What you can do Autism

So as we all know Christmas is just around the corner. It's already the 2nd of December and Doodle is very excited about it. She knows we celebrate the birth of Christ in December. So what do you get those in your family or close to you that your child on the spectrum can do? Even though Doodle has autism she can still doodle pretty well.

In this tutorial I will give you all the types of things you will need to make a one of a kind cups that you and your child can work on together. Create one of a kind products that everyone will love. This turned out the be the easiest thing that Doodle could do and still make something special and beautiful.

What you want to do is start out with a pencil and a ceramic mug, much like this image.You can purchase your ceramic mugs from any where you wish to use. I got a good majority of the mugs I used from the Dollar Tree. The coffee cups without handles came from Michaels Craft store. Because I love those type mugs. They are my favorite.

The pencil you see is a sketching pencil with a grading scale of HB. This worked very well for Doodle to doodle on the cup with.

As you can see this lead is the best for drawing on the cups and being seen. If you don't believe me check out my art on a cup. I did not use an HB pencil. I used a regular one.

This cup I purchased at Michaels Craft store for $4.99

Not so easy to see.

When your images are finished and you're ready to really create your master piece as a lasting piece to be used over and over again, grab yourself some porcelain pens. If you have a little trouble with what a porcelain pen is, here is some help. These are oil-based paint pens. I found these at Michaels Craft Store. They are made by the company craft smart. Some what tricky to get started but works great once the ink drops. Only use oil-based markers. You can NOT use sharpies unless it states it's an oil-based marker.

With these pens you will be able to outline all that has been drawn on the cups. As shown here.

All I did was trace on her pencil drawings with the black oil-based paint pen. The image directly above this short paragraph, its a polar bear wearing a scarf. How cute!

Once you have everything outlined, it's time to color.

Yes, they are vibrant and so adorable. And who ever gets this for Christmas gets a piece of Doodle's history. But we aren't done just yet. Now it's time to bake. Bake??? you ask. Yes, you have to bake the paint into the ceramic cup. It's the best way to make sure that you have a mug or cup that can be washed and used for years without the paint coming off.

From this point you place your ceramic mugs in the oven. Do not turn your oven on before you put the mugs in the oven or else they will crack or break. You want the ceramic to warm up with the oven and heat up with the temperature. Place your ceramic mugs in the oven and turn it on to 425 degrees (if you're in the United States). Bake your ceramic mugs for 30 minutes. Once it's been 30 minutes, turn your oven off and keep your mugs in the oven as they cool down with your oven. You will be able to take your mugs out of the oven after 2 hours and they have fully cooled down.

You guys enjoy your day! And have some fun being creative!