The Art of Tea Bag Painting
A course by Ruby Silvious, Graphic Designer and Visual Artist
Explore watercolor and gouache to create miniature paintings using the emptied-out tea bags as a canvas.
Is working with unconventional materials to create exciting and unique works of art your cup of tea? Step into Ruby Silvious’ marvelous world of upcycling. She has completed numerous projects with non-traditional materials to bring visual marvels to life, including 363 Days of Tea, a collection of illustrations with tea bags. Ruby’s inspired by everyday objects and incorporates them into her pieces. Her famous tea bag works all started when she was having a cup of tea with her sister; suddenly, the idea of using them for her art was born. Her creations have since been featured in international publications such as CNN Travel, PBS, The Guardian, Cosmopolitan China, and Vogue Italia.
In this online course, make art out of tea! Ruby takes you through different techniques for painting using tea bags as a special canvas. She teaches you how to train your hand through painting exercises and guides you through other ways you can use tea bags to create unique works of art. Once you are all done, she shows you how to display your pieces to share them with the world.
What will you learn in this online course?
11 lessons & 19 downloads
What's included in this course?
Start your tea-painting journey by meeting your teacher, Ruby Silvious. She explains her journey of creating art out of unconventional materials and what inspires her.
Explore the materials you’ll work with, and search for references to inspire your project. Prepare your canvas and train your hand with some painting exercises.
Next, tackle the first drawing: which will be a teacup. Then, do a birch tree, a hibiscus flower, and explore options for your background.
Finally, Ruby shows you some other ideas to discover using tea bags and how to display your pieces to boost them on social platforms.
By the end of the course, you’ll be able to compose wonderful paintings in a small size, no matter what medium you choose!
- 99% positive reviews (115)
- 2,658 students
- 11 lessons (1h 16m)
- 19 additional resources (3 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Depict three subjects on used tea bags with different painting techniques.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Anyone interested in upcycling and in learning how to paint on non-traditional canvas.
Requirements and materials
Tea bags, watercolors, gouache, paint brushes, fine-point pen, and pencil.
Reviews
Ruby Silvious
A course by Ruby Silvious
Ruby Silvious is a Graphic Designer and Visual Artist based in the United States. She has been making upcycled art since she retired, taking discarded materials to create unique worlds of art. Her claim to fame is her work using tea bags, which went viral on Instagram in 2015. It has since been featured in international publications such as CNN Travel, PBS, The Guardian, Cosmopolitan China, and Vogue Italia. Her work has been exhibited across the world, from the U.S. to Japan to Europe.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
Preparing for the Tea Bag Painting
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Inspiration and References for the Project
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Understanding the Medium: Types of Tea Bags and How to Prepare Them for Painting
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Painting Materials
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Painting and Technique Exercises
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U3
Completing the Project
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Painting a Tea Cup
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Painting a Birch Tree
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Painting a Hibiscus Flower
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U4
Display Options and Other Applications
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Other Ideas for the Used Tea Bags
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Sharing on Social Media
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FP
Final project
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The Art of Tea Bag Painting
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Yes, this teabag art course is designed for beginners and guides you step-by-step through materials, techniques, and creative processes, making it accessible even if you have no prior art experience.
You’ll need used or empty teabags, watercolor or gouache paints, brushes, paper towels, a palette, and optional items like fine-point pens and tape. The course provides a full materials list and preparation tips.
You’ll learn how to prepare teabags as canvases, use watercolor and gouache, apply layering techniques, create miniatures, and develop unique artwork inspired by everyday life, nature, travel, and fashion.
The course teaches you how to carefully open, empty, clean, and flatten teabags using simple techniques—no scissors required—so you can use them as unique painting surfaces.
Most types of teabags work, but the course explains how different shapes, sizes, and tea stains affect your results and how to select the best teabags for watercolor and gouache art.
No previous experience is needed. The course covers foundational techniques for both watercolor and gouache, including brush handling, mixing, layering, and creating gradients.
You’ll learn pointillism, layering, blending gradients, sketching, outlining with fine pens, and creating textures and highlights using both watercolor and gouache on delicate teabag surfaces.
Hat viel Spaß gemacht!!!!
I enjoyed discovering this new fun form of art. The teacher was very clear and explained well. Her creativity is amazing and I loved seeing all her tea bag creations!
Great class, I enjoyed it very much. Excellent instruction, resources, techniques and ideas for future exploration.
Este curso de domestika me parece una maravilla, muy original y creativo ! Lo recomiendo totalmente!!
Great!