- By Rashmi Chauhan
I am gonna go and guess that you had a busy week. Let’s relax a little this weekend and fascinate ourselves with an art form that even though it employs regular painting material, but still is easy enough for a novice to practise, fun enough for even a kid to indulge in, creativity spurring with countless possibilities and has tons of useful applications.
Welcome to Paper Marbling.
I am gonna go and guess that you had a busy week. Let’s relax a little this weekend and fascinate ourselves with an art form that even though it employs regular painting material, but still is easy enough for a novice to practise, fun enough for even a kid to indulge in, creativity spurring with countless possibilities and has tons of useful applications.
Welcome to Paper Marbling.
Well, where shall we start? Like for anything, look to Wikipedia. It says: “Paper marbling is a method of aqueous surface design, which can produce patterns similar to smooth marble or other stone. The patterns are the result of colour floated on either plain water or a viscous solution known as size, and then carefully transferred to an absorbent surface, such as paper or fabric. Through several centuries, people have applied marbled materials to a variety of surfaces. It is often employed as a writing surface for calligraphy, and especially book covers and endpapers in bookbinding and stationery. Part of its appeal is that each print is a unique monotype.” Hmm, that’s an explanation as good as any. But, isn’t it too full of jargon!! At least sounds so to me. No worries. I shall explain it step by step. |
But before that, don’t you wanna know if it’s of at least any use? Sure, the picture above looks abstract and beautiful. But where would you use something like that? Trust me, you can use them anywhere. Like these for example -
You can put it on book covers, designer cards, scrapbook, wall hangings, gifts, any and all decorative stuff. That should be a good enough reason for you to learn and have some fun with it.
Creating these designs is simple. It is a liquid solution by which you can create smooth patterns like that you see on natural marble . So, that's where the name come from – creating marble on paper. This technique seems to have been first employed in East Asia around the 10th Century AD, travelling through Central Asia and finally reaching Europe in the 17th century AD. Interestingly, it was in Europe that this technique was used for lining bookshelves, drawers, etc. Currently, paper marbling is used widely across different parts of globe. Internationally, there is also a Society of Marbling which is a group of practicing marblers.
Let’s dig in!
Firstly the materials required,
Creating these designs is simple. It is a liquid solution by which you can create smooth patterns like that you see on natural marble . So, that's where the name come from – creating marble on paper. This technique seems to have been first employed in East Asia around the 10th Century AD, travelling through Central Asia and finally reaching Europe in the 17th century AD. Interestingly, it was in Europe that this technique was used for lining bookshelves, drawers, etc. Currently, paper marbling is used widely across different parts of globe. Internationally, there is also a Society of Marbling which is a group of practicing marblers.
Let’s dig in!
Firstly the materials required,
And, here’s how you do the marbling, Step 1: Pour water in the tray, approximately 2 to 3 cm deep. And add surfactant to thicken the water solution. Step2: With the help of the paint brush or eye dropper, add droplets of paint to the water in the tray. You may start with the colours of lighter tone and move towards brighter tones. Word of Caution: Add colours only till the water surface is covered consistently. Do not add extra colours as they might start sinking in water. Step3: Using different tools like bamboo sticks etc.to give patterns to the floating paint. Few simple patterns are shown alongside. And below are more intricate patterns. |
Below is a video on paper marbling to help you get started.
What are you waiting for? Go ahead and create these beautiful designs. Don't be afraid, no one ever gets this wrong, even if it's your first time.
Rashmi Chauhan is a PGP student at IIM Ahmedabad.
Rashmi Chauhan is a PGP student at IIM Ahmedabad.