HOW IT'S DONE

FABRIC & PAPER MARBLING: A FINE ART, QUICKLY EXPLAINED

If you're thinking of purchasing a piece of marbled art, or starting a collection, you should know what to look for. A bit of background information is helpful.


Marbling is all about surface tension. We start with a tub or vat of liquid that will hold paint on the surface without sinking, and yet allow the artist to control the spread of the paint.


Marblers generally use some form of seaweed extract, usually carrageenan, as a "size"; that's the first ingredient in a marbling session; a tub filled at least two inches with the thickened size. You can use thinned wallpaper paste, (methyl cellulose) but your paint lines won't be as crisp or clear.


Paints are thinned down to the same consistency as the carrageenan size. An eyedropper and/or a small broom whisk and sometimes a mouth operated aerator is used to carefully drop minute amounts of paint onto the surface of the size. Every drop will spread outwards. The amount it spreads is determined by a number of different factors. The temperature of the size must be the same as the paint; humidity will have an effect, how long the size has "rested" before it's used matters. Different brands of paint, and different types of paint within the same brand will spread differently. Overenthusiasm can lead to too much paint being applied, then you're left with muddy colours or sinking paint. When that happens a murky void is left on the paper that looks like this:

Sinking paint usually looks much worse than this example. Typically, it's just a muddy, blotchy blobula left on your paper or fabric.


Air bubbles are easy to see, they're simply spots where the paper or fabric didn't touch the paint. It's also an effect the artist may choose to use deliberately by substituting soap for paint. This is an example of an obvious mistake:

Another thing to watch out for is uneven fading. Before you can marble anything it has to be sponged down with an alum and water mixture. This is the magic fixative that keeps the colours of the paper or fabric fresh throughout the final rinsing process.  If the alum mixture is too weak or too strong, if the paint is too heavy, the paper too damp, or if the alum is applied unevenly this is what happens:

After a print is made and lifted, the size has to be cleaned by dragging newsprint across the surface to remove all the remaining paint. If this isn't done correctly the next print will have raggedy edges, and blurry spots. Dust and pet hair settling on the surface will cause the same problems.


When the paper or fabric is dropped onto the surface of the size to transfer the paint, it has to be done with confidence. If the movements are too slow or jerky you will get a line running across the print that looks like this:

The music a marbler listens to is also an important step in the process!

VIDEO DEMO OF MARBLING

Marbling is the art of serendipity and surprise. It is the artist's job to control where the paint goes, and what it does, but there is always room to be playful and joyous with your expressions. A swirling dervish added here, or just a bit of contrast there to subdue a particularly gleeful colour. It's a very fast moving art, and you have a limited window of time to create. The marbler is freezing a moment in time that is impossible to predict or foresee.




YouTube has a great video that demonstrates the marbling process: