The Easiest Way To Watercolor A Cup

It’s not just caffeine that makes the ritual of drinking coffee so pleasant every day (although, it sure helps a lot). It’s all about the morning atmosphere filled with the smell coming out of the kitchen, the beginning of a new day and the details surrounding us, including pretty homeware we use to have breakfast. I don’t know about you, but those moments are my favorite during the day, hence I care about all the little things. If you are like me, have a look how to watercolor a cup to make your mornings feel even more heavenly.

DIY Watercolor cup

Transforming a cup, by using a simple watercolor technique like smudges is a perfect project to update any old porcelain, you might already have at home, a great gift idea for your family member or a friend or simply a pretty addition to your kitchen. If you think this one is for you, let’s have a look how to do it! If you are not sure how to watercolor, don’t worry this tutorial is very easy and I will show you how you can achieve this effect in a few simple steps.

You will need:

  • a white, plain porcelain cup
  • porcelain coloring – for example Edding brush pen for a watercolor painting effect
  • tap water
  • access to an oven

Instructions:

1. First of all, clean the cup well from all the dust and grease it might have, then let it dry well for a few minutes.

2. Draw an abstract design on your mug, at the same time sprinkling it with a bit of water.

Draw-an-abstract-design

3. Here comes the fun part – play with the water and the coloring by letting it  move around your set, leaving beautiful watercolor-like smudges.

4. If you don’t like your first watercolor look, remove it all with a paper towel and start over.

Play-with-water-for-watercolor-effect

5. Once you are happy with your design, let it dry for about 15 minutes, then bake it in the oven for 25 minutes at 160’C to make your design permanent, and dishwasher resistant.

6. Leave the cup to cool down in the oven.

DIY Watercolor cup project

That’s it! Now you can enjoy your old, brand new watercolor morning coffee cup. I love anything that involves watercolor, hence this design is just perfect for me. It makes me happy every morning when I look at it. Make sure to have fun with the colors – to personalize your designs.

We would love to see your creations, so if you do make this project, please share photos of it with us.

Coffee, anyone?