Project: Porcelain Marker Mug

I am a huge, HUGE fan of hand painted or drawn mugs. This idea is all over the internet so I promise that I won't claim being original. However, I decided I wanted to give it a try. To show you what I am talking about here are a few of my favorites:

Squack Doodle

Pretty My Drink

Simply Pretty Prints

I could keeping going but I won't. I just have to pause here and say Pretty My Drink is local folks and she and I must have been separated at birth because I have already done a mug with a similar bird silhouettes and was planning on a mushroom mug (a bit different)! Can I just say "there is nothing new under the sun." Ecclesiastes 1:9. Check out her lovely shop and show her some love because her designs are great.

Anyway. Here are the steps I used to create my own painted mug.

Step 1:
Gather your supplies of course.

Scissors, tape, mug, pencil, graphite paper, tracing paper, porcelain marker

A note on porcelain markers:

I purchased several Pebeo Porcelaine 150 markers in a fine tip. I would recommend if you want to do a lot of solids that you either try the broad tip or better yet the paint and use an appropriate sized paint brush. I honestly believe there are other products on the market that will do the same job. Just look for something non-toxic and dishwasher safe.

Step 2:
Find an image from the computer, a book, or draw your own. I was in a hurry thanks to the baby so I found an image (ages ago) and used that. Using the tracing paper, I taped it to the top of my computer covering the screen. With a soft pencil and hand, DO NOT press hard on your computer screen unless you have an old glass monitor and even then DON'T, I traced the image. This works the same ways as a light box.

Step 3:

Remove your tracing paper, cut it down to a manageable size, and cut a piece of graphite paper to lay behind your tracing paper. Read the directions or use a small practice piece of graphite paper to know what side should lay against the mug to transfer your image. Every time I do this I have to pause and think about it myself. I recommend using the smallest piece of graphite possible because that stuff is pretty expensive! Tape the tracing and graphite paper combo to your mug in the place you want your image to go.

Step 4:

This step can be a bit time consuming. You will use a pencil and trace over your drawing on your tracing paper. Take your time but don't worry about being perfect. The graphite transfer wipes off easily. I always make sure to work from one direction and move my lines the same way. This insures a nice transfer. Once done carefully remove your tracing and graphite paper and you have your image on the mug!

Step 5:

Following the directions of your paint go over your image again. Basically you repeat step 4 but with a marker or paint brush.

Hours later, because you have to wait for your handsome baby boy to go to bed, you get the above. Don't worry about the black graphite. It wipes off.

Step 6:

Again follow the directions for your paint. In seventy two hours the paint will have curred and my mug will be done. Some situations you have to bake on your paint at low temperatures.

But being the perfectionist that I am this mug isn't done. My hubby and I are discussion further additions to the design. In seventy two hours I will show you the final mug hopefully with some hot tea or coffee steaming from it!

IMPORTANT NOTE:
After posting this and waiting 72 hours I enjoyed a nice hot cup of tea in my mug. The next morning I washed the mug and the drawing washed right off!!! My previous attempts and other instructions have you wait 24 hours and then bake your mug in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. I will redo this project again and follow those instructions, they are not however the instructions on the marker I used. How is that for misleading information!!! Oh well. Practice makes perfect.