I ♥ marbling
I saw these chocolate wrappers on Oh Joy ages ago and they completely changed my mind about marbling (I always used to think marbled paper looked a bit dull and assumed you needed loads of equipment).
It turns out it’s not so hard…and the results can be really colourful (Yay!).
HOW-TO
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You will need:
// Marbling paint. I used Marabu Easy Marble (not a sponsored plug!)
// A tray (I used a recycled foil food container)
// Paper (make sure it fits inside your tray)
// Water
// Cocktail sticks (a twig will do!)
// White spirit for cleaning up (or cooking oil…see comments section below for details)
// Newspaper
// An old top or Apron
STEP-BY-STEP
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1. Fill your foil container with some water….a few inches is fine. Then pop some drops of marbling paint onto the water. Limit your palette to three or four colours.
2. Give the water a swirl with a cocktail stick.
3. Shake a few more drops into the water if you fancy!
4. Once you are happy with the pattern gently lower your paper on top of the water and leave it for a few moments.
5. Then carefully lift the paper off the surface of the water.
6. Pop your design, face up, on some newspaper to dry.
HINTS & TIPS
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- Use a scrap of cardboard to ‘scrape’ the top of the water in-between each go. That will get rid of any paint residue from your previous attempt.
- I used coloured paper. Because of this, one of the marbling colours I chose was a transparent colour (crystal clear), that way you get to see the colour of the paper too.
- If you are doing this with kids I would definitely recommend using some gloves and an apron…it gets a bit messy.
- Have fun!! I found marbling incredibly relaxing so grab a bit pile of paper before you start…you will get through it.
- When your paper has dried, press it under some heavy books to make it flatter & smoother! Make sure you sandwich it between greaseproof paper just in case it leaves a mark.
- If you want some more inspiration then check out my Pinterest marbling board ^_^
- This particular marbling paint is oil-based so you will need white spirit to clean up any spills.
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Susan #
I did a paper marbling / book binding workshop in high school and it’s still one of my fondest crafty memories, even 15+ years down the line.
We marbled with acrylics as well, though you have to float those on water that’s been ever so slightly thickened. I vividly remember pulling a hair pick through the paint to get a scalloped effect, and can picture that singular piece of paper easily now.
I don’t have as fond memories of oil-based marbling, but your results look fantastic, so I think I’ll definitely give it another try!
Kate #
Hi Susan,
Thanks for such a nice comment. I’ve been trying acrylic based marbling too…I have been making my own liquid starch to float the paint on but think I’m going wrong somewhere as the results aren’t that great. I’ll keep trying and see if I can come up with the perfect recipe.
My son, who is not at all crafty (!) came home from school very excited after doing some marbling which is why I decided to give it a go…it is very addictive ^_^
Susan SM #
When you mix your colors, just be sure NOT to mix complementary colors because they aren’t. Red/green, purple/yellow and blue/orange will create a brownish neutral.
Kate #
Thanks Susan ^_^
Betsy #
These are gorgeous Kate! I especially love the circles of the pattern you put up at the bottom – beautiful, and kind of ‘space’ inspiring
We played around last weekend with shaving foam and food colouring to create marbled paper, an idea I spotted on pinterest…worked a treat, and meant you didn’t have to worry so much about the oils getting everywhere (although the kids had so much fun with the shaving foam it was definitely one of our more expensive crafting sessions
Kate #
Thanks for the message Betsy…the shaving foam idea I have seen before but not done. It’s on my list! Good to have the recommendation
Yeah I liked the circles….they have a bit of a 60′s groovy vibe going on.
Thanks for stopping by ^_^
evdokia t. #
oh this reminds me of my childhood!
& i want to try it again!
thank you for the lovely tutorial!
laela martin #
Love the shaving cream method. Your oil method sounds really interesting. Must find paints first. Any suggestions?
Kate #
Hi Laela,
The link to the paints is in the ‘how-to’ section just above ^_^
Lynn #
I just used the shaving foam idea. The foam is cheap but the food coloring is expensive. It turned out great but not as good as yours. I will have to try it. Also I never thought to use colored paper. Will have to try that next time.
Stefanie #
Hi,
this looks brilliant and really makes me want to give a try to marbling again too!
A hint for cleaning up oil paint: Just use sunflower or other food oil and clean up the paint with some kitchen paper. Clear oil residues you then clean with a sponge and some soap and water. This needs two steps but is much healthier for the skin (unless you use gloves) and less smelly than working with white spirit or other solvents. Works well for oilbased blockprinting paint too.
Kate #
Thanks for the top tip….I never wear gloves (but probably should) so this is really useful to know ^_^
Ecosystem #
I saw something similar to a stree show artist, where the guy was doing some abstract drawings using spray paint. The result was really great, since he was using shapes to make the drawings, and one of it was mother earth, having above two big stars. Amazin result ..
littlewrenpottery #
Great tutorial, looks much simpler that I’d of expected!
Laura #
Kate, this is wonderful!
I had been considering this (memories from after school care, we just actual marbles to move the paint around, i’ve heard this is good to develop kids fine motor skills) for ages, thank you for directing me to the right products to use.
Perfect for christmas presents I say!
Laura
Kate #
Thanks Laura ^_^
Danielle Hardy #
What a neat idea- and such a great tutorial! And by the way, best color combos ever! Im going to give this a try- and ill let you know how it goes
Thanks for sharing lovely xo
amber #
I love this! I have been wanting to try marbling for a while but was intimidated by the supplies used in the Martha Stewart instructions for the project (in her craft encyclopedia). I didn’t know marbling paint existed! Thanks for the great instructions–can’t wait to try this out!
elyseb #
I use suminagashi inks in my classroom to dye paper. Zero mess, bright colors, and $13 worth of ink can make hundreds of prints! You can buy it at dick blick or sax
Kate #
Thanks Elyseb,
I had read about these inks and heard they were great…really hard to get hold of in UK…but i just saw some on ebay so might give them a blast. Thanks for stopping by ^_^
Lola #
Beautiful! I tried the shaving cream method, my daughter loved playing with the foam and mixing the colors, but the marbling paintings were horrible. Would love to try your method next time, love the colors!
Suzette #
This is just beautiful.I’ve a friend who done some of these papers with hers daughters & when dry she matted & framed them. Turned out Great!Never would have thought they ere this easy!
Kate #
Thanks Suzette ^_^
cardboardcities #
looking forward to trying this soon! haven’t done any marbling in ages and these look great!
Anjali #
Very beautiful….Just loved it…I heard many praises from my friends just because of u…..THANKS ;-D
SULEYMAN CANAKCILI #
I invite you to Turkey.
SULEYMAN CANAKCILI #
Your samples are good.I do marbling on leather and cloth.I invite you Turkey-Istanbul.
KK #
how do you marble on leather?
I have been trying to figure out the best way for ages!
I am aware it is best to find leather that had not been sized and doesn’t have wax and starch on it’s surface. Is it possible to marble on leather that has been sized, starched and waxed and still achieve great results?
Would so appreciate your feedback!
xo – KK
KK #
or rather, how can i remove these chemicals from leather?
thanks!
Dea Fischer #
Your results are wonderful. However, I looked into this product and it says the inks are water soluble and not waterproof or water resistant after drying. Do you fix your paper products with anything afterward?