Continuing my series on why teacups are special…

Fine china teacups are associated with special occasions and when friends/family visit and therefore don’t typically get used much.

This association (using teacups = special occasions) means that if you drink tea out of teacups on a regular basis every day becomes special. They create a mini celebration and at the same time a moment of calm.

I’m very careful with my vintage cups and don’t use them that often, but I’m thankful to have an incredible collection of modern patterned cups and saucers that are suitable for everyday use. (Full disclosure: some days I have a lot of dishwashing by hand to do!)

I can choose a cup to suit my mood – whether I’m intending to sketch it or simply drink from it.

These coloured and patterned cups and saucers

• make me happy
• cause me to enjoy my cup of tea more (plus make the tea taste better as discussed last time) and
• create a quiet moment in my typically busy days.

The calm comes from focusing my mind on applying pigment and water to my page and at the same time there is a celebration of colour, pattern and unexpected watercolour magic. So the two – calm and celebration – coexist at the same time.

If you missed it… I’m doing a series on ‘Why teacups are special’ in the leadup to the first run-through my SketchingNow Teacups course.

Recent articles include:

Why teacups are special: Personal memories

Why teacups are special: The tea tastes better

The Teacups Course is now open for enrollment – and available as a self-paced course!

Find out more and enroll here!

Do you have any cups that you only use for special occasions? Have you ever tried using them (and sketching them) on just a normal regular day?