Some mugs I drew on with one of these pens I got at the local Blick art store. The pens are locked up in a cabinet so you can't sniff them. Or steal them? I don't really know why. But I felt faintly embarrassed to have to ask for something in a locked cabinet. Like I might be a criminal or something. And of course I threw away the package a long time ago and can't remember the instructions for how to set the ink. I think you bake it for awhile and then it becomes dishwasher safe. I remember dishwashing something I drew on once, and it stayed perfectly. Now I'll have to go back to the store and read the package instructions, but to do that, I have to make them unlock the cabinet again. Sheesh.
Sorry for filing this under "tutorials" because it's not really, but I couldn't think of where else to put it. Once I find the directions again for setting the paint, I'll add them.
Update: Called the store to get the instrux. The upshot is I used the wrong pen. There's not a way to set this pen, and it will never be dishwasher safe. It's not food safe, either. Turns out I used another pen before (which I can't find now). It's coming back to me... I bought this DecoColor marker to use for drawing on canvases I had painted with acrylic— no need to put those in the dishwasher. Heh heh. So now I have a couple nice pencil cups, I guess.
Oh, I didn't know there were such pens!
ReplyDeleteI had to do the same thing when I bought those metallic pens you shake.. There were so many kinds of pens that I wanted to check out but I felt bad.. It's really too bad.
Looking forward to your tutorial! :)
If I were you, I'd call the store and ask them to read you the instructions over the phone. It's anonymous, so would save you the embarrassment... and save you gas. ;-)
ReplyDeletePractical Mum
Oh. Good idea.
ReplyDeleteThose are great! Really opens up the possibilities with a plain white mug! Yours are lovely!
ReplyDeleteI hate those kinds of cupboards.
ReplyDeletelove the desings.. beauty. u rock jess
ReplyDeleteAs a former employee of a Chicago art supply store (on Western), it's probably because of the graffiti thing. It started with the spray paint and then spread to another kind of pen (can't remember the name) that was particularly difficult to remove from trains and buses.
ReplyDeletecan't you just look up the pen website? i'm sure they have instructions there or a 800# :) btw what pens are they?
ReplyDeleteI love that idea! I've been wanting to do a cat bowl. Does that sound wierd? hmm?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I was thrifting this morning and saw a ton of orange things and of course thought of this blog. There's a few on my blog if you wanted to check out some orange eye candy.
http://my-crafty-mess.blogspot.com/2008/05/tuesday-morning-thirft-trip.html
I love the mugs and your post made me laugh right out loud. Thanks for the chuckle!
ReplyDeleteMy first thought was how cute. The next was how cool. But, it's the third that brought me to the comments...you have a very steady hand!
ReplyDeleteAh ha! Graffiti. That explains it.
ReplyDeleteI looked at the pen website (the link to the kind of pen is in the post) and couldn't find any info. Google didn't help either. I'll just call the store.
And thanks, Liz.
I've heard that Pebeo's Porcelaine line is really good for this...the have pens and paints, and you can add thinner or matte medium to them to alter the finish/opacity...
ReplyDeletehttp://pebeo.decenturl.com/porcelaine
Oh yeah! That's what I used before. Thanks for jogging my memory. I used one of the markers, and it was kind of watery and transparent. I wanted opaque. I'll investigate some more, since they claim on the site that you can have an opaque look...
ReplyDeleteLovely cups-pencil older:)
ReplyDeletebecause i'm a geek, i googled xylene which is one of the ingredients in the pens. anyway, it's used as an inhalant drug and can cause brain damage. so i bet these pens get ripped off a lot.
ReplyDeleteI think if you use the porcelaine line you should be okay...they also make one called...vitrea (or something like that, anyway) that is designed for glassware, and is very transparent to give a stained glass effect. It can be used on ceramic if you want a watercolor look, but it won't be as opaque as the porcelaine line from what I hear :)
ReplyDeleteHi there (btw, love your blog).
ReplyDeleteDid you draw on the inside of the mugs? If not, and the only non-food-safe stuff is on the outside, you should be able to drink out of them, as long as you don't go licking all over the outside of the mug...right?
You might worry about your bottom lip being on the outside of the mug...and it might be annoying to always think, oh, don't drink from that side, the pen stuff is too close to the top.
Is there a sealant you could use? Something vaguely like shellac? (Not actual shellac, ick, but something food-safe?) Hmm. Google makes me think maybe not.
Well, I'm sure there are plenty of uses for such pretty mugs!
they do look beautiful, though!
ReplyDeleteHeh, Heh. That IS funny! Sounds like something I'd do. Glad to know I'm not the only one who does these things. They are so cute though.
ReplyDeleteI suppose you could always drink from a straw. Mmmm - straw coffee!
ReplyDeleteThose are awesome, whether there are pencils in them or coffee!
ReplyDeleteI think they're fantastic, and even though they're now relegated to pencil holders, at least your desk will look fashionable!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea, those are so cool! We use these pins all the time. Now we have another use for them:)
ReplyDeleteIf that paint isn't dishwasher safe, then just stick them in there - won't it wash off and you can start again?
ReplyDeleteYou need a porcelain pen. You bake it at 350 for 30 minutes and the print lasts forever.
I love your blog - thanks for the inspiration!
Where did you get the pretty mugs? It's hard to find a nice mug...a white one. Isn't it? Maybe just for me...as I LIVE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE VILLE SERIOUSLY! Drives me nutso---b/c I miss the big city sometimes. Um, neat idea...fabulous!
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ReplyDeleteDick Blick has pens, paint & paint kits!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dickblick.com/zz029/48/
http://www.dickblick.com/zz029/08/
& Instructions online
I walked by the Arabia store in Helsinki last week and there was a 'paint your own mug' thing going on. Looked like people were using some kind of dishwasher/food safe pens. Love the design of your mugs - hope you can recreate them with the right kind of pen!
ReplyDeleteI am so jealous that you have a "local" blick store. That is where I get most of my supplies for my art class room, but I have to order. Usually when I am making my school order, I throw in a couple things that I have been wanting and give the office some cash. Works out nicely and usually I can get free shipping because of how much stuff I am ordering.
ReplyDeleteooh. cool designs! You make me wish for some free time to just draw.
ReplyDeletethey will make beautiful pencil cups indeed!
ReplyDeleteJscwa, the cups were 99 cents each from Ikea. I've also seen nice plain white ones at Target (though last time I looked at them was probably a year ago.)
ReplyDeleteAnd beautiful pencil cups they are!
ReplyDeleteLOVE these mugs!! First when I saw the picture, I thought they might be Lotta Jansdotter's mugs or something. Love the design!! I gotta get myself one of those pens that IS dishwasher safe. The possibilities are endless what you could do with one...
ReplyDeletei love those mugs! Great job on them, they look really professional.
ReplyDeletei love the design that you put on them. it's a good idea - just need the right utensil now!
ReplyDeleteoooh so pretty! Love those.
ReplyDeleteI was at the art store today and the cabinet was locked with two red signs that said something to the effect of causes birth defects and cancer. Is that why they were locked up?
ReplyDeleteOh dang! Well they are awfully cute! Are you sure there is no glaze or anything you could apply? Hmm...maybe?
ReplyDeleteoh wow. birth defects and cancer?! i'd done a bit of google searching on the porcelaine and vitrea pens, and didn't find anything about that.. is it only if you eat off of it? i know none of them are food safe.
ReplyDeleteI used to think I hated organge. I'm slowly coming around to it. Next thing you know I'll be liking yellow. It's a crazy world.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the info about the pens, I've been looking for something just like this. I love your design on the cups. Just lovely.
Well I love the design but the pen issue... well I'll just nod and say "I understand."
ReplyDeleteThere are some comments about using Pebeo's Porcelaine 150 pens, and they are food safe (sans metal utensils that can scratch the paint) and dishwasher safe after you bake the painted piece in the oven. You could also use Pebeo's Vitrea pens, which are more transparent (for glass).
On my plates I prefer to use the Porcelaine 150 in the jar. I pour it into a little bottle with a screw-on metal nib so I can write with it and it's beautifully opaque and leaves a slight raised line. You can also stencil with it. Oh, and of course, you can brush it on. I've seen it at Michael's and Blick, as well as a few smaller art supply stores.
I thought it wold be fun to paint ceramic tiles then use them as an accent piece on a kitchen backsplash or in some other home-improvement project.
Looking forward to seeing any other projects you do with this paint!
Great! I'll try the jar version. Thanks.
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