A reference picture

A banana

A sharp tool for marking on the banana

To make this project you will need three things:

First, if you're like me and can't draw to save your life, you'll want to select a reference picture. I am using The Cat in the Hat as it is a simple image that is easy to illustrate. However, you can feel free to select pictures that are more complex. Detailed pictures such as the examples shown in the intro step took me several hours to finish. It also helps if the picture is proportioned so that it can at least somewhat fit on a banana. Long rectangular pictures will fit better than square pictures. With most pictures, you will probably need to crop the edges a little.



When selecting a banana it is important to keep in mind how the peel changes throughout its ripening process. The greener the banana is, the firmer its cell membranes are. That means that they are less likely to rupture from simple pressure. As a result, when the cell is punctured, the chemicals do not bleed as much. This creates smaller more well defined dots. Riper bananas with weaker membranes will bleed more and will create larger dots with softer edges. For pictures with small well defined lines, I recommend a banana that is either a 4 or a 5 on the ripeness scale pictured. For pictures with thicker or blurred lines, I recommend a banana that is closer to a 6 on the scale.



The marking tool that you select is again determined by the kinds of lines that you want to make for your picture. Any sharp object can work, but as you might expect, each tool creates a slightly different mark. Smaller needles (like sewing needles) create small light dots. Larger needles (like thumbtacks) make larger darker dots. Regardless of what sharp object you choose, you may wish to modify it slightly to make it easier to handle. For instance, something as small as a sewing needle can be difficult to work with. So I inserted it into the end of a 0.5 mm mechanical pencil. This made it a lot more convenient to use.