Alright, let me tell you about this hand-painted Nippon tea cup thing I got into. It was kinda random, but super fun. So, it all started when I stumbled upon this old, plain white tea cup at a thrift store. It was cheap, like a dollar or something, and I thought, “Hey, I could totally jazz this up!”
First things first, I did some digging online about Nippon tea cups. I wanted to get a feel for the style, the colors, the vibe, you know? Saw a lot of floral patterns and gold accents. Looked pretty classy. I wasn’t trying to copy anything exactly, just get some inspo.
Then I gathered my supplies. I had some acrylic paints lying around – a bunch of different colors. Figured those would work. Grabbed a few small paintbrushes too, different sizes for details. Oh, and I also got this clear sealant spray from the hardware store. Supposedly, it makes the paint waterproof and all that. Seemed important since, you know, it’s a tea cup.
Okay, so the actual painting part. I started with a light pencil sketch on the cup, just to map out the design. I went with a simple floral thing, some leaves and little flowers. Nothing too complicated, I’m no Picasso. Then I started filling in the colors. The acrylics were pretty easy to work with, they dried fast, which was nice. Layered the colors a bit to give it some depth.
The tricky part was the gold accents. I got this gold paint pen thing, but it was kinda gloopy. Had to be super careful to get clean lines. But, honestly, the imperfections kinda added to the charm, I think. Made it look more hand-painted, less factory-made.
After I finished painting, I let it dry for a full day, just to be sure. Then, I sprayed it with that sealant stuff. Gave it a couple of coats, letting it dry in between. Made it kinda shiny, which I liked.
And that’s pretty much it! My hand-painted Nippon tea cup. It’s not perfect, but I’m actually pretty proud of it. I use it all the time now. Makes my morning tea feel a little bit fancier, you know?
Lessons learned? Acrylics are your friend. Sealant is a must. And don’t be afraid to mess up, it’s all part of the process. Plus, it’s a really fun way to personalize something and make it your own.
- Thrift store find: plain white tea cup
- Inspo: vintage Nippon tea cups
- Materials: acrylic paints, paintbrushes, sealant spray
- Process: sketch, paint, dry, seal
- Result: one-of-a-kind tea cup!
