Plaster of Paris On My Cup!

Plain white cups of different shapes and sizes are lining the shelves of several shops. I had one such cup lying with me and the urge to transform it was high. The shape of the cup is lovely and the color plain white. But I did not let it last that way for too long.

A little bit of plaster of Paris, some acrylic paints and the rest left to my imagination. Since my aim was to bring color into the life of my little cup this is what I did to it.




Plaster of Paris dries up really fast but is very easy to use. Clay needs to be baked so I find plaster of Paris to be a friend in need when I feel this creative! I don’t have a step by step picture tutorial for this piece but I will explain the steps I followed to create this piece.


First I cleaned the cup properly and let it dry. Then I mixed some plaster of Paris with Fevicol (any strong white glue can be used) – mixed them well to create a paste thick enough to be used for molding into a shape (almost like clay) – mine actually went slightly thin and that is why some of the petals are a bit flat. To mix the glue and plaster of Paris do the mixing part on a surface covered with a plastic bag (or cling film) something that you can throw out later because if you mix in a bowl or some container then that box or container will actually become useless after wards. The plaster of Paris thickens and sticks to the container and won’t come off!


Once mixed simply mold it into any shape bit by bit and start sticking on to the cup. Once the basic design is in place make a very thin paste of plaster of Paris to fill in any gaps and paint over the entire design (this will make it stick better and make your design stronger)



Another way of doing this is to make a think paste of glue and plaster of Paris. For this you need to use a piping bag (again take one that you can throw away), pour the mixture into the piping bag and work quickly on the surface of the cup to create your design (just like you would design using piping cream on a cake – or put henna on your hands) This method should be used only if you have the design ready and can work quickly because the plaster of Paris will continue to thicken in the piping bag.

Now comes the boring part – waiting for the design to dry – but make sure you wait until it is completely dry – leaving it out untouched for an entire day is a good idea (for people staying in cooler places make sure it is dry enough such that none of your design bits stick to your hand when touched – it should be absolutely dry)
Then comes the fun part – take your favorite acrylic colors and paint your design as you desire. Wait for the paint to dry and then paint over any area which looks light or needs a touch up.

Once everything is done and is dry then take varnish or mod podge and paint it all over the cup. This will give your design the final shine that you see in professionally done products available in the market and it will also make your design water proof. (If using mod podge make sure it gives a water proof finish before putting your cup in the washer)
Hope you liked this creation. Have fun creating your own designs on any ceramic surface you have!