A step-by-step guide to creating your own marbled print
Follow these basic steps to make a marbled print. Start by playing with just one colour and some flow aid to help you get to know how the ink behaves on the water. Then you can progress to using multiple colours and more complex patterns.
You can use as many colours as you like; there are no rules for how many, it depends on your taste and how you feel on the day. You will get into a flow of movement quickly and want to keep inks (and your drying station) nearby so you can enjoy the process. To continue experimenting, try the different ways to apply inks and move them on the water.
• Small or medium-sized water bath
• Flow aid
• Marbling inks in multiple colours
• Pipette
• Paintbrush
• Paper to print on
• Kitchen paper
• Paper cups (if you are mixing inks)
• Newspapers, washing line or drying rack
Charles Emerson1/14Playing with one colour
Step 1: Start with one colour Fill a pipette with flow aid. Hold it in one hand and a bottle of ink in the other. Slowly squeeze the ink bottle to release a couple of drops
Charles Emerson2/14Step 2: Add flow aid Now add a drop of the flow aid on top of the ink and watch as it disperses to the edges of the water bath. The flow aid acts as an invisible ink and you can have fun experimenting with it
Charles Emerson3/14Step 3: Keep going Repeat steps 1 and 2, adding alternate drops of ink and flow aid until you create a ripple effect on the surface of the water
Charles Emerson4/14Step 4: Move it around Move the ink in different directions by gently blowing or using a paintbrush. You will see the ink begin to move and form fluid patterns. When you see one you like, follow the instructions from ‘Step 5: Make a print’ below
Charles Emerson5/14Printing with multiple colours
Step 1: Add the darkest ink first Have your chosen inks to hand near your water bath. Start with the darkest colour as those pigments will take a little more time to spread and develop. Squeeze drops onto the surface of the water
Charles Emerson6/14Step 2: Add more colours Apply more drops depending on the balance of colours you would like to create. You can vary the quantity and position of the inks dropped onto the water however you wish
Charles Emerson7/14Step 3: Placing colour If you would like a specific colour to be a dominant or background colour then start with this one to create a base. Then layer the other colours in turn. If you would only like a hint of a colour in your print, then only use a few drops
Charles Emerson8/14Step 4: Move the inks around Once you have added all of the colours you want to use, gently blow on the inks to encourage a marbled effect
Charles Emerson9/14Step 5: Make a print When you see a pattern you like, take a piece of paper and gently place it on the surface of the water. Tap it slightly to release any air bubbles then pick up one corner and slowly peel it away
Charles Emerson10/14Step 6: Dry your print You will see how the patterns have transferred from the water’s surface to your paper. Now place your paper on the side or hang it up to dry
Charles Emerson11/14Step 7: Repeat the print You’ll notice that the inks left in the water will have now moved into brand-new shapes and patterns. Take another piece of paper and repeat Steps 5 and 6 to make another print
Charles Emerson12/14Step 8: …and again if you can There are often very delicate colours and patterns still sitting on the surface of the water that you might hardly be able to see. It’s always worth having another go at printing, to capture paler, pastel shades with dreamy results
13/14Step 9: Clean the water When you have finished the print run, take some kitchen paper and pull it along the surface of the water to capture the last of the inks. You can keep the same water in the bath to start a fresh print run.
Reuse the same water
You can reuse the water again and again using any type of ink. Just keep cleaning the surface with kitchen paper. If you are using oil-based inks, the oils actually help with the distribution of the inks the more often you use it. The water-based inks may make the water murky over several print runs so change it more often if required.jpg)
14/14This is an edited extract from Paper Marbling: Learn in a Weekend by Natascha Maksimovic with photography by Charles Emerson, published by Skittledog
.jpg)
