Kitchen Marbling Craft Recipe

So... what is marbled paper?

Marbling is a method of aqueous surface design, which can produce attractive patterns similar to those found on marble and other kinds of stone. The patterns are the result of colour floated on a viscous solution (known as ‘size’), then carefully transferred to an absorbent surface like paper.

Through several centuries, people have applied the technique of marbling to a variety of surfaces. It is often employed as a writing surface for calligraphy. Part of its appeal is that each print is unique. Marbled paper is frequently used to cover books and pamphlets and to make endpapers. At the National Library of Scotland, many of our historic volumes contain beautiful marbled endpapers.

Traditional verses ‘lockdown’ method:

In the traditional method, a sheet of paper is floated onto the surface of a vat of water, which has been thickened with carrageenan (a type of gelatine, derived from seaweed). The coloured pattern is created using specialist inks containing mineral based pigments. This ‘tried and tested’ method creates beautiful, long lasting designs. At present, we’re all stuck at home and many of us do not have access to specialist archival-quality materials like carrageenan, let alone expensive mineral pigment inks. Luckily, the technique shown here is inexpensive, uses readily available household materials, and is easy to do. It's also quite fun!

Ingredients:

o Some sheets of plain A5 paper
o Two shallow baking trays (must be larger than the paper)
o A can of squirty shaving foam or shaving gel
o A paint brush, or a small spatula
o Bottles of food dye (the more colours the better)
o A pipette, or a disposable drinking straw
o A twirler, e.g. a bamboo skewer, cocktail stick, or a knitting needle
o A squeegee, e.g. a plastic ruler or a piece of cardboard
o Optional: clothes pegs and string to make a ‘drying line’.

(Please note that we do not recommend using any ingredients other than those listed above and shown in this video)

Method:

Step 1. Assemble your ingredients and prepare your work space.

*Tip: place sheets of newspaper onto your work surface to prevent staining in the event of accidental drips and spills, have some wet wipes close to hand, and use an empty box or tub to store anything sticky.

Step 2. Squirt a generous amount of shaving foam into one of your baking trays, and spread the foam out with a spatula or paint brush, until the entire base of the tray has been covered with an even layer of foam.

Step 3. Dot or drip your food dye, one colour at a time, over the surface of the foam. You can use a plastic pipette to do this.

*Tip: If you don’t have a pipette, dip a disposable straw into your food dye and place your finger over the top end. Keep your finger in place as you lift the straw out of the bottle. Position the straw over the tray and release the dye by removing your finger. Repeat this step until your foam is dotted with splashes of colour.

Step 4. Use your twirling stick to make a pattern by dragging it through the colour splashed foam. Swirl the foam as much as you like. However, work quickly as this will result in a sharper, clearer design. If you over-mix the foam, the colours will start to look softer and more blurred. If that happens, don’t worry, you can always wash the tray and start over.

Step 5. Next, place a sheet of paper onto the surface of the foam.

Tip: gently press the paper down with the palm of your hand, to disperse air bubbles and ensure the entire surface comes into contact with the foam / colouring.

Step 6. Lift up one corner and peel the paper away from the surface of the foam, then place the paper face up in your second baking tray. Anchor your paper in place with a fingertip, then squeegee off the excess foam with your ruler or piece of cardboard.

*Tip: Use the edge of your baking tray to scrape off the build-up of foam on your squeegee.

Step 7. Leave your marbled paper to dry on a flat surface for 10 minutes, or hang it up to dry using some old some clothes pegs. Once dry, you could use your marbled paper as a collage material for an art project, or to cover your own concertina-style notebook (see next video).
Tip: you could use your paper to create a “Captain Marble” super hero mask! Just fold the sheet in half, cut the eye holes and outer edge with a pair of scissors, then tape a piece of ribbon to each side and tie the mask onto your budding ‘superhero’. 

Видео Kitchen Marbling Craft Recipe канала National Library of Scotland