While I was pregnant with my son, I had closed my art business as I had no idea what the future held with bringing a new little one into the world. I wasn't sure how I would balance being a stay at home mom with an art business.
A Commission Request: A Hand Painted Stanley
A month or two after closing the shop, I received a message from a dear friend from our church back in Maine. She had received a Stanley Tumbler (The Stanley Quencher H2.0 FlowState Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Tumbler with Lid and Straw for Water, Iced Tea or Coffee - In Cream - To be exact) with scratches on the tumbler. She was sent a new tumbler and she decided to make the most out of the one with scratches on it, so she asked if she could ship it out to me to paint it for her. I was very excited and a little hesitant. My hesitancy was not from wondering if I could paint something fun on the mug, but with how the paint would hold to the mug. The Stanley Tumblers have a smooth but bumpy texture on the surface, which is sealed to the stainless steel interior. I knew I wanted to preserve some of the original texture and color and use that cream color as the background for the painting. So I chose not to sand the exterior of the Stanley Tumbler and paint directly on the smooth surface.
Request Details
My friend's specific request for composition and color was florals with desert sunset colors. I asked her if she had specific florals she would like incorporated on the tumbler, but she responded with her love of the flowers I already paint, so I was encouraged all the more to paint this mug as I saw fit. When given creative autonomy as an artist, it is not only inspiring, but a true delight that someone really loves your work enough to want your work on display in their daily life. In this case, she was able to carry around my artwork with her every day! I also love a good paint pallet and this color combo turned out perfectly with the cream colored Stanley Tumbler.
How I Planned To Paint A Stanley
Before painting on the Stanley Tumbler, I used my ipad to help narrow in the color palette and work out a few sketches on top of an image of the Stanley before I painted on the real product. This gave me confidence to paint the
How Long It Took To Paint A Stanley
Overall, it took me a few hours, which as a new mom, took me a few days time... But I enjoyed every minute and I would definitely do it again if presented the opportunity!
Things To Consider When Painting A Stanley
The one catch to note with painting on a Stanley is the durability lessens drastically and you have to be extra careful when washing the outside of the mug and the temperature of water you use to was the mug in general. Too much heat could potentially cause the paint on the mug to peel. A scratchy sponge could also peel the paint off the Stanley Tumbler. And when carrying the mug around, you will want to be careful not to scratch your keys against the paint, or jam the base of the tumbler into a tight cup holder, as this could also cause the paint to chip off the Stanley Tumbler. To protect against these issues, I did seal the outside of the Tumbler (not the handle or the stainless steel rim) with a satin varnish designed for acrylic paints. I applied two coats of this satin varnish. I chose the satin finish because that is the finish of the original Stanley Tumbler and I wanted it to blend and not look glossy or thick like a mod podge. As far as I know, the hand painted Stanley Tumbler held up well! I was messaged on multiple occasions of the many compliments it received from friends & clients alike.
As you can see, I am just now coming around to writing about this experience, and finally sharing what I was up to while the shop was closed, but I thought you might find this painting process as interesting as I did!
