The Process Behind Every Mug

I get asked a lot at markets if I use stencils on my mugs, and the answer is always the same:

Nope. Not even a little bit.

Every single design is drawn on by hand, directly onto the mug in pencil. No tracing, no shortcuts — just me, a blank surface, and a very steady hand (most days).

The pencil part is kind of funny, because it feels relatively permanent while I'm doing it… but it actually burns off completely in the kiln. So all those little sketch lines that guide the design? Gone. Vanished. Like they were never there in the first place.

After that, the painting starts — and it's not a one-and-done situation.

Each painting needs three full coats of underglaze to get that solid, even colour. It's a bit of a slow process — paint, let it dry, paint again, let it dry… and repeat. There's definitely some patience involved, but it's what gives the designs that soft, layered look instead of something flat.

And then comes my favourite (and most nerve-wracking) part: the outlining.

Every line you see is done by hand with the tiniest nail art brush you've ever seen. Like… truly tiny. The kind where you hold your breath a little while you're working, because one wrong move and suddenly that line has a personality of its own.

It takes anywhere from an hour all the way to three and a half hours to paint a single mug depending on the complexity of the design. Truly a labour of love.

No two mugs ever turn out exactly the same, and I honestly wouldn't want them to. The small differences — the slightly wobbly line here, the way one leaf curves a bit differently than the next — that's what makes each one feel like it was actually made, not just produced.

They're not perfect, but they're real. And that's kind of the whole point.