Em here, I'm writing tonight while Marquette recovers! She is a doll, and hasn't been doing so hot the last day or so, so send her your positive vibes, and get-well-soon wishes! Tonight we are featuring the ol' sharpie decorating a mug myth. Check it out!
The Original
http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/31-insanely-easy-and-clever-diy-projects
The Pinstrosity
The Pinstrosity
Kelly followed the directions, decorating the ceramic mug with a black Sharpie, baking it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. She even took the extra precaution of waiting 24 hours before letting her hubby use it. But to no avail...after he finished drinking his morning joe much of the design had rubbed off, and then when Kelly washed it the rest came off without putting up a fight.
How to fix this:
Don't use a Sharpie.
Harsh I know, but a Sharpie would really only work if this was a "un-fired", or porous ceramic mug, and even then it might only stay a bit longer than seen here. I would suggest using a marker that is specially tailored to ceramic, such as the Vitrea brand markers, or buy a ceramic art kit already all put together, which you can find at most craft stores.
I am no Sharpie expert so I can't tell you why this particular project doesn't work other than I am sure it has something to do with the clear glaze put on top of most ceramic wear. If anyone has had some awesome success with this, please let us know your secret!
Happy Wednesday!
-Emilee
Wow, I was totally going to try this. Thanks for the heads up!
ReplyDeleteI was too!! Now I will wait till I have better supplies!!
DeleteOh man :-( I wish this worked!
ReplyDeleteI do have to say that I did this last Christmas for a friend. She has been obsessed with the mustache (and the beard) since way before they were the thing to be obsessed with. I painted a different style mustache on two sides of a mug and gave it to her as her gift. I did use the ceramic paint that's for dishes that are already fired and baked it for the allotted time (the paint also says that it's dishwasher safe). She used it once and ran it in the dishwasher...and a few little bits chipped off. So now, it's just for decoration and I'm so so very sad that she's not drinking her daily coffee from it.
ReplyDeleteIve used Folk Art enamel paint, and painted my mustache on my mug, and heat set it in the oven for 30 minutes like the directions say on the back, and ive dish washed it a couple times a week, every week for over a year and mine has not come off one tiny little bit, I love my mug! the paint works fantastic! I hope this helps :)
DeleteI'm not quite sure what happened here, I bought some sharpies, and a doller store ceramic plate and drew on it and baked it at 450 for 30 minutes and it worked fine. It doesn't wipe off, and it washes fine :) maybe try a higher heat
ReplyDeleteThe cheaper material doesn't have as nice of a glaze and so it's more porous and easier for the Sharpie to stick! :) This blog has some great tips that explained as much http://www.diyopolis.com/
DeleteIt doesn't break in the oven????
DeleteI used some paint pens instead of a sharpie and with regular use it still looks good.
ReplyDeleteI drew a design on a large glass plate that I plan to make into a cake platter. I used Bic Mark it markers instead of Sharpies. I put it in a cold over, turned the temp to 450 and once it had pre-heated, let it bake for 30 minutes. Then I turned the heat off and left it in there to cool. It's permanent. I do have a gas oven; not sure if this makes a difference.
ReplyDeletesharpie worked on one mug no prob, the other mug it came right off. they were slightly different but both seemed to have glaze. go figure?!?!
ReplyDeleteI bought the exact same mug from Target (Target home collection) and used a sharpie. I baked it at 450 instead of 350 and it worked beautifully. They have quite and array of white porcelain things that you can design on your own. I've drawn designs on a few things from there.
ReplyDeleteI believe the original pin they had used a porcelain pen. Plus, more expensive dishware is going to be more "stain resistant", which is probably why some glazes hold the sharpie and some don't. Back in the 70's, I remember doing this in girl scouts. We brought in a mug and the hostess brought in her own pens. I've never seen pens like that since, so I'm assuming they were meant to draw on ceramics. My mug lasted until it broke. It didn't even fade.
ReplyDeleteI wish the Sharpie Pen would work for me. I tried both the Sharpie and the Porcelaine Pen. The Sharpie did wash off unfortunately. The reason I want the Sharpie to work is that I get a better design, less run around the edges. The feathers I drew with a Sharpie were superb, but the Porcelaine lets me down every time, so I had to keep rubbing it off before it set. I shall persist. Janine ♥ Start To Grow
ReplyDeleteSharpies can wash off of slick surfaces, you just use a dry-erase marker like an eraser, then rub the dry erase ink off and the sharpie will come off with it in varying degrees of shadowless-ness depending on the surface and the time the sharpie was left on it. And my preschool does ceramics around the holidays- we use pencils to put their names on the back because ink evaporates during the heating process. Maybe there is a heat/ink issue?
ReplyDeletei did this just the other night. i washed the mugs beforehand and then made my designs. however i baked them at 350 for about an hour. then put them in the dishwasher the next day.. only a little bit came off but they turned out very nice.
ReplyDeleteI've done this several times. If you use a Sharpie oil based paint pen it should be permanent. Design, wait 24 hours, bake at 350 for 30 minutes and it should work. At least it has for me.
ReplyDeleteI bought oil based sharpies, since this was recommended.
DeleteBaked at 350 for 30 minutes, let cool in the oven, and to my dissapointment, it did not work. I even tried five seperate plates with different types of glaze. To no avail. :(
And the smell during the "baking" was horrible, smelled like chemicals.
I will give it ONE more try, and wait 24 hours. That is before the baking, right?
My children and I eagerly tried this writing scriptures and drawing. Comes off a little at a time and it gets into our food! What a let-down.
ReplyDeleteI have commented n every single "re-pin" of this project because it doest work! What does work are those glass pens, about $3-4 each at Hobby Lobby.
ReplyDeleteI am an Artist and paint glass and ceramic on a regular basis. I was intrigued by this because writing on something with a paintbrush isn't that easy. Even with paint made for glass and ceramics sometimes it just comes off. Then I have other coffee mugs I've put through the dishwasher literally 100 times and they are still pretty good.
ReplyDeleteI use sharpies for a lot of things, particularly writing on glass/mirrors because windex or vinegar will wipe it right off no problem, so it doesn't surprise me at all that it would come off of the cup.
ReplyDeleteI had better luck with some scrapbooking pens - the Identipens- than sharpies and porcelaine pens. But it varies from mug to mug (yardsale and thriftstore finds). Also the liquid chalk pens work well and light handwashing does not take them off at all.
ReplyDeleteI used an already glazed and baked cup and sharpie brand markers, I've washed it in the dishwasher several time at least 5 and its still held up.
ReplyDeleteAny craft stores should have porcelain pens that work great for this. I've done it a lot. Same directions, just a different pen.
ReplyDeleteI have a white Corelle casserole dish I got from my aunt when she died and I found my Grandpa wrote his name on the bottom with I'm guessing sharpie. It has been a precious thing to see his name on it every time I use it. That dish was probably 40+ yrs old and after all the times it had been washed and baked it was still on there...until my husband thought it was just a smudge or something until he scrubbed the daylights out of it and scrubbed the name off. Needless to say he got in trouble because he is never that thorough with cleaning...so why would he start now?? :)
ReplyDeleteWe purchased a cheap, white cake plate/stand for our wedding. (We were serving cupcakes, but made a small cake for us to cut for pictures and so we'd have a top layer to keep for our anniversary.) We wanted to decorate it with a black design to go with our theme, so we went to Paint-a-Piece to see what they would recommend. They told us to use an oil-based Sharpie and bake it. We tried it, but we were able to scratch off the design. We went back to Paint-a-Piece and showed them what happened, and they recommended buying a Pebeo pen from them. It was about $8 and it worked perfectly. So, check with your local pottery painting place if you are having trouble!
ReplyDeleteThis worked great for me. Each mug (various types, all glazed) has been in the dishwasher about 20 times since doing it and the design remains pristine. Used a permenant sharpie, left it over night, fired it the next day. No problem. I have had huge problems with products aimed at ceramics though. I've had no success with Pabeo to this date. But this worked.
ReplyDeleteyou have to let it heat and cool with the oven. also, for best results get the pens specific for this project like stated in the post.
ReplyDeleteit worked for me and i use it often! but i hand wash maybe that is why it worked
ReplyDeleteMy kids and I did this and I thought it worked at first but with the slightest effort I was able to start rubbing off the ink...I was dissappointed but the kids did have fun and I still have their mugs on display on my kitchen :)
ReplyDeleteI was excited for this but on the first attempt with a fine point sharpie pen and baked it at 350F for 30 mins it started to wipe off. But after about a week later seeing this blog I decided to try again. This time using the same plate with the drawing I already had on it I had the oven set at 450F and set the plate in the oven before turning it on and leaving it in the oven to cool off. After taking it out, so far it seems to be staying on. I haven't had it in the dishwasher yet but under runnin water and wiping it dry with a towel it appears to be staying put. I used a plate that cost $1, fine point sharpie and a 450F 40 min bake time. Definitely doing this again.
ReplyDeleteI did this with Sharpie Oil Paint markers (I found them at Micheal's)and mine turned out great. I did a few monogram mugs and some with quotes. I always hand-wash the mugs,and I have yet to have any issue with the ink coming off.
ReplyDeleteSharpies and standard paint pens can be toxic; if you do this, you should make sure it isn't anywhere near where food or a mouth will touch! Even the Pebeo pens are not food-safe, even though they are non-toxic. Food-safe (far different from non-toxic) paint pens are not sold in the U.S., as far as I can tell--I've been hunting for a long time for some.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone ever have issues with the plates smelling toxic when baking? I got Corning Pyroceram plates from Goodwill, and used oil-based sharpie (which was not scratching off after the 24hr dry time initially) and after letting them warm and cool in the oven, it was apparent that the ink had been bubbling in the oven (350 degrees for 30 mins) and the entire time it smelled like burning plastic (which I had not heard a warning of, so I assumed it was normal). Now my plates are ruined and I cannot find a food-safe clear-coat/sealant that I could use to paint overtop. Any suggestions???
ReplyDeleteYup... me too...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hardlyhousewives.com/2012/10/sharpie-mug-fail.html?showComment=1349232781619#c3154906039583685854
And I seemed to use the exact same mug that the original Pin had!
I have had success with this pin, go figure. I am an artist and paint on glass and ceramics all the time. I do bake it, but have always used special glass paint. My problem has been any glass paint pens I've used don't work too well, and writing something with a paintbrush doesn't always come out that great, especially on something small. So I thought I'd give it a try.
ReplyDeleteHere is my advice: first must wipe mug down with rubbing alcohol. Can't have any traces of dirt or oils on it. (this is from my experience with glass paint) 2nd - I used a silver sharpie on a black mug, don't know if the silver has different properties, and third when you put the mug in the oven... you time the 30 minutes after the oven has reached 350degrees, so it actually might be more like 40-45 minutes. Lastly turn the oven off and leave the mug in there until it cools. I usually do it at night and go to bed at this point, taking it out in the morning. So really the mug is cooking more than 30 minutes.
Sent the mugs off to my son and daughter-in-law as an anniversary gift, with a love poem on them. Just visited them 3 months later and the mugs are still perfect- (hand washed)
Hope that helps!
I tried it on a saucer with colored Sharpies. It turned out just okay. The colors faded rather unattractively (grey undertones as opposed to paler shades).
ReplyDeleteattemped..didn't work for us
ReplyDeletetry using earthenware ceramics rather than stoneware (some mugs etc. specify on the bottom) Stoneware is fired much higher (1180 degrees plus) so the glazes are less porous, your designs have a better chance of sticking to earthenware ceramics which are lower fired.
ReplyDeleteI have had and still use Libby Brand glasses for about 15 years that I used a Porcelaine paint pen on, and baked per the directions on the package. They have been through the dishwasher literally HUNDREDS of times with no problem at all. Only one has an issue, and even then only on one side, so I think it more to do with the position in the oven than anything else.
ReplyDeleteI did this in September w a green mug from target and it works still there to this day but we hand our dishes
ReplyDeleteDid this the other night at a Pinterest party at a friends'. The ones that had been done ahead seemed to be just fine, my only caveat is that the Sharpie green faded to BLUE in the oven, while the BIC permanent marker stayed green.
ReplyDeleteI have tried this with a Sharpie and it worked just fine! I love my mug.
ReplyDeleteWhen i baked my wine glasses after painting them with the oil based sharpie paint, all the paint changed colors. And without baking them, all the paint comes off. any suggestions?! :(
ReplyDeleteIf you can find a lab-grade Sharpie you don't even need to bake it. It will come off with alcohol, but not with soap & water.
ReplyDeleteWorked for me! I used a wal mart mug and many different colored sharpies. Not sure what the issue was!
ReplyDeleteI tried this a couple months ago. I got a squre dollar tree mug and took some old sharpies to it and made it into a Tardis mug. While making it, it got some smudges, but after I baked it, they held up fine! None of it rubbed off, I even tried some water, and it held up just fine. But it seems like for a lot people it only works half of the time.
ReplyDeleteI did this as well and you can find my experiment on my blog. diyopolis.wordpress.com What I found was that the heat needs to be much higher than 350 degrees. I put mine at 425 and the marker melded into the glaze. Also, BIC markers worked WAY better and held their color instead of fading.
ReplyDeletedidn't work for us. Colours faded and it's wiping off with just a gentle finger rub. Someone suggested buying some ceramic glaze and re-glazing it after...may try this
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure the original pin can be found on abeautifulmess.com :) Use Porcelaine pens, found at Michaels!!! They work great and are dishwasher safe!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm currently doing lots of experiments with this pin. I've had success with black sharpie on ceramics being baked at 450 degrees for 40 minutes and then letting them alone for 24 hours. But only with black. Other colors change while being baked and come off in the dishwasher easier. But the black has turned out wonderfully and I've even rubbed at it with rubbing alcohol, it's been staying put.
ReplyDeleteI have also made these. My results were so/so. - I used mugs from the Dollar tree & Sharpie brand & Generic permanent markers. (Black Sharpie, Red Generic Marker) - In the oven for 30 minutes at 350 ..... I was making more than one (Hostess gifts) all had the same design all baked at the same time..... Some of them came out vibrant and beautiful while others the black seemed to run like non waterproof mascara and on some the red seemed to "crack" or fade. ..... overall they turned out ok but I did wonder at the time if the ones that got messed up were the ones I just finished drawing on opposed to ones that had been drawn on first and sat a while.
ReplyDeleteI did this project with kids as gifts for Christmas. We used an oil based Sharpie. Let the mug heat and cool with the oven at 450 degrees for 40 minutes. Came out great..good luck
ReplyDeleteHow long did you let the oil based sharpie dry before going in oven? Is it dishwasher safe? Thanx!
DeleteSuccess! I bought a white, Mainstays stoneware mug from Walmart. I used a brand new, black very fine Sharpie. (Not oil... Plain Ultra Fine permanent Sharpie). I drew on my design, stuck it in the oven on a baking sheet cold, turned on the oven to 425 and once it fully heated, baked for a half hour. This caused the ink to turn brown, but try as I might I couldn't get it off. Even scrubbed with rubbing alcohol. So, I retraced the whole design, let the mug set overnight, and baked in the morning at the recommended 350 for a half hour. It is still black, looks great, and I can't get it off. I haven't run it through the dishwasher but soap, water, and rubbing alcohol didnt remove it.
ReplyDeleteI made a bunch of these mugs for Christmas gifts. I picked up all different mugs from goodwill and garage sales. I wiped down each with hand sanitizer, drew on them with a fine tip paint pen, and baked them at 400 for 30 minutes. It kinda chipped off when I washed them. So I fixed them, but this time I just put 2-3 layers of mod podge mixed with a little water over them. It has stayed on well so far! (knock on wood)
ReplyDeleteUse clear glossy sealant spray to keep the sharpie on after you bake it. A fee layers of the spray then wash in soap and watet amd ut should be fine :]
ReplyDeleteWhat is the brand of the sealant spray you used? I am thinking of trying Transparent FolkArt Enamel Acrylic Paint. But a spray would make the project go a bit quicker.
DeleteI noticed that areas where I had touched the mug while drawing had rubbed off.
DeleteOils from the finger prints seemed to have made a barrier. I was going to try again, making sure the mug surface was completely cleaned and clear of prints. Also going to try baking at higher temp. If this doesn't work, I plan to try a clear coat of something.
my nephew made me and my younger sister a mug for christmas they are so cute but the sharpie is washing off even just hand washing it.... so sad :(
ReplyDeleteSharpie is NOT a food safe product. Even porcelain pens instruct you to keep designs away from the lip of food-bearing surfaces such as mugs or cups- and completely off of surfaces like food bearing plates or bowls. If your design is coming off when being washed or touched- think of what is ending up going from your piece into your food, or directly into your mouth!
ReplyDeleteI read that the only sharpie that will work are the oil based sharpies, I found them at hobby lobby and amazon.
ReplyDeleteI did this with a regular sharpie, only black works the other colors just turn brown, and i didnt like that it lightened the black so i wtote directly over the original lines and put it back in the oven. I even put my cup in the dishwasher and drink hot coffee out of it.
ReplyDeleteOIL BASED SHARPIES. That's the secret. You can't just buy the regular ones or they wash off but the oil based ones (at about 30 times the price) stay on even through the dishwasher.
ReplyDeleteI just did this last night. I used a cheap dollar tree mug, cleaned the surface with rubbing alcohol, put the mug in the oven and turned it on 350. Once it was preheated, I started the timer for 30 minutes. When the timer went off, I turned off the oven and let the mug sit in there until it was completely cool. I have used it several times today and hand washed it just as much and the design did not wash off or fade.
ReplyDeleteI have some mugs Called create-a-mugs that su to use sharpie. If I use sealer, will it work?
ReplyDeleteOk, so.... If I use oil based sharpies will the colored ones turn different colors? And if I let it sit overnight before baking can I put modge podge over the whole mug before baking? And will it be dishwasher safe then?
ReplyDeleteI have done this several times for gifts. With a ceramic heart from Hobby Lobby & with mugs bought at Deals. Used regular Sharpies. Even tested them with acetone based polish remover afterwards... & my designs stayed. Maybe I've been lucky?
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic idea! ...Thanks for the easy guide
So, my first time was a failure like yours and washed off, but then I did another. I let the sharpie dry but before I put it in the oven, I put a fine coat of matte glaze finish on it, let it dry, then put it in the over at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. I let the over cool down and took the mug out the oven: the color had lightened some, but the sharpie wasn't going anywhere. (: This works!
ReplyDelete