Clean cup, clean cup! Move down, move down, move down!! Today’s project is inspired by The Mad Tea Party ride at the Disneyland Resort. I love the lanterns that canopy over the teacups and light up in all sorts of colors at night. I wanted to recreate that feeling with this project. We’ll be using some watercolor techniques, but don’t worry. You can definitely do this! Here’s what you’ll need:
| Supplies List: | Appx Cost: |
|---|---|
| White Fabric Lampshade | $10 |
| Black, Blue, Purple, Orange, Red, Yellow, and Green Paint Pens and Acrylic Paint | $5-30 |
| Colored Pencil Set | $10 |
| Approximate Cost of Supplies: | $25-55 |
If the cost is $0, I’m assuming you already have these things.
| Tools List: | Appx Cost: |
|---|---|
| Ruler | $0 |
| Pencil | $0 |
| Jar of Water | $0 |
| Paint Brush | $3 |
| Scrap Paper | $0 |
| Approximate Cost of Tools: | $3 |
If the cost is $0, I’m assuming you already have these things.
Instructions
Measure your Lampshade and decide how tall you want your teacups to be. They should be less than a third of the lampshade.
Take a piece of paper and fold it in half. This will be the template for your teacups.
Draw a line to double check the size and sketch in some circles to represent where your “guests” will be sitting.
With the paper fold on the left, draw a diagonal line curving in a little towards the bottom.
Cut out your teacup template. Adjust if necessary.
Trace your template around the base of the lampshade. There should be ample space in between each cup to accommodate handles.
The teacup handles are in the shape of an ear. It’s rounded at the top and curves hard towards the cup.
To make your cups look different, you can change the width of the handles or not have handles at all, as if the cup has turned away from you.
Adding Character
To draw your guests, start with a circle a little bit above the rim of the teacup.
Draw two lines underneath the head to represent the body.
Draw two sets of stick arms and fingers for some guests who are having a really good time.
You can add small tufts of hair, ponytails, or smiles to make each guest unique.
The Lanterns
There are three shapes for the lanterns that will go on the top rim of the lampshade.
Each shape has two thin rectangles on the top and bottom.
The first shape is a diamond, next is a long oval, and finally a double diamond.
Draw these lantern shapes around the top of your lampshade.
If I make this project again, I would make my lanterns a little bigger.
Take your Paint Pens and start outlining the lanterns. Fill in just the outer most part of the lantern. You can alternatively do this with regular acrylic paint and a liner brush.
Use Colored Pencils to fill in the rest of the lantern shape.
Once dry, use a black paint pen or acrylic paint to fill in the rectangles on the top and bottom of the lanterns.
The diamond shaped lanterns have this squiggle design on them.
Complete your lanterns all the way around the lampshade.
Warning: Because the lampshade is fabric, paints will bleed if wet!
Fill in your teacups and guests with black. Make sure everything is bone dry first!
Paint Time
To make the lanterns come to life, we’ll be using acrylic paint and water.
Using a wet Paint Brush, dip into your color and paint a circle under each lantern. The color should match the lantern’s color.
Quickly get more water on your brush and soak the spot you painted while rubbing it around where you want color to go. Repeat as necessary.
Here’s a step by step of how to apply your paint. Make sure the black is completely dry before doing this or it will bleed.
Do the lantern’s lights first and then fill in around with different colors.
Tip: Be careful! Colors opposite on the color wheel will turn grey and muddy when mixed. (yellow + purple, red + green, blue + orange)
Use paint pens to draw lines of colored light on your guests depending on which colored lantern they’re under.
Cover all white spots with color.
You made it!
Fantastic job, everyone! This is a fun project if you have a room that needs a little color and a touch of madness. It makes me happy seeing this all lit up just like the ride at the park. I can’t wait to ride it again and hear those whistling teapots!
Thanks for making it ALLLL the way down here in Wonderland! Please be sure to check out our Instagram and Pinterest. Follow us for more projects like this and photos from the park! If you have a DIY, Disney loving friend or family member, consider sharing this with them. We’d really appreciate it!
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