotterell

When I open Issue Seven of Wrap, I’m thinking of Princess Clara, Wooldoor Jebediah Sockbat, Foxxy Love, Toot Braunstein and the whole gang. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this wondrous cast of visual mockery, these are characters from animation parody Drawn Together, a TV show which pokes fun at our favourite 2D cartoonies, and also, the name of Wrap’s most recent issue. Wrap‘s Drawn Together puts a beady eye onto collectives, and the highlights of this issue include: Anthony Burrill, Peepshow Collective, Nous Vous, Pictoplasm, Studio Tipi, Print Club London, Hvass&Hannibal and Edition Biografiktion.

Wrap Magazine

‘Are four hands better than two?’ is the question at the nib of the latest installation of this illustration celebration. This “people power” issue not only explores the relationships between happily ever after collectives, but also plays matchmaker to a few of its own new ink-birds. There are some familiar faces here, making me think that the illustration world is pretty incestuous, but the overall effect is inspiring. This isn’t the first time I’ve had my mitts on a copy of the mag, and around Santa-time the Nordic Lights issue was like a security blanket for me; I carried it everywhere. There’s something very tactile and natural about yanking out the pages of a mag and the concept of this little magazine has me completely infatuated.

Wrap Magazine

Ripping a magazine is usually a painful, accidental and clumsy affair, caused by careless turning, or perusing in the tub. Wrap is meant to be ripped. With 5 pull out, reversible pages of double-sided illustration goodness, you can artwork-coat your gifts with this lovely ‘zine. Wrap seems to be everywhere I look these days, having stumbled across it via STACK, I’ve also found it hidden in a nook of the Ohh Deer online webshop. What could be better than dressing up your gifts in beautiful outfits before handing them over to your loved one? Undressing presents is half the fun of getting them after all. That and the ‘gift shake’; the little dance move you do when you first grab hold of a present to assess its potential insides.

Wrap is more than just an illustration magazine, it celebrates design and creative culture as a whole. Created by Christopher Harrison and Polly Glass it’s on the way to proving that print hasn’t passed its use-by date. I spoke to co-creator Polly Glass about how the pair got the mag off the ground and what they’re looking for in new contributors.

Wrap Magazine

What did you get up to before Wrap?
Before, and also during the early stages of Wrap, Chris and I both worked as jewellery designers in London for a fashion jewellery company – that’s how we met actually. We worked with a whole host of British brands including Mathew Williamson, Agent Provocateur, Ted Baker and Cath Kidston which was a great experience, and really helped us to see how bigger designs brands like that function.

Wrap Magazine

Wrapping paper is something many people overlook, has it always been a passion of yours?
I wouldn’t say it quite like that, no – although I do take pleasure in a beautiful wrapped present! For us, the wrapping paper element to Wrap is about it being the best way to show off the fantastic and hugely impressive work of our contributing illustrators, because the sheets are so nice and big. Also, as one of the main purposes of Wrap is to share illustrators work with other people, if our readers can pull out a sheet that has one of their favourite designs on, and use it to wrap up a present for their best friend, then they are carrying on that sharing process.

Wrap Magazine

How did you get the funds to publish the first issue of Wrap?
We funded issue one ourselves through savings – our print run was quite small, and we created a much simpler version of what Wrap is today, which made it relatively affordable to test out as an idea, and see how people would react. Luckily, people seemed to really like the concept of the magazine, and so from there, sales of the magazine have funded all future issues.

How does the financial model of the mag work now? Do you both work on it full-time?
Yes, we both work full time on the magazine, and we also have a team of brilliant freelancers who we couldn’t do without! Wrap is now 80 pages (compared to 24 in issue one!), so it takes a great deal of energy from all involved to make it what it is. Financially, magazine publishing is a hard industry to crack, but essentially the model is to make and sell lots of magazines! At the moment we have very minimal advertising in Wrap, so revenue comes mainly from sales, and we run nearly all the distribution ourselves in order to maximize profit and insure that Wrap is sold to the best shops possible, and ones that really understand what we’re all about. We also work firm sale (meaning they buy the magazines out-right) with our stockists, as this means every magazine that goes out the door has been paid for, which helps to reduce wastage and over-printing.

Chris from Wrap, by Karina Jarv
Christopher Harrison by Karina Jarv

Wrap uses vegetable based inks and 100% recycled paper, was making the mag environmentally friendly always a priority for you, despite cost?
Whether it’s the magazine, or our range of wrapping papers and prints, we always try to produce things in a considerate and environmentally friendly way – there’s no reason not to really. Printing can be a hugely wasteful industry, so we are very careful to only make things that we really believe in, and we only work with UK printers – a manufacturing industry we’re keen to support and promote.

Wrap Magazine

Issue Six focussed on Nordic lights, and Issue Seven on collaborations, how do you go about picking a theme?
There’s no particular method to our theme selection – really, it’s about delving into a subject or area that we think is interesting and relevant to the field of illustration at the time. We do also of course consider the time of year, so with the Nordic Lights Issue (our Winter 2012 edition) – we thought the idea of ten illustrators from across Scandinavia sharing with our readers their impression of a snowy, Nordic winter would be wonderful! And our new, seventh issue celebrates creative ‘collectives’ and collaborations – a way of working that seems to be growing in popularity and that we wanted to find out more about.

Polly by Alys Jones
Polly by Alys Jones

You mentioned that you visited Berlin for research, what’s been your best research trip so far?
Ooooh – we’ve been very lucky to go on a few research trips now. I loved Berlin, and our trip to Helsinki for the last issue was brilliant, if not a bit chilly, but for me, going to spend the day with graphic designer Anthony Burrill in sunny Rye was the best! He gave Harry (our editor) and I a super tour of the coastal town, including visiting ‘Simon the Pieman’ – his favourite cafe, and Adams of Rye – the traditional letterpress printers who he collaborates with to produce his famous posters, including the special one he’s made just for Wrap 7!

Wrap Magazine

I found a beautiful illustrated postcard inside my copy, is this something you’ll be doing in future?
Oh yes, we always try to include something a little special with each issue, like the postcards. Our subscribers all received a set of exclusive patterned stickers by illustrator Ed J Brown (who drew our title typeface in issue 7), with their delivery of issue 7 – we hope they liked them!

Who do you imagine as your typical reader?
From what we’ve seen, our readers can be pretty wide ranging, but typically, they are practicing creative people, and around 70% are women.

Wrap Magazine

Anthony Burrill produced a poster based on the latest issue, is it important for you to make Wrap more than just a magazine?
Wrap is about celebrating some of the best and most vibrant artists of the moment, and the more we grow, the more we find exciting ways to do that through the magazine and the Wrap brand! Last year we worked with four of our favourite illustrators to develop our first range of commercial wrapping papers, and so far this year we’ve worked with Anthony to produce his fantastic poster for Wrap, and the six illustrators in our ‘Make a Good Thing Happen’ project to produce a range of 3 limited-edition notebooks. We’ve had lots of fun, and have lots more ideas to work on!

Wrap Magazine

Your latest issue featured a whole host of illustrators, including Nous Vous and Peepshow Collective, how do you go about finding illustrators to work with?
We’re always on the lookout for new illustrators and designers to work with, whether it be through exhibitions, events or twitter and social media channels, but we’re also very lucky to get a lot of people contact us through our submissions email which is great. I suppose the more and more you’re immersed in an industry like illustration, the more you hear about, and know what’s going on. However we also love to go to the summer student shows by universities like Brighton and Kingston – they’re a great place to spot potential new stars.

Wrap Magazine
Do you think that “print is dead”?
This is a question we are often asked! No, I don’t think print is dead – but the industry is obviously changing and evolving, like lots of areas at the moment. I like that it’s actually making people more considerate and careful about what they print, which can only be a good thing.

Wrap Magazine

Photographs were provided by Wrap Magazine

Categories ,art, ,artists, ,collaboration, ,Collaborations, ,creative culture, ,design, ,drawing, ,Drawn Together, ,features, ,Gift, ,illustration, ,jessicasrcook, ,journalism, ,mag, ,magazine, ,Nous Vous, ,Ohh Deer, ,paper, ,Polly & Chris, ,Shellsuit Zombie, ,STACK, ,Stack Magazines, ,Subscription, ,Wrap, ,Wrapping paper, ,writing, ,zine

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Amelia’s Magazine | Christmas Gift Ideas 2011: Prints, Interiors and the very best Handmade Ideas

Lesley Barnes wrapping paper for Soma Gallery
Lesley Barnes wrapping paper for Soma Gallery.

Time for a further round up of Christmas goodies; all things print, interiors, hand made and wonderful. Don’t panic, there is still time to do a bit of Christmas shopping… for most online companies the last Christmas posting date is Monday 19th December.

Magpie Miller Knitted Bowl
First up, wonderful interior items from Magpie Miller: How about this clever ceramic bowl with knitted imprints? Perfect for that special someone who loves to craft.

Blue Magpie Miller Bird
They also stock plenty of ‘relived’ items including these wonderful decorative ceramic birds from North America.

Anissa Lee Black and White Hand Cut Paper Bow and Heart Wreath
I discovered the work of Anissa Lee on twitter, and was instantly drawn to her bold paper cutouts, particularly this amazing monochrome Christmas wreath. Very unique and eye-catching.

Cat o Neil print
Amelia’s Magazine contributor Cat O’Neil is selling some wonderful illustration prints on Etsy too. I particularly like this A3 print inspired by a story from Oliver Sacks whereby a blind lady with cerebral palsy learns the use of her hands, eventually becoming an artist who produces sculptures.

Cat o Neil print
Or how about this one: Disembodied Lady 4 illustrates the case of a lady who lost all sense of proprioception (a sense of self). A bargain at £14.99.

Tom Frost soma gallery
For the wood enthusiast in your life how about this fab piece from Tom Frost at Soma Gallery? The Dead Wrestler has been silk screened onto a chunky wooden base, making it a 3D artwork unlike any other.

Gemma Correl au revoir tote
There’s also this fab new Gemma Correll Au Revoir tote bag, featuring a cat on a bike, of course. And even better you can wrap up your Soma gifts with some bespoke Airmail Bird wrapping paper designed by none other than Lesley Barnes, ACOFI illustrator extraordinaire (see top of blog!)

Woolly Babs Christmas dog jumper
They’re completely daft but I am utterly in love with handmade Christmas jumpers from Woolly Babs, as sold at the Duckie Christmas Market by her son, shown here with a dog in a doggie jumper. I mean, what’s not to love? The nose on the reindeer even squeaks. Woolly Babs also sells festive jumpers to suit your kids… and you.

Landfill Mould Map 2
Landfill Mould Map 2 sister arrow
For art and design lovers Landfill Editions have just released their second edition of Mould Map, and it’s a technicoloured glory: just check out this beauty. Artists have been asked to imagine a distant future which is splattered across a 24 page A3 mega book with 7 feature prints. Some of my favourite illustrators are featured, including Sister Arrow and Rui Tenreiro.

Zosienka and rosie calendar cover
Zosienka and rosie calendar
I am a little bit in love with this Zosienka & Rosie Into the Woods Calendar for 2012. So pretty.

Petra Borner Thistlesnake
Illustrator Petra Borner produces the most fantastic decorative illustrations and now you have the chance to own a piece. Hop on over to her shop for a bit of the action: I particularly love this intriguingly coloured piece: Thistlesnake.

ACOFI Anthology illustration_bundle
Lastly, don’t forget to support Amelia’s Magazine and buy one of my books! Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration makes an ideal gift for the fashion/illustration lover in your life. For a real bargain buy both my books with four back issues for just £50.

Categories ,ACOFI, ,Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, ,Anissa Lee, ,Au Revoir tote bag, ,Bluebirds, ,Cat O’Neil, ,ceramic, ,Christmas Wreath, ,Disembodied Lady 4, ,Duckie Christmas Market, ,etsy, ,Gemma Correll, ,gifts, ,handmade, ,illustration, ,Interiors, ,Into the Woods Calendar, ,Landfill Editions, ,Lesley Barnes, ,Magpie Miller, ,Mould Map, ,Oliver Sacks, ,Petra Borner, ,prints, ,Rui Tenreiro, ,Sister Arrow, ,Soma Gallery, ,The Dead Wrestler, ,Thistlesnake, ,Tom Frost, ,Woolly Babs, ,Wrapping paper, ,Zosienka & Rosie

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Amelia’s Magazine | Christmas Gift Ideas 2011: Prints, Interiors and the very best Handmade Ideas

Lesley Barnes wrapping paper for Soma Gallery
Lesley Barnes wrapping paper for Soma Gallery.

Time for a further round up of Christmas goodies; all things print, interiors, hand made and wonderful. Don’t panic, there is still time to do a bit of Christmas shopping… for most online companies the last Christmas posting date is Monday 19th December.

Magpie Miller Knitted Bowl
First up, wonderful interior items from Magpie Miller: How about this clever ceramic bowl with knitted imprints? Perfect for that special someone who loves to craft.

Blue Magpie Miller Bird
They also stock plenty of ‘relived’ items including these wonderful decorative ceramic birds from North America.

Anissa Lee Black and White Hand Cut Paper Bow and Heart Wreath
I discovered the work of Anissa Lee on twitter, and was instantly drawn to her bold paper cutouts, particularly this amazing monochrome Christmas wreath. Very unique and eye-catching.

Cat o Neil print
Amelia’s Magazine contributor Cat O’Neil is selling some wonderful illustration prints on Etsy too. I particularly like this A3 print inspired by a story from Oliver Sacks whereby a blind lady with cerebral palsy learns the use of her hands, eventually becoming an artist who produces sculptures.

Cat o Neil print
Or how about this one: Disembodied Lady 4 illustrates the case of a lady who lost all sense of proprioception (a sense of self). A bargain at £14.99.

Tom Frost soma gallery
For the wood enthusiast in your life how about this fab piece from Tom Frost at Soma Gallery? The Dead Wrestler has been silk screened onto a chunky wooden base, making it a 3D artwork unlike any other.

Gemma Correl au revoir tote
There’s also this fab new Gemma Correll Au Revoir tote bag, featuring a cat on a bike, of course. And even better you can wrap up your Soma gifts with some bespoke Airmail Bird wrapping paper designed by none other than Lesley Barnes, ACOFI illustrator extraordinaire (see top of blog!)

Woolly Babs Christmas dog jumper
They’re completely daft but I am utterly in love with handmade Christmas jumpers from Woolly Babs, as sold at the Duckie Christmas Market by her son, shown here with a dog in a doggie jumper. I mean, what’s not to love? The nose on the reindeer even squeaks. Woolly Babs also sells festive jumpers to suit your kids… and you.

Landfill Mould Map 2
Landfill Mould Map 2 sister arrow
For art and design lovers Landfill Editions have just released their second edition of Mould Map, and it’s a technicoloured glory: just check out this beauty. Artists have been asked to imagine a distant future which is splattered across a 24 page A3 mega book with 7 feature prints. Some of my favourite illustrators are featured, including Sister Arrow and Rui Tenreiro.

Zosienka and rosie calendar cover
Zosienka and rosie calendar
I am a little bit in love with this Zosienka & Rosie Into the Woods Calendar for 2012. So pretty.

Petra Borner Thistlesnake
Illustrator Petra Borner produces the most fantastic decorative illustrations and now you have the chance to own a piece. Hop on over to her shop for a bit of the action: I particularly love this intriguingly coloured piece: Thistlesnake.

ACOFI Anthology illustration_bundle
Lastly, don’t forget to support Amelia’s Magazine and buy one of my books! Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration makes an ideal gift for the fashion/illustration lover in your life. For a real bargain buy both my books with four back issues for just £50.



Categories ,ACOFI, ,Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, ,Anissa Lee, ,Au Revoir tote bag, ,Bluebirds, ,Cat O’Neil, ,ceramic, ,Christmas Wreath, ,Disembodied Lady 4, ,Duckie Christmas Market, ,etsy, ,Gemma Correll, ,gifts, ,handmade, ,illustration, ,Interiors, ,Into the Woods Calendar, ,Landfill Editions, ,Lesley Barnes, ,Magpie Miller, ,Mould Map, ,Oliver Sacks, ,Petra Borner, ,prints, ,Rui Tenreiro, ,Sister Arrow, ,Soma Gallery, ,The Dead Wrestler, ,Thistlesnake, ,Tom Frost, ,Woolly Babs, ,Wrapping paper, ,Zosienka & Rosie

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