Ladybug painted on drinking cup

This is a custom painting done on my baby daughter's drinking cup. She needs something unique at kindergarten.


Note that there was a first version, painted by my wife and sealed with decoupage glue. After about three months or so, it came off. For the second try: enter acrylics.

I primed the drinking cup using hobby paint, which I found to be rougher than miniature paints and so I hoped it would stick better. I immediately regretted not diluting the first coat, as the brush strokes are visible all over. Oh well. 5 more diluted coats helped a little.

Then I used black wash to draw the outlines.

Block in the main areas: Heavy Skintone for the face, Sick Green and Dark Green for the leaf, Gory Red for the carapace, Dead Flesh for the underside. Then use black to reinforce the outlines and correct any slops.

Use more black to draw the face, the antennae, the legs and the spots on the carapace. Finished!

Ah yes, then seal with gloss varnish. I went overboard and did around 10 coats. Let's see if it holds!