It's the beginning of December and I am already feeling all festive!  When the weather gets cold there's no better treat than a hot mug of chocolate made extra special with some whipped cream or some sweet toppings. At this time you will probably find me all curled up in a warm blanket cupping a hot drink in my hands sitting in front of the fireplace. And all that there is in that moment is the warmth of the flames and me starring at them with no thoughts whatsoever.

Getting back to our today's Christmas Special tutorial... 

Here is an easy hot chocolate watercolor tutorial topped with some Marshmallows & Candy Cane! These Christmas mug painting ideas could be a great decoration for your house with a flavor of being handmade or a cute little Christmas card that you can send out to your friend. 

If you don't know how to make a hot chocolate drawing there is a

"Free Downloadable Sketch" 

for you to download and trace it on your paper/canvas. You can easily get a print of this or do it the old-school way by using graphite paper. 

Catch all in action here:

Step 1: Crimson + Deep Pink + Dusk Orange to paint the mug using the wet-on-wet technique

• Mix Crimson + Deep Pink + Dusk Orange to create a "Bright Red"
• Add a thin layer of water to the mug area. Avoid painting the star in the middle.
• Next, start painting the mug from the left side. Maintain a subtle white stripe as the highlight to the Mug.
  To give it a rounded 3D effect to the mug make the red shade one notch darker by adding burnt umber and painting the right side border of the mug with this shade creating a slight shadow.
• Finish painting the entire mug and wait for it to dry. (I sometimes use a dryer for faster results)

Step 2: Paint the Candy Canes and berries with the same red shade as the mug and holly leaves with Sap Green + Light Green

• The candy cane paint color is the same as the mug's color. If you like, you can make it a bit darker with a tinge of Persian blue in it. Paint the alternate stripes of the cane stick and for the round one make a spiral structure keeping white space in the middle.
• When you paint the berries with the same red too, keep a random tiny white spot for each one. This makes sure that the berries don't look flat and in fact gives a 3D feel to them. If this is a little tricky for you, simply paint them all red, and when dry use an acrylic white to add the spots.
• Paint the holly leaves with different shades of green you have. I have used a combo of "Light Green + Sap Green"

Step 3: Paint Marshmallows, Cinamon, and the chocolate

• To create the Marshmallows paint color, mix 'Persian blue' + a little 'Slate Black' and use a very thin consistency (add a lot of water) to get that subtle 'Grey Shade'. Paint the left edges of each marshmallow and pull the color to paint the rest of it. The edges might appear to be darker and sharp. Blend it with water as needed
• For the Cinnamon paint color, mix Burnt Sienna + Burnt Umber. Once you paint the cinnamon stick add shadows with a little blue. Remember the light source that we imagine is on the left side so the shadows will always come on the right side.
• For the cocoa color paint/the chocolate paint color, use the same shade of color as cinnamon and fill the brim of the mug. 

Step 4: Paint brim of the mug with Persian blue

• Mix Sap green + Bottle green and make the veins for the holly leaves

• Add little leaves at some places near the berries

• To paint the white space of the Candy Canes just use a thin consistency of the red shade. Like a bubble gum paint color.

• Paint the brim of the mug with 'Persian Blue'. Use a thin brush for this one and carefully paint just the thin brim of the mug.

Step 5: Make fine details on the elements

Make some fine details by making the Star Anise, Make fine lines to the Cinnamon Stick, add a little Red-Grey shade to the star in the middle of the mug.

Step 6: Almost done! add some Shadows + Highlights

Add shadows to the mug with a Persian Blue shade and some highlights to the elements with a white pen and you are DONE! I love how the mug has turned out. It's beautiful with bright color. Perfect for a Christmassy feeling. 

More Fun Painting Ideas for you: Music Polaroids