D.I.Y { Painted Ceramic Cup of Tea! }

 

My girlfriend's birthday is approaching, and what better gift to give than one that is personalized! Her name is Mai-what a coincidence when I found the phrase, "My Cup of Tea" to tie into the personalization. She loves tea! She has a cup every morning at work. And so, I wanted to personalize a pair of cups she can keep at work or home. I was very inspired by an art work posted on Instagram by The Coveteur a few months back. It was an illustration of the city name, "New York".

 

Materials Needed:

 

* Glass paint or acrylic is fine too (I purchased Martha Stewart's Glass Paint because of the tiny bottle tip. She also has empty bottles if you have acrylic paint at home.)

* Drafting paper or any type of transulent paper strong enough to trace over a few times

* Pen, pencil, painter's tape

* Ceramic/Porcelain cup (or whatever piece you wish to design)

 

 

 

Instructions:

 

1. Clean the surface of your cup with hot water and soap. Then wipe with rubbing alcohol. Measure how big you want the art work. Leave some room on all sides for taping area

2. Using a pencil, illustrate on that same piece of drafting paper (I freehand sketched my art work, but you can probably find some inspirations online. Also, the smaller and more details, the harder it may be. It may turn into blobs)

3. With a pen, trace over the penciled design

4. Turn the paper over, and color the design with a pencil (use darker lead or strong pressure)

5. Tape and place the paper over desired area on your cup

6. Using pencil, again trace over the pen illustration with good pressure (test if it traced by lifting a corner of the paper)

7. Untape and remove the paper

8. With glass paint, trace over the design that was traced onto the cup (you may want to test the thickness of the line on a separate piece of paper)

9. Bake in oven 350 degrees for 30 minutes or air dry for 21 days to cure. Wah laaaa!