DIY Sharpie Mugs – 7 Do’s & Don’ts!
DIY Sharpie mugs have been so popular, haven’t they?! I’ve had some people tell me they don’t work, and I’m here to help you through the process so that it WILL work.
It’s not up to chance if it works for one person and not for another. There are SEVERAL factors involved in making a truly permanent DIY Sharpie Mug. By the time you get through this list of Do’s & Don’ts, you’ll know just what to do to make a great one. 😉
Here are 7 tips to remember when making a DIY Sharpie Mug:
This first tip is THE MOST IMPORTANT tip of all, I promise. If you don’t choose the right mug, the rest of the process doesn’t even matter.
This past Christmas, I tested this as I was making several mugs for sisters, sisters-in-law, parents, and grandparents. I had an assortment of mugs, and I tested as I went to figure out the perfect formula for getting the mugs right.
Without a doubt, the mugs that did NOT do well were the very shiny, lots-of-glaze mugs I used. The glaze would bubble up and leave ‘holes’ in my design!
I tried low temps and high temps with the well-glazed mugs — it IS possible to get it to stay on, if you bake at around 200 for a couple of hours, but the paint marker still does a weird bubbly, crackly kind of thing that could be prevented by using a different kind of mug. (see photo below)
So — search for a more ‘matte’ kind of mug that’s not super-shiny, high-glaze. It will definitely work out a lot better for you!
This second tip also is very important — the Sharpie can’t adhere to the glaze on the mug if there is dirt or even just oil from your fingers on it.
You’ll want to be sure you clean it with rubbing alcohol and cotton balls first so it’s completely clean of oil and dirt.
I can tell you from experience that a regular Sharpie, baked or unbaked, will just wash right off the mug.
You HAVE TO use an oil-based paint Sharpie. This will help make your design permanent.
After you’ve designed the mug in oil-based Sharpie, you’ll need to let the design dry for at least 24 hours. I usually let mine dry for a day or two on a shelf just to be sure. 🙂 Don’t bake immediately after drawing your design onto the mug.
After 24 hours, when your design is dry, place your mug into a cold oven, THEN turn the heat on so the mug slowly heats up with the oven.
If you preheat the oven and then put the mug into the preheated oven, your mug could easily crack!
Once you’ve placed the mug into the cold oven, turn the oven to 300 degrees F. and set the timer for 1.5-2 hours.
There’s no exact time for this, because how quickly ovens heat up varies. You’ll want to leave the mug in for at least an hour and a half.
If your oven heats up very quickly, an hour and a half is fine….if your oven takes a while to preheat, give it 2 hours to be safe.
I found in my experience that if the glaze on the mug heats up too quickly, it will bubble up – with your design – and leave weird holes in your design.
(You can see in the photo below that the extra-shiny mug didn’t do well. :-/)
Just stick with a lower temperature….but give it plenty of time so the glaze gets hot enough to bond with the glaze.
Once your mug has baked, just turn the oven off and let the oven and mug cool down.
Letting this happen slowly helps the glaze and Sharpie bond.
Let us see your DIY Sharpie mug project by tagging us on social media! { FB: @sixcleversisters | IG: #sixcleversisters }
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Hello,
Can you use glass mugs for this project?
Thank you!
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Can you write on the inside and it be safe to drink from after baking?
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Hi there.
Have you ever tried to write with Oil based sharpie on metal mugs, and bake them? It works just like ceramic mugs, or not?
Thanks a lot
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Will any colours change intensity when put in the oven, when used on glass? This was my experience with ceramic. Red turned to purple. Perhaps a lower temp for longer?
Hi Steffanie, that is a great question! I’ve only used black, white, gold, and silver, and they did not change in intensity. Let me know what happens with red!
I want to do this with the craft club at school so we will be doing 20. Is it ok to put these on a cookie sheet to bake?
Yes! 😀
I have some blank ceramic circles (3inches in diameter) with a small hole to add a ribbon. I would like to decorate them as ornaments or gift tags. Should I put them directly on the oven racks or on a baking tray?
I would use a cookie sheet or baking tray!
This is a really helpful tutorial thanks Rachel. I just came across it on Pinterest. Thank you for doing all the experimenting for us so that we don’t get disappointed when we give it a try ourselves.
Regards, Dee (Australia).
So glad you found it helpful!!
Will try this today. Thanks!
Hi! Thanks for this article. Can’t wait to try it! Wondering if you can bake more than one mug at a time – and if so, does it affect the recommended time/temperature?
You can definitely bake more than one mug at a time and the time and temperature stay the same. 👍🏻😀
Thanks for sharing the way to do it. I have made it last night and beyond my expectation!
Yay!! 👏🏻
Wish I had found this post before the kids did their painting.
Can you microwave the mug if I use oil based sharpies?
Are they microwave and dishwasher safe after baking??
I want to paint my mugs.your writing is very helpful for this purpose.yet one thing is not cleared whether I can bake it in my normal microven or there are any other special type of ovens. I can make my mug painted if I get this information from you. Thanks a lot.
Hi, thanks for this article.
Please, what kind of oven are you referring to?
Is it the normal baking oven or there is a special kind of oven?
Is this method good to create microwave safe mugs?
Where can we get these pens and can you use this on pottery and bake it in a pottery oven?
Pens can be found on Amazon, our favorite place 😉 >> https://amzn.to/38AUDze
I have never used this method for unfinished pottery, so I’m not sure!?
Can these go in the dishwasher? (I’m not worried about quality of the design. I just wanted to stay on. I’m using it to mark on the bottom of the mug when and where I got it for gift mugs.)
If you are talking about a kiln, no. Kilns heat up to over 1800 degrees. The paint would probably completely burn away. Oil-based sharpie paint colors begin to change around 350 degrees. A kiln would likely obliterate them. There are special “paints” you can fire in a kiln, though.
(If a “pottery oven” refers to something other than a kiln for firing pottery, then you can ignore what I said and look into what a “pottery oven” does.)
Can you bake more than one mug at a time?
Yes, definitely! 🙂 I’ve baked several at once.
Thanks for the tips! Mine just came out of the oven and they look great, but is there a way to tell they are done besides washing them?
Sorry for the late response – no there’s no secret to knowing if they’re done. If you leave it in for at least an hour and a half, though, it’ll be done! 🙂
Hi, thanks for this article.
Please, what kind of oven are you referring to?
Is it the normal baking oven or there is a special kind of oven?
This blog was so helpful because I’m planning to do this sharpie mug,but i have a question.What if the mug already had a design & then I just want to add some intials on it using the sharpie,it is still okay to bake it?
That’s a great question! I’ve never tried it, but if I were you, I would test one mug because it probably will be fine.
Rachel Barkowski, such an amazing ideas to start a blog on different niches. Really an useful post with clean and clear details. Thanks for sharing this post. Keep sharing.
Hi Rachel. This is a great resource! Thanks for sharing you tips and tricks. We’ve included it in ou latest craft ideas roundup 🙂 https://craftylikegranny.com/hand-made-craft-rocks/ Cheers Jodie
We’re happy to be part of your roundup! We’ll share it on our Facebook page sometime this week. 🙂
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