Time for tea mug art

A step-by-step guide to help kids (and grown-ups) personalise porcelain mugs with great art

The English love a good cup of tea – in 2006 this refreshing hot drink was named alongside London buses, the Angel of the North and the FA Cup as one of the icons which most represent the country.

It was a piece of news which a lot of people read about with a good cup of tea – whether you’re a builder cradling a mug on scaffolding or an office worker taking a break, tea can really cheer the spirits.

And colourful and well-designed tea mugs and coasters can also put a smile on your face while you sup Earl Grey or good old English breakfast tea.

Tea isn’t most kids’ favourite drink but they can have great fun personalising mugs and coasters – these items make great presents for parents, grandparents and teachers.

Below is a list of instructions on how to personalise mugs so that grown-ups and children can make them together.

For this task you will need:

A plain white mug
Brilliant porcelain pens
Wipes
Access to an oven!

At the time of writing (12^th February 2012) a pack of four large white porcelain mugs cost £3.96 when bought from arts and crafts company Baker Ross. Or you could hold an arty tea party and buy a pack of 16 for £15.20 (this works out at 95p each). Brilliant porcelain pens come in a pack of six colours for £10.99 while brilliant porcelain painting outline pens come in packs of two with each pack priced at £4.99.

So you could buy all the materials you need for under £20.

Now that the maths and the economics are out of the way, it’s time to think about the wording and patterns that you will put on the mug. Take a scrap of paper, give a fine-tipped black porcelain pen a shake, and start practicing what you will write on the mug – make sure the ink is flowing before you begin.

Perhaps you could write a phrase which describes the person who will be drinking from the mug; (‘Dad’, ‘Mr Thirsty’ or ‘Miss Chatterbox’). Or you could write a more general message (‘Do not Disturb’, ‘Take a Break’, ‘Two Sugars Please’).

Once you’ve settled on your design, place your mug on a flat surface and draw directly on to it – don’t press with too much force or you’ll get an unsightly blob of paint.

If you do make a mistake, don’t worry – you can wipe it off while it’s still wet.

Now it’s time to use the same fine-tipped black pen and draw the outline of the picture which will take pride of place on your mug. Wait for the paint to dry first – this will only take a few minutes.

Are you remembering to give the pens a good shake before using them so that the ink flows freely? This part of the task is great for honing kids’ eye-hand co-ordination skills as they try to avoid going over the outlines with their colouring.

Can you see that Kate (the lady from Baker Ross whose hands you see in the pictures) has also written the word ‘Best’ on the handle of the mug – it’s a good idea for budding young artists to make full use of all the surface area in order to get their message of affection across!

To set the paint, the mug will have to go in the oven for the final bit of its preparation.

When the paint is set and the mug is a mellow warm temperature it’s time for the final and most important step of the process – pour a cup of tea in the mug and enjoy the result of your handiwork with a nice biscuit!

PS: If you want to see Kate from Baker Ross give a video demonstration of these instructions, please access the YouTube video below.

Have fun!