Painted Coffee mug

 Don't you just love drinking coffee? Nothing beats a warm, comforting mug of coffee on a cold day. I love gifting coffee mugs to friends, they are so utilitarian and decirative at the same time.
One such mug I made for a friend, is todays topic. This one is more on the decorative side.

 I wanted to present a coffee mug to a friend of mine who loved going on looong coffee breaks. His name started with S so I decide to paint his initial on it.

 To paint on a mug, you need to clean it really well to remove finger prints and any traces of grime. I usually use acrylic or fabric paints to paint on ceramic. These days there are also ceramic paints available, which can be baked in an oven to make them dishwasher and microwave proof.

I first painted his inital on the mug, but felt it was too simple. Then i added a few dots to the sides. These reminded me of bubbles and I tried to give it a coral theme. I rummaged through my mom's shell and bead collection and found some really beautiful shells.

 The thing with ceramic is that it is difficult to stick anything to the smooth surface. I used epoxy putty to stick the shells to the mug. You have to be very quick as epoxy putty hardens very quickly. Once the shells were stuck to the mug , I painted them in bright colors. I used pearl fabric paint for this. On the mug I painted a few weeds all around.

I waited a day for the mug to dry , just in case and Voila, a beautiful, coral themed mug. Try not to use water or oil colors because they will not adhere to ceramic. Another technique that I often use is duct tape stencil. I wrap the mug in duct tape to form a random striped pattern. I dip a sponge in color and dab it on the mug. This gives the mug a geometric pattern with a unique texture. You can also use paper, knives or dry brushes to give unique textures. If you want it to look more girly or decorative, sprinkle a little glitter on the wet paint or outline the pattern with glitter.

 Have you ever painted on ceramic? Do share your pictures.