GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Forms of Water Marbling
There are two primary traditions in the art of water-marbling. It is fascinating that this creative art form
developed in two different areas of the world, in two vastly different cultures. Both were born fromsimilar observation and inspiration, the beauty of the natural world.

Ebru
Ebru is the ancient Turkish art of water
marbling that originated in the Ottoman
Empire. Primarily used as an art form for
paper, Turkish water- marbled paper was ahighly specialized craft. Patience, creativity,and a thorough knowledge of traditional
Turkish culture are characteristics ofmodern ebru masters. Ebru artists use
horsehair brushes and natural earth
pigments to create these complex andcolorful patterns.
Traditional Ebru marbled papers weretypically used for elite or official
correspondence. Like snowflakes, every
paper created with water-marbling ink is aunique creation, with endless variations.
This enabled marbled paper to act as asignature of sorts, ensuring an official or
royal document’s authenticity.

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/Ja-FfnUY3S4Suminagashi
Suminagashi or “ink floating” is the ancient Japanese art of paper marbling. It is believed to haveoriginated around the 12th century from Japanese monks. Suminagashi papers are typically black andwhite and designed to closely resemble the striations observed in natural rock. These marbled papers
were used in creating important documents, books, or as decorative papers around the home.
Traditional Suminagashi patterns are made with oily black ink and “sumi” brushes.

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“Sumi” brushes were used to gently add drops of black and white ink to a water’s surface to create
rigid patterns. Additionally, Suminagashi artists would often gently blow on the water’s surface tocreate delicate swirly patterns. White sheets of rice paper would then be gently placed on the water’ssurface, picking up the design and transferring it to the paper’s surface. Today, acrylic paints in avariety of colors are used to create colorful patterns reminiscent of this ancient art form.

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Water Marbling Terms
Size:
Size is the thickened water solution on which you can water marble. The size must be created byusing additives to create a solution with the right consistency for water marbling.

Transfer:
The process of laying the water marbling paper (or another substrate) gently onto the surface of thesize to imprint a colored pattern.

4Pouring:
The technique of gently pouring paint onto the surface of the size.

Dripping:
The technique of dripping paint from thebottle directly onto the size in a controlledmanner.

Base:
When creating a water marbling project, a basecolor is often used. This is accomplished bydropping small, even drops of water marbling
paint or a gentle continuous stream down thecenter of the tray onto the size to create aconsistent color across the water’s surface.

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Reluctant Spreading:This term describes the problem where the drop of paint stays concentrated in the center and does
not spread out to form an even stone. This may mean that the tray is heavily loaded with paint or inother words “full”. In this case you should stop adding paint and take a print. Or, it could also be
caused by size that is too thick. Clean the paint from the tray, and then add a little fresh size or water
to the tray and try again. If that does not work, start again with a new batch of size.
Sinking:
Sinking occurs when too much paint is applied or if paint is applied too aggressively, causing it to sinkthrough the medium and lay at the bottom of the tray. Avoid this by applying paint gently and close to
the surface of the water to prevent breaking the surface tension. However, paint on the bottom of thetray will not affect your print. It is normal to have some drops sink.

(see the dark spots of paint that have sunk to the bottom of this tray, the water marbling paintcontinues to float and swirl on the surface of the size)

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Water Marbling Materials and Tools
Rake:
A marbling tool made from a piece of wood with evenly spaced pins set about 2-3” apart. It is used tocreate patterns in the water.

Comb:
A marbling tool made from a piece of wood with evenly spaced pins set about 3/8” apart. It is used tocreate patterns in the water.

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Sumi brush:
A type of Japanese brush designed to
be used with “sumi-e”, the black ink
used in the suminagashi style ofwater marbling. These brushes are
dipped into the ink or paint and thenlightly touched to the surface of thewater or size to apply it.
Marbling Stylus:
Sharp edged sticks, typically made of wood, that are used to draw through, swirl, or apply marbling
paint to the size to achieve different designs.

8DecoArt Cleaning Paper:
Specialty paper used to clean the surface of the size between prints. Floating the cleaning paper onto
the size and dragging it across the surface will absorb any remaining floating colors to clean the tray
and prepare for your next design.

DecoArt Marbling Paper:
Specially designed ready-to-use paper with a bright, white color and excellent wet strength that canbe used to easily make crisp paper prints with clean, clear patterns.

9DecoArt Surface Prep:
A natural powder used to treat surfaces such as fabric, to create
more bold and lasting colors, and help marbling paint adhere to nonabsorbent surfaces such as glass or metal. It will also prevent
bleeding and promote crisp, clean prints. Some absorbent surfaces
and papers do not need to be treated with alum, and some do. It is agood idea to test your surface to determine if this step is needed.

DecoArt Water Marbling Magic Medium:An easy to use naturally occuring thickening powder that can bemixed with water in order to create the perfect size for water marbling.
Size created with this medium can be used in 30 minutes to 1 hour
after preparation and, if stored properly, can be reused for up to 5days or more. It does not require refrigeration or other additives. Most
household tap water works well, but if your water is especially hard,better results can be achieved by using distilled water. For best
results we recommend using warm water.

Note: there are several options for creating a water marbling size that is thick enough to hold ink orpaint on the surface for water marbling. Each of the methods have their own advantages anddisadvantages.
Carrageenan:
The Carrageenan method uses a powder made from seaweed that will thicken water in order tocreate the size for water marbling. However, this powder requires intense mixing, often in a blenderand needs to sit overnight before it can be used. Carrageenan spoils easily and must be kept
refrigerated and then brought to room temperature when used.
Methylcellulose:
DecoArt’s Magic Medium uses methylcellulose to enable you to easily create a size for water
marbling. This method for creating a water marbling size uses a naturally occurring cellulosic powder
to thicken water and allow water marbling paint or ink to float on the surface. Unlike carrageenan,
this medium can be used in 30 minutes to 1 hour after preparation and, if stored properly, it can bereused for up to 5 days or more.

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Water Marbling Techniques
There are numerous water marbling techniques for you to try, more than we can list! Below are justsome of the most popular techniques to help you build a base of skills and begin your water marbling
journey.
Stone Pattern

When paint is dropped gently onto the size and allowed to expand, it will often form a circle, which iscalled a stone. When multiple stones are used without any additional combing or swirling, the patterncreated is referred to as a stone pattern. The stone pattern is the foundation for many other water
marbling patterns.
To create the stone pattern, drop paint gently onto the size. This process is often referred to as“throwing stones.” You can drop paint within existing stones to create layers of color or beside one
another.
Stones:
The round shape that forms when paint is dropped gently onto the marbling water or size andallowed to expand. This will often form a circle, which is called the stone. Stones are the foundation
for many water marbling patterns.

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The Gelgit Pattern

The gelgit pattern is the starting point for
many other water marbling patterns. The
term “gelgit” translates to “come and go” inTurkish. This pattern is often also called the“back and forth” or “zigzag” pattern.
To create a gelgit pattern, follow the steps
below.
1. Create a stone pattern or Turkish base.
2. With the tip of a marbling stick or stylus,
draw parallel lines through the tray
moving back and forth in a zigzag
pattern up and down the length or widthof the tray.

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Wide Comb (or Arches) Pattern

The wide comb pattern is similar to the nonpareil pattern, except it uses a tool with teeth set wider
apart, or rake that has wider spaced pins than a traditional comb. This means the arches created inthis pattern will be larger.
To create this pattern, follow the steps below.
1. Create a base layer of paint, this may be created using a stone pattern or line pattern.
2. Using the Wide Comb, starting from the furthest part of the tray, place the tips of the comb into
the water and pull towards you in one motion.
3. Alternatively, you may use a Water Marbling Stick in place of a Wide Comb. With the tip of the amarbling stick, draw parallel lines (in one direction) through the paint down the width or length ofthe tray.

13Nonpareil Pattern

The nonpareil pattern is a pattern that builds
on the Gelgit Pattern. This pattern looks likea series of small arches and is often
mistaken for the wide comb pattern. The
main difference between the two is the useof the comb versus the rake, which has
wider spaced pins.
To create this pattern, follow the steps
below.
1. First create the gelgit pattern.
2. Next, using the water marbling comb
and starting from a 90 degree angle tothe last direction of your rake, place thetips of the comb into the water and pull
it toward you in one motion.
3. Make sure you are pulling the comb
towards you perpendicular to the zigzag(gelgit) pattern in order to create thenonpareil. It should look like small
arches.

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/JaFfnUY3S4

Swirls (or Fantasy Marble)

Swirls or fantasy marble is a modern andfree-form technique. To make swirls, slowly
drag a marbling stick through a pool of paintin a winding motion. This type of marbling
can be very freeing; simply follow yourintuition to manipulate the water. You canstart with stones, gelgit, or any other pattern
before swirling.

Source:https://unsplash.com/photos/D1cAVO4iw48
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Flower Pattern

A more figurative marbling pattern, the flower pattern refers to the use of marbling sticks tomanipulate the paint to resemble a flower.
Start by creating a base. This will become the background for your design. This type design works
best when the tray is heavily loaded with paint. It creates more surface tension and creates a morestable base with less movement for drawing patterns. Then drip a single drop (stone) of paint onto thesize. Dip the marbling stick into the medium outside of the circle, drag gently towards the middle ofthe circle and remove the stick. Wipe the stick with a paper towel and repeat until you have yourdesired number of petals.
You may also layer several drops of different colors within one another to create a multi-colored petal.
Again, heavily loading the tray with a lot of paint will make it easier to create controlled patterns andshapes.
Marbling sticks can be used to create a variety of shapes, such as hearts, flowers, fish, and anything
you can imagine! Experiment and see what you can create.

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/bSSjxQzrlNA

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