• 120 designs

Mug Painting Ideas for a Pottery Studio, With Plates, Bowls and Vases

Three designs at a time for a pottery studio session, each with its colours, where it sits on the piece and the brush or sponge to ask for.

Mug Painting Ideas for a Pottery Studio, With Plates, Bowls and Vases

Show all 47
  1. Night-sky mug with the moon opposite the handleNavy, pale yellow. Moon first, navy sponged round it, stars scratched through with a cocktail stick.
  2. Houseplant shelf round a mugThree greens, terracotta, brown. A shelf line at mid-height with six potted plants standing on it; round brush.
  3. Cat mug with the tail curling up the handleGinger, cream, black. Face opposite the handle, stripes round the body, the tail painted up the handle.

Next step Paint a coaster to sit under it

All 120 designs

Mug 47

  • Bookshelf running right round a mug Rust, mustard, teal, black. Each spine one flat-brush stroke, a plant pot at the handle; liner for titles.
  • Breakfast doodles tossed round a mug Black, yellow, tan. Egg, toast, croissant, jam jar and spoon at angles; colour fills first, liner after.
  • Bubble-print rings in one blue One blue. Ask the studio for bubble mix, blow through a straw, let the bubbles pop against the piece.
  • Candy-striped handle on a plain white mug Red. Slanted stripes down the handle only, the body left bare white; small flat brush.
  • Cat mug with the tail curling up the handle Ginger, cream, black. Face opposite the handle, stripes round the body, the tail painted up the handle.
  • City skyline round the base of a mug Charcoal, yellow. Yellow window dots first, rooftops painted round them a third of the way up; flat brush.
  • Clouds left white under a sponged blue sky Sky blue. Stick on damp torn-paper cloud shapes, sponge blue over the lot, peel the paper off.
  • Colour block in thirds with two taped lines Three colours. Two level tape lines, paint one section at a time, peel to leave white gaps between.
  • Elephant mug with the handle as its trunk Grey, pink, black. Eyes either side of the handle, a big ear round each side, handle painted grey; round brush.
  • Face in profile with the handle as its nose Black, pink. One eye and a mouth beside the handle, so the handle reads as the nose; liner brush.
  • Fingerprint bees buzzing round a mug Yellow, black. Yellow fingerprints, then liner stripes and wings, dashed loops between the bees.
  • First bar of a tune on a stave round the mug Black. Five liner lines round the middle, the notes of a tune you know, the clef beside the handle.
  • Gingham check all the way round a mug One blue. Wide bands down, then across, in thinned paint, so the crossings come out darker; flat brush.
  • Handle, lip and foot in one bright colour Coral. Paint only the handle, the edge of the lip and the foot ring, body left bare; small flat brush.
  • Hearts stamped from a cut kitchen sponge Red, pink. Cut a heart from a sponge, dab off the excess, stamp at angles and overlap a few.
  • Houseplant shelf round a mug Three greens, terracotta, brown. A shelf line at mid-height with six potted plants standing on it; round brush.
  • Icing drips falling from the rim of a mug Pink, brown, yellow. Uneven drips to a third of the way down, sprinkle dashes on the icing; round brush.
  • Initial where your thumb rests on the handle Navy. One small capital on top of the handle and a thin band under the rim; liner brush.
  • Knitted-jumper mug with a cable pattern Cream, oatmeal, brown. Cable twists up the body, ribbing at the rim and foot; liner over a cream coat.
  • Leaves scratched through navy on a mug Navy over bare white. Coat the body, let it firm up, scratch leaves and veins through with a wooden tool.
  • Lemons and leaves tossed round a mug Lemon yellow, leaf green. Seven lemons at angles with two leaves each; round brush, liner for the veins.
  • Night-sky mug with the moon opposite the handle Navy, pale yellow. Moon first, navy sponged round it, stars scratched through with a cocktail stick.
  • One bold band at the rim, the rest left white One strong colour. A band a thumb wide at the rim with a freehand lower edge; flat brush.
  • One word in your own handwriting One dark colour. Write it big, once, across the widest part; liner brush or writer bottle.
  • Orange-slice wheel on the inside base of a mug Orange, pale orange. Ten segments on the floor of the mug, plain orange outside; liner and round brush.
  • Polka dots from the wrong end of a brush Two or three colours. Dip the handle end, touch it down, reload for every dot; scatter them or line them up.
  • Rain cloud at the rim, drops falling to the foot Grey, sky blue. Sponged cloud under the rim, brush-end drops thinning out toward the foot.
  • Rows of single brush dabs, like rain One colour. Press a round brush flat and lift, row after row, each row offset; no outlines.
  • Sausage dog wrapped round a mug, nose to tail Chestnut, black, red. Head one side of the handle, tail the other, a long body and a red collar; round brush.
  • Snowy pines round the foot of a mug Forest green, pale blue. Pines rising from the foot, pale blue brush-end snow above; fan brush for branches.
  • Speckled glaze look from a flicked toothbrush One dark colour on bare white. Load a toothbrush and flick it with a thumb from a hand's width away.
  • Sticker-resist stars under a sponged night sky Navy, purple. Star stickers on first, sponge both colours over them, lift the stickers with a pin.
  • Strawberries tossed round a mug, seeds in liner Red, green, yellow. Heart-shaped berries at angles, leafy caps, seed flecks last; round brush, liner.
  • Sun mug and moon mug as a pair Yellow, orange, navy. A sun face on one, a crescent on the other, both opposite the handle; round brush.
  • Swimmers doing lengths round the middle of a mug Pool blue, red, black. Lane ropes as dashed rings, three swimmers mid-stroke; round brush and liner.
  • Tall poppies and cornflowers reaching for the rim Red, cornflower blue, green. Stems from the foot, flower heads just under the rim; liner and round brush.
  • Tape-resist stripes peeled back to white One or two colours. Press the tape down hard, paint over everything, peel while the last coat is damp.
  • Tartan in three brush widths Forest green, navy, mustard. Wide bands, then medium, then liner threads, down and across; dry between.
  • Tea-strength colour chart down the inside of a mug Cream, biscuit, tan, chestnut. Four swatches down the inside wall, each one labelled; flat brush, liner.
  • Thumbprint balloons with liner strings Red, yellow, blue, black. Thumbprints in a bunch, the strings gathered to one point; liner brush.
  • Tiny heart on the inside base of an espresso cup Red. One heart on the floor of the cup, the outside left plain; small round brush.
  • Two-faced mug: awake on one side, asleep on the other Black, pink. Open eyes to the left of the handle, closed lashes to the right, cheeks by brush end; liner.
  • Waves round the foot, one gull opposite the handle Navy, teal, black. Three rows of scalloped waves, a two-stroke gull high on the far side; round brush.
  • Whale round a mug, spout rising beside the handle Blue, pale blue, black. Body round the base, tail at one side of the handle, spout at the other; round brush.
  • Wobbly freehand stripes from foot to rim Three colours. Vertical lines painted freehand, wobble and all, a brush-width apart; round brush.
  • Wraparound landscape that starts and ends at the handle Sky blue, sage, olive, cream. Hills right round the body, sun opposite the handle; fan brush for the sky.
  • Your usual order lettered round the middle Black, one accent colour. One line of lower-case lettering that ends at the handle; liner or writer bottle.

Plate 26

  • A family saying lettered right round the rim Black or navy. Plan the spacing, capitals round the rim, a star where the saying starts and ends; liner.
  • Bald face in the well, dinner becomes the hair Black, pink. Eyes, nose and smile low in the well, the top half left empty for the food; liner brush.
  • Birthday plate with candles round the rim Six brights, yellow. Striped candles standing on the inner edge of the rim, flames pointing out; liner.
  • Blue dashes radiating from the well Cobalt. Rings of single round-brush strokes from the well outward, each ring offset from the last.
  • Checkerboard rim on a dinner plate Black. Two rows of squares round the rim, the well left plain; small flat brush, one stroke per square.
  • Christmas Eve plate with a spot for each treat Red, green, black. Three labelled rings in the well for a biscuit, a carrot and a drink; liner brush.
  • Confetti triangles in four colours Four brights. Small triangles at all angles, none touching, thinning out toward one edge; flat brush.
  • Feather scratched through teal across a plate Teal over bare white. Coat the well, let it firm up, scratch a shaft and barbs through with a wooden tool.
  • Fish nose to tail round the rim Teal, coral, black. Eight fish swimming one way round the rim, well left plain; round brush, liner scales.
  • Four side plates, one fruit each Red, yellow, green, purple. Apple, pear, lemon and plum, each filling a well, rims in matching dashes.
  • Four-way folk flower, mirrored in quarters Red, blue, green, yellow. Quarter the plate lightly, repeat one flower and leaf in each quarter; round brush.
  • Fried egg in the well of a breakfast plate Yolk yellow, grey, black. Wobbly egg-white outline in grey liner, yolk off centre, pepper flecks.
  • Ginkgo leaves fanning in from the rim Mustard, ochre, green. Fan shapes with their stalks at the rim, all pointing to the centre; flat brush, liner.
  • Handprint in the well with the year on the rim One bright colour, black. Sponge paint onto the palm, press once, letter the year on the rim; liner.
  • Knife and fork painted on opposite rims Grey, black. Fork on the left rim, knife on the right, outlined in liner; the well left plain.
  • Moth with wings spread across the whole plate Cream, tan, brown. Body down the centre, wings out to the rim, eye spots by brush end; round brush, liner.
  • Octopus in the well with arms out onto the rim Coral, pink, black. Head in the centre, eight arms curling onto the rim, sucker dots by brush end.
  • Olive branch wreath round the rim Olive green, sage, deep purple. Paired leaves on one stem right round, an olive every third pair; round brush.
  • One spiral from the centre of a plate to its rim One blue. Spin the plate on a banding wheel, hold a loaded round brush still and draw it slowly outward.
  • Rings in sea colours on a banding wheel Navy, teal, aqua, sand. Spin the wheel and touch the brush down once for each ring, widest at the rim.
  • Scalloped edge in one colour One colour. Half-circles side by side round the outer edge, a brush-end dot inside each; round brush.
  • Splatter plate with a clean white rim Navy, teal, mustard. Mask the rim with tape, flick each colour from a toothbrush, peel the tape.
  • Squiggles piped from a writer bottle Two or three colours. Loose loops and zigzags straight from the nozzle, with no brush at all.
  • Sun face in the well, rays out to the rim Yellow, orange, brown. Face in the well, long and short rays alternating across the rim; round brush.
  • Watermelon slice across half a plate Pink-red, green, black. Rind along the rim on one half, flesh to the centre line, seeds last; flat brush.
  • Whole plate as an orange slice, rim as the peel Orange, pale orange. Peel colour on the rim, ten segments in the well, bare white pith lines between.

Bowl 25

  • Alphabet-soup letters floating in the base Tomato red, orange. Capitals scattered on the floor of the bowl, a few spelling a name, red lip; liner.
  • Bear face in a bowl, ears painted at the rim Brown, tan, black. Muzzle on the floor, eyes on the wall, two ear curves up at the rim; round brush.
  • Berry bowl, strawberries outside and seeds inside Red, green, yellow. Berries round the outside wall, tiny seed flecks scattered inside; round brush.
  • Bird's nest bowl with three eggs in the base Brown, tan, pale blue. Twig strokes criss-crossed up the inside, three eggs on the floor; liner brush.
  • Blue lattice net round a rice bowl Cobalt. Diagonal liner lines one way round the outside, then the other, a dot at every crossing.
  • Cherry pairs tossed inside, stalks toward the rim Red, green. Pairs on the inside wall, a fleck of each cherry left bare as the shine; brush end, liner.
  • Coconut bowl, rough brown outside and white inside Brown, dark brown. Dry-brush streaks all round the outside, inside left bare white; stiff flat brush.
  • Date and initials hidden under the foot One dark colour. Small lettering underneath, inside the foot ring; liner. Ask the studio if it can be painted.
  • Flower opening from the base, petals up the wall Pink, coral, yellow. Centre on the floor, long petals up the inside wall as far as the rim; round brush.
  • Frog in the base of a pond bowl Greens, blue, pink. Lily pads up the inside wall, a frog on the floor of the bowl looking up; round brush.
  • Goldfish in the base, ripples up the wall Orange, pale blue. One fish on the floor of the bowl, liner ripple rings widening up to the rim.
  • Hidden message in the base of a bowl Black, one bright colour. Two or three words on the floor of the bowl inside a ring of dots; liner brush.
  • Inside one colour, outside another, lip a third Mustard, teal, coral. Flat colour in, flat colour out, the edge of the lip picked out last; wide flat brush.
  • Nesting bowls in three blues, dark to pale Three blues. Darkest on the smallest bowl, palest on the largest, every lip left white; wide flat brush.
  • Night sky inside a bowl, full moon in the base Navy, pale yellow. Moon on the floor first, navy sponged round it, stars scratched through with a stick.
  • Pet bowl with paw prints walking round the outside Black or brown, one accent. Prints in pairs round the wall, the name between them; brush end, liner.
  • Popcorn bowl with red and white tent stripes Red. Tape vertical stripes round the outside, paint every other gap, peel the tape; flat brush.
  • Pumpkin bowl with ribs running base to rim Orange, burnt orange, green. Curved ribs up the outside in two oranges, the lip in green; round brush.
  • Ring dish with an initial in the base One colour. A small capital on the floor of the dish, the lip painted in the same colour; liner brush.
  • Salad bowl with leaves overlapping up from the base Three greens. Big leaf shapes from the floor up the inside wall, darker veins in liner once dry.
  • Shoal of small fish circling up the inside wall Orange, teal. Two-stroke fish all swimming one way, spiralling from the base to the rim; round brush.
  • Spiral from the base up the inside wall One colour. Start on the floor of the bowl and wind out and up to the rim in a single line; round brush.
  • Watermelon bowl, green outside and pink inside Green, dark green, pink-red, black. Striped rind outside, flesh inside, seeds near the base; flat brush.
  • Wave band round the outside of a noodle bowl Indigo. Overlapping half-circle waves in three rows under the rim; round brush, liner for the inner arcs.
  • Waves scratched through blue round the outside Blue over bare white. Coat the outside, let it firm up, scratch rolling waves through with a wooden tool.

Vase 22

  • A colour band at every change of curve Four earth colours. Foot, belly, shoulder and neck each get a band of their own; flat brush, steady hand.
  • Black-figure runners on a terracotta-coloured vase Terracotta, black. Coat in terracotta, runners in silhouette round the shoulder, two bands below; liner.
  • Bud vase trio: stripe, dot and check in one colour One colour. One pattern per vase, the same colour on all three; liner brush and brush end.
  • Cherry blossom branch wrapping the belly Brown, pink, deep pink. One branch winding once round, five-petal blossoms by brush end, buds at the tip.
  • Cobalt peonies round the belly of a vase Cobalt, pale blue. Three big blooms at the widest part, leaves between, thinned paint for shading; round brush.
  • Dried-grass strokes up one side in earth colours Ochre, tan, rust. Tall curved liner stems from the foot, feathery dry-brush plumes at the top.
  • Harlequin diamonds stretched over the belly Two colours. Diamonds widest at the belly, narrower at neck and foot; liner grid first, then flat brush.
  • Ivy trailing down from the lip Two greens. Stems falling from the lip to mid-belly, leaves smaller toward the tips; round brush, liner.
  • Ladybird trail climbing a vase to the lip Red, black. Fingerprint ladybirds along a dashed spiral from foot to lip; liner for spots and legs.
  • Meadow silhouette round the foot, seed heads higher One dark green. Grasses and seed heads in silhouette, the tallest reaching the shoulder; liner brush.
  • Moonflowers left white on a black vase Black, pale green. Outline trumpet flowers and heart leaves, fill black round them; round brush, liner.
  • Painted stems that rise to meet the real ones Three greens. Stems and leaves from the foot to the lip and no flower heads; liner and round brush.
  • Penguin vase with a white belly Black, orange. Belly left bare white, black back and flippers, beak at the shoulder, feet at the foot.
  • Seed-packet label lettered on the belly Cream, black, one flower colour. A label panel with the flower, its name and its sowing month; liner.
  • Snake coiled round from foot to neck Green, yellow, black. The body winds three times round, head resting at the neck; round brush, liner scales.
  • Sunburst scratched round the neck through ochre Ochre over bare white. Coat neck and shoulder, let it firm up, scratch rays down from the lip.
  • Swallows flying up and round toward the neck Navy, rust. Five birds on a rising spiral, the smallest nearest the neck; round brush, liner for the tails.
  • Toadstool cottage vase with a door at the foot Red, cream, brown. Red shoulder painted round bare white spots, a round door and windows below; round brush.
  • Two carp chasing each other round the belly Orange, black, pale blue. One fish on each side, tails curving with the vase, water lines in liner.
  • Vertical stripes that narrow into the neck Two colours. Stripes from the foot that taper as the vase narrows and meet at the lip; flat brush, liner.
  • Wavy strata lines stacked from foot to lip Five earth colours. Wobbly level bands of uneven width all the way up the vase; round brush.
  • Willow branches hanging from the neck Sage, olive. Long liner strands falling from the neck, leaves as single strokes down both sides.

How it works

A mug has a handle, an inside and a base that shows only when the drink is gone, which few painting surfaces offer. These mug painting ideas are written for paint-your-own-pottery studios, where the studio glazes and fires your piece. All 120 designs, plates, bowls and vases included, list colours, placement and the brush or sponge.

Read the full guide

Use the handle, the rim and the base

Sixteen mug designs involve the handle, as in Elephant mug with the handle as its trunk. Bowl painting ideas get a surface that shows only when the bowl is empty, hence Hidden message in the base of a bowl. Vase painting ideas can skip the flowers: Painted stems that rise to meet the real ones.

What the studio does next

Decoration applied before a transparent glaze and fired in a kiln is called underglaze, so the painting ends up beneath the glaze. Pottery fired without glaze is biscuit, or bisque. Porous biscuit readily absorbs water, so reload often, and ask the studio how many coats a solid colour needs.

  • Let a tool make the mark: Speckled glaze look from a flicked toothbrush is one of 37 easy pottery painting ideas for beginners, and Scalloped edge in one colour is a one-colour way into plate painting ideas.
  • Six designs scratch through the paint, such as Leaves scratched through navy on a mug. That is sgraffito, from the Italian graffiare, to scratch: cutting through a coating to show the layer beneath.
  • Turn the form into a body: Penguin vase with a white belly is one of 24 cute pottery painting ideas.

Questions and answers

Can I paint these at home instead of at a studio?

These are ceramic painting ideas for a studio that glazes and fires the piece. If you are painting at home with acrylics or paint pens, treat the piece as decoration and keep paint off surfaces that touch food or drink unless your paint's label says it is made for that. Nineteen designs sit inside a mug or bowl, and plate designs sit where food goes, so start with a vase.

Which mug designs are quick, and which fill a session?

The Mug group holds 47, and 19 of those are also under Easy. Tiny heart on the inside base of an espresso cup, one red heart, is the smallest of the cup painting ideas. Tartan in three brush widths will fill a whole session.

Can a design move to a different piece?

Often. Fifteen designs name no piece, and a band or a tossed pattern moves from mug to bowl to vase unchanged. Designs built on a handle, a plate's well or a bowl's base stay put.

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