How to make marbled paper

Marbled paper uses a painting method that aims to imitate the natural effects of marble and other rocks.

It is thanks to the floating of paints on a liquid medium that such motifs are acquired.

To capture them on paper, a printing technique analogous to monotype is used, pressing the sheet onto the surface of the liquid.

In this way, the fluidity of the shapes is transported to the paper and can then endure over time.

In this article, you’ll find out what marbled paper is and how it’s made. You can deepen your knowledge in the online course with certificate.

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What is marbled paper

As mentioned, paper marbling is a painting method used to imitate the natural effects of marble and other stone.

Starting from the basic principle of execution – floating paints in a liquid medium – various ways of making marbled paper have been developed over time using different liquid media.

We’ll get to know some of the most common ones in this article.

Always original patterns

A special feature of this type of printing is that the marbled paper does not create a faithful duplicate of the original matrix (unlike printing on a solid surface).

When transferring to paper, the inks often mix, creating surprising, unpredictable but always stunning effects.

Since most of the ink is transferred to the paper during the printing process, each marbled paper is also a unique original, and there is no possibility of making another one exactly like it using the same technique.

Where marbled paper originated

Traditionally, marbled paper was used for writing (in the Far East).

It appeared in Japan under the name Suminagashi (Sue -Me-NAH-Gah-She), which literally means “floating ink”.

In the West, marbled paper was used to bind books, particularly on back covers.

Marbled Paper Techniques

Paper marbling is a process in which aqueous, oil-based inks, pigments or dyes can be used and which, when floated on an aqueous medium, generate fluid effects that are then printed on a sheet of paper.

There are two types of base on which the colors can be floated:

• pure water
• water with a thickening agent.

What is the difference

The difference between them lies in the fact that, in the first case, it is possible to take greater advantage of the loose motifs produced naturally by the movement of the water and in the second case, to create shapes and designs, without losing the sinuous effects of the liquid medium.

The more viscous the substrate, the easier it is to work out the shapes that will then be transposed onto paper.

What substances can be used

There are various substances that can be used to give the base viscosity. Below are some of them. They all use pure water as a solvent, as the hardness of the water influences the process.

Gum tragacanth:

Gum tragacanth (also called tragacanth gum or alcatira) comes from the Astragalus Gummifer plant and is obtained from its stem by exudation. The “tears of tragacanth”, as the substance expelled to defend the plant is called, can be seen on sale, purified and refined, in specialized food stores, some drugstores, natural products stores, herbalists and some stores selling products for artists. It is widely used to cover cakes and is also used as a binder in the making of dry pastels for painting. It comes from the Central African regions and the Middle East, with Iran being one of the world’s largest exporters. It is known for its traditional use in oriental marbling.

Carrageenan:

Nicknamed carrageen moss, irish moss or carrageenan in English. It consists of a mixture of polysaccharides commonly used as a thickener or emulsifier in food products. It is extracted from a red algae found in the seas and oceans of Europe, Asia and North America. The name of the algae from which it is derived is Carrageenan. It can be found spelled in various ways as carrageen, carragheen or carageen. Carrageenan is available from herbalists, specialist food stores and natural medicine stores. It is traditionally used in Western marbling.

Sodium alginate:

A gelling agent used in the food industry, derived from seaweed, like carrageenan. It is sold in powder form in specialized food stores (molecular cuisine).

Corn starch:

Available in powder form in food stores, ready to dissolve.

Cellulose esters:

methylcellulose (such as Methocel® or Mecellose®), CMC (or carboxymethylcellulose), Tylose® (methylhydroxyethylcellulose) and others along the same lines. They can be found in specialty food stores (which supply confectioners), stationery/art supply stores and some drugstores. There are other common cellulose esters sold in construction stores, such as Metylan® wallpaper glue.

Gelatine:

Animal or vegetable protein, sold in sheets with a neutral content and widely used in cooking. It is available from any major retailer. It is a good thickener for water.

In terms of ease of acquisition, cellulose esters, starch and gelatine are the most accessible and economical.

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