- Step 1: get a white mug & permanent markers
- Step 2: write/draw on said mug with said permanent markers
- Step 3: Bake in oven to seal the design
Well the good news is, it worked for me! Here's my finished mug!
I was kind of a nazi about this because I believed getting rid of oil and anything else that is on the surface of the mug will ensure the best chance of ink adhesion. So I don't know if I went overboard or not, but that's what I did.
After I was done with my design, I placed the mug in a cool oven (meaning do not pre-heat the oven) and set the temperature to 400C. When the oven reaches temperature, set the timer to 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, turn the oven off but do not remove the mug from the oven until it has completely cooled down to room temperature. In fact, I left my mug in the oven overnight and removed it the next morning.
Honestly I was imagining that the ink would become liquid or something and bleed down the mug when it was heating in the oven. Happily that did not happen. I might've let out a sigh of relief. :)
What I did notice when I took it out was the Sharpie colored sections stayed exactly the same while the Bic colored sections seemed to have faded some. I forgot to take before pictures but here are the afters.
So, I really think this project should work for anyone. It's also really easy actually and would make fun, personal & inexpensive gifts. Now if that isn't the perfect gift-trifecta, I don't know what is!