Easy DIY Sharpie Mug

From craft fairs to Etsy shops, everyone is loving on the Sharpie Mugs. Often sporting quotes from some of our favorite TV shows, movies, and books, Sharpie Mugs are a fun and easy project for anyone to do (and they make great gifts for pretty much every occasion)!

But first, a lesson.  Let’s talk tools.  The two things to keep in mind when creating your Sharpie Mugs are A) quality of your mug and B) types of markers you use. These two things will insure you have great results every time!

First off, the mug. For this project, the cheaper the mug, the better! You don’t want a mug that’s glazed beyond belief, as it will be hard for the markers to set on this surface. Shop the dollar store for cheaper mugs that don’t have layers of protective coating on them. You can always add coating yourself once your design is set.

Second, the markers. Though these are called Sharpie Mugs, not all Sharpies work here. The regular Sharpies will not last and will easily rub off your mug with a sponge or a run through the dishwasher. What you want are OIL-BASED Sharpies…these are like paint markers that will set and ensure long-lasting results. You can find oil-based Sharpies at almost any craft store.

Finally, I also suggest hand-washing these only for best results. Supposedly these mugs will survive washes in the dishwasher, but they’re sure to last longer if you take the time to just carefully wash them by hand.

So for my first Sharpie Mug project, I decided on this quote from Peter Pan. I really like how it turned out and can’t wait to create more mugs to add to my already large mug collection!

Easy DIY Sharpie Mug

Materials:

• Plain ceramic mug
• Graphite Paper
• Quote printed on computer paper
• Scotch Tape
• Ballpoint pen
• Sharpie Markers (make sure they’re oil-based…regular Sharpies will wear off over time)

Instructions:
The graphite paper step is optional, but I love using it because I’m not artistically gifted when it comes to hand-lettering…so the graphite is an easy way to transfer your design onto the ceramic mug without having to sweat the details!

1. Tape the graphite paper to your cup following the instructions on the package (I carefully ripped my graphite paper to a more workable size).
   
2. Tape your quote over the graphite paper.
   
3. Using the ballpoint pen, trace over your pattern.
4. Remove both sheets of paper from the mug.  Your outlined quote will appear on the mug.  This is washable and will come off easily if you accidentally mess something up.
   
5. Once your design is how you want it, simply color over it with the markers.
   
6. After I colored in my quote, I wanted to add a few more details, so I threw in some flower sprays, just for fun!
7. Once your design is done, let your mug dry a good long while…at least 2 hours, if not overnight.
8. When it comes time to bake your mug, there are several schools of thought.  Here’s my way:  Place your mug in a cold oven (I put mine on a baking sheet for stability).  Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Let the mug sit in the oven for 30 minutes, starting from the time you put it in the cold oven.  After 30 minutes, turn the oven off and leave the mug in there until the oven has cooled completely.  This process will help prevent cracking, since the ceramic slowly gets used to the changing temperatures.
9. Once your mug is cooled, you’re all done!  If you really want to set your design, you can repeat the entire baking process, but keep in mind the coloring of your design may change with further baking time.
10. If you still have graphite paper trace marks on your mug, you can remove them with an ear swab or cotton ball dipped in warm water.

Celebrate creativity every Wednesday with a “Creativi-bee” post, where I share easy craft tutorials, project ideas, and craft collections.