Textural tumblers

Paste relief

The easiest and quickest of all three tumblers (pale green tumbler).

1. Cover the work surface before beginning. Take a straight-edged plastic drinking tumbler (it can be as short or tall as you like) and thoroughly sand it. This is important because roughing up the surface will help the gel to stick better and the clear plastic will look more white or opaque once you have sanded it.

2. Use a wooden spatula to apply the gel paste to the surface of the tumbler (A). Squeeze the tube and use long strokes up and down. The more texture the better. You want to create a thick textural relief, so the tumbler looks as if it has been cast from concrete.

3. Set aside to dry. This may take a couple of days depending on how thick the gel is. Once dry, paint in Resene Karen Walker Beryl Green. Apply two coats making sure it is completely covered.

Wood relief

A simple but effective look using lengths of dowel.

1. Repeat Step 1 (above) protecting the work surface and sanding the tumbler so it’s rough. We used a taller drinking tumbler for this one, making sure that the dowels were just longer than the height of the vessel.

2. It’s easiest to place a straight line of glue directly onto the tumbler and then stick the dowel to it – no burnt fingers! Make sure the first dowel is perfectly straight as it will dictate the position of the rest (B). Take your time while gluing the pieces of dowel all the way around the tumbler. Try not to leave any space between each dowel. Hot glue dries quite quickly, so don’t glue large areas or try to stick multiple dowels at once, as the glue may dry before you get a chance to stick them all down, leaving a messy and uneven surface to cover up.

3. Once complete, paint in Resene Karen Walker Blanched Pink. Apply two coats, making sure you get in between the small wooden ridges. Allow to dry between coats.

Pebble relief

The hardest and messiest of all three but well worth the effort (white tumbler).

1. Repeat Step 1 (above), sanding the tumbler.

2. One 250g tube of ready-to-use tile and grout adhesive was just enough for our tall tumbler. Wear disposable gloves to protect your hands. Start at the bottom edge, placing a layer of stones all the way around. As you work your way up to the top of the tumbler the stones will sit on top of each other, helping them stay in position.

3. Squeeze out a generous amount of adhesive and stick on the stones as you go. Work in small sections, pressing the stones on hard enough to push out some grout around each stone. Use plenty of grout so it fills the spaces between the stones. Make sure the last row of stones covers the top rim of the tumbler.

4. Once you have covered the entire tumbler, check to make sure you don’t have any large gaps. If you do, select some tiny stones to fill any holes.

5. Dampen your finger and smooth areas of grout between the stones. Leave to dry overnight.

6. When it’s dry, there might be hardened grout stuck to some of the stones or the odd rough area of grout. Neaten it by simply sanding over all these areas. Fold a piece of sandpaper to get in between all the little grooves (C). It’s time-consuming, but it’s worth putting in the effort, as the finished product will look much neater.

7. Wipe away any dust before painting. Use at least two coats of Resene Quarter Alabaster, making sure all the crevices are evenly coated. Set aside to dry for another 24 hours.

Project by Marsha Smith, April 2020

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Projects from the Australian Women's Weekly
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