Add retro charm to your afternoon tea with POSCA pens

What you need...

• White crockery
  POSCA pens:
  Light blue 3M
  Red 3M
  Light pink 3M
  Pink 3M
  Light orange 3M
  Light blue 1MR
  White 1MR
  Pink 1MR
  

instructions

1. Are you a bit of a crockery hoarder? - Does the sight of freshly-painted cups and saucers make you weak at the knees? Let us introduce you to your new best friend: Uni POSCA pens. The nibs simply glide onto ceramic surfaces, so there's no need to waste time faffing with brushes and messy colour palettes. Now you can paint with accuracy, and the opaque effects are nothing short of professional. What's more, the colours can be layered over each other to create fascinating, multitonal patterns. Here, designer extraodinaire Sharon Bennett has adorned our tea set with an eclectic range of shapes and swirls, and all her patterns are available to download free on our website – so what are you waiting for? Get yourself some pens and get drawing!

2. Technique - Wipe all of the items you wish to decorate with a clean cloth, then dry thoroughly. Download the templates from our website, then trace the design onto the crockery.
   
   Decide what colour scheme you'd like, then add the larger areas of colour first. For example, for the tea pot, this would be the light pink circles. Once dry, start adding the detail.
   
   When all pen work is completed, bake in the oven. However, be aware that the paint will not withstand a cycle in the dishwasher; only lightly hand-wash your pieces.
   
   The smaller single leaves are drawn as blue, green or grey circles with a black leaf shape over the top. Complete the base in a similar way but only with a few small details to complement the shade but not overpower it.

3. Cake stand - For the top plate, first apply wavy blue lines from the centre point out towards the rim, then add coloured leaves over the top. The middle plate has a wide rim of light blue with white detail added with a fine nib. The bottom plate features a variety of orange florals. A thin application of varnish can be added over the design to help preserve the pattern.

4. Tea pot - Colour the circles in pale pink, then add petals and accents in darker hues of pink and orange. Position blue swirls around the flowers, taking care not to smudge the existing paintwork. Dot four-petalled blooms in any white areas, all in different colours. Paint the lid in a completely different style to add a shot of variation.
   cup
   
   Space a variety of flower designs around the surface, leaving very little space between each. Use pink, orange and red pens to colour the petals and centres, then add blue dots where needed.
   

5. Saucer - Ensure that your saucer has a contrasting design to the cup, but use the same colour scheme to tie the two together. Here we have used the long-petalled flowers and drawn on the same pink, orange, blue and red hues as before.

POSCA pens are available in various nib sizes to suit a variety of crafting requirements. They will adhere to any surface, including plastic, wood, MDF, glass and ceramic. If the ink is allowed to dry completely, subsequent colours can then be added and will keep their true colour. uni-POSCA pens are available from all good stationers and branches of Hobbycraft or online from www.uniball.co.uk