How to make a coffee monster – the process

Welcome to the monster factory–or shall we say thecoffeemonsters factory?

You know those coffee rings on your desk? The accidental splat on your notes? The suspicious stain on the staff room table that nobody's owning up to?

Those aren't messes. Those are monsters waiting to be drawn.

This little corner of the internet is for monsterfolks who want to bring a bit of delightful chaos into their day. Whether you're working with the splats that just... happen—the drips, the rings, the oops-moments—or you're going full mad scientist and making intentional ones for an art session, the process is the same.

Stare at the stain. Find the creature hiding inside. Draw it out.

Kids are unreasonably good at this, by the way. Give them a coffee splat and a marker and watch what happens. It's basically magic. You're a teacher? You might want to look here too.

Ready to make some monsters?

How to make a coffee monster—the process is arguably simple

1. Choose your paper wisely.
Copic marker paper is the go-to. Coffee sits on the surface instead of sinking straight in, which gives you those beautiful defined edges. That's the master move. Everything else is just joyful splattering.

1.2 Brew a good one.
Let the coffee brew as you like. The stronger, the more intense the color, as more particles dissolve into the water. In a pinch? Cheat. Heavily diluted watercolors work just as well. No judgment here.

2. Pick your splat technique:

2.1 The Teaspoon.
Fill it a quarter of the way. Hold it over the paper. Flip it fast. Splat. Done.

2.2 The Cup.
Place it on the paper. Be deliberately clumsy. Let it overflow.

2.3 The Brush.
Dip it in coffee, hold it bristles-down above the paper, and drop it. Gravity does the rest.

2.4 The Canvas.
Hang a large canvas on the wall. Tape off the floor. Fill a cup a quarter of the way. Hurl it at the canvas. Magnificent chaos.

2.5 ... I'm sure you or your class, if you're a teacher, will come up with more. 😉

 

3. Drying time.
In real life: 4–6 hours. In a classroom: 3–10 minutes. One word — hairdryer. Hold it vertical above the splat, nice and far away at first. Move it slowly closer once the main puddles have dried.

 

4. Have an absolutely monstrously good time. 🎉

P.S.: If the kids aren't into coffee (and let's be honest, they won't be)—swap it for a very, very, very long-brewed tea. The stronger, the better. The deeper the color, the more monsterrific your results.

 

love xo
Stefan

P.P.S.: This page uses affiliate links <3 that no one has ever clicked since I signed up for it, but if you do so, you'll support me and my coffeelicious work.