Coffee Painting

by Beth Rush

Use coffee as a painting medium.

Supplies

  • Watercolor paper
  • Waterbrush or paintbrush
  • Coffee
  • Heat tool
  • Stamp positioner
  • Other supplies as needed to complete the project (Stampin’ Up!® Coffee Café stamp set, Early Espresso and Soft Sky cardstock, Early Espresso and Crumb Cake inks)

Step-by-Step

  1. Step 1

    Brew coffee and let it dry out in a paint palette or small container. Add a little coffee to the container each day for a few days to get a nice amount for projects.

  2. Step 2

    Add a wash of coffee to the background of the watercolor paper.

  3. Let dry or heat set.

  4. Step 3

    Add a stamped image lightly by choosing a light neutral ink and stamping off once on scrap paper to lighten more if needed.

  5. Step 4

    Add coffee to your image with a waterbrush or paint brush.

  6. Add shadows and darker areas by picking up more concentrated coffee with a barely wet brush. Dry completely before adding more layers of coffee for even darker tones.

  7. Step 5

    Assemble the card and embellish as desired.

    TIP:
    A stamp positioner is a great help for getting a crisp image on textured watercolor paper.

  8. Step 6

    Complete the project.

Video!

Your Turn

You've seen the tutorial, now you try it! We've got a section of the gallery set aside for Coffee Painting. Try this technique, then upload your artwork to the gallery. Show us your creations!

***Please note - Internet Explorer/Edge is not a supported browser, and will not allow you to see the videos. Please use Chrome, Firefox or Safari to view our tutorial videos.

Questions and Comments

We'd love to get your feedback or questions. Leave your comment below.

So excited about this tutorial, I seriously can't wait to try it!!!
Laura Taff  |  Wed Jun 6, 2018 at 7:34 AM
I have never tried this technique, I am sure going to give it a try! I love that you are taking art classes. We never stop learning do we? Great video tutorial! Thank you for teaching me something new today!
Susie Lessard  |  Wed Jun 6, 2018 at 7:52 AM
Wow! Love the look. I must try this. Its something new and thats what I like to see. Thank you!
Carole Mitchell  |  Wed Jun 6, 2018 at 8:13 AM
That is so clever! I like that it smells like coffee too.
Linda Crowley  |  Wed Jun 6, 2018 at 8:23 AM
Beth, what a fabulous tutorial! I love your card and really enjoyed watching your video. You are quite an artist, and I am eager to try this technique! My husband is the coffee lover in our family, so I have a good source for the coffee. Beautifully done, and I hope you'll share more videos. I loved listening to you. Hugs!
Cheryl Scrivens  |  Wed Jun 6, 2018 at 8:26 AM
Love this! Can we use leftover coffee grounds to paint with instead? Curious if I could recycle them since I only use a k-cup machine for my one cuppa joe each day.
Anne  |  Wed Jun 6, 2018 at 11:27 AM
Thank you to everyone for your nice comments!

Cheryl Scrivens - thank you. I have lots of videos at my blog and YouTube channels. bethspapercuts.com. I always feel funny talking on my videos so your comment was very appreciated!

Anne, You can add a bit of water to the grounds to get more liquid, then let the liquid evaporate and do this again a few days to get enough to paint with. If you get the actual grounds in your paint they sort of smear onto your paper and then fall off when they dry. Might make an interesting background though, give it a try and show us in the gallery!
lizzier  |  Wed Jun 6, 2018 at 1:18 PM
Do you know if you can do the same technique with tea? I hate the smell of coffee and never drink it!
Susan Bridgman  |  Wed Jun 6, 2018 at 9:22 PM
Susan Bridgman, Yes, you can do it with tea. I found it harder to get a darker tone, but I have done it. I also used a very red tea from Tazo tea, I can't remember the name but it was very red, and it looked great.
lizzier  |  Thu Jun 7, 2018 at 7:42 AM
Wow! This is the perfect technique to be done with this stamp set. Very cool! I love it and I don't even drink coffee. smile
Mary  |  Thu Jun 7, 2018 at 7:59 AM
This looks marvelous and I can't wait to try it. We grow beets and I can them. I am thinking that the red/purple juice from the beets would be interesting to try as well.
Toni Storie  |  Thu Jun 7, 2018 at 7:43 PM
Impressive. Looks awesome. Thanks for the tutorial.
burbart  |  Sat Jun 9, 2018 at 10:45 PM
What a fun card! It turned out great. Thanks for sharing.
Lou  |  Wed Aug 8, 2018 at 4:40 AM

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The Author

Beth Rush has been a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator for almost 15 years. She is a mom of three, and loves to share her love of paper crafts.

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