Find instructions and tips below to help in your marbling practice
Water Based Marbling Colors
Mix color thoroughly in jar as settled pigment may be very dense. To 1 part color add 2 parts clean water and 1 drop of marbler’s oxgall. Test on well-skimmed size. Continue to add oxgall 1 drop at a time if color does not float or spread properly. For more intense color, add more concentrate a little at a time.
Oxgall
Add Oxgall to colors one drop at a time until they spread into circles two inches in diameter. Preserved in alcohol.
Keep tightly capped when not in use.
Sumifactant
Add Sumifactant to prepared inks one drop at a time until inks spread to a three-inch circle on un-thickened water.
Keep tightly capped.
Spirits of Soap
Place 1 tablespoon of Spirits of Soap into four ounces of clean water, stirring thoroughly. Apply with a mouth atomizer or fine spray bottle.
Alum
Add ¾ cup of aluminum sulfate crystals to one gallon of clean warm tap water. (3/8 cup to ½ gallon).
Dissolve completely. Always stir before using. If kept capped, this solution has an indefinite shelf-life.
To preserve the effectiveness of this product, place in an airtight container.
Carrageenan
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Broom Corn
Gather a small quantity of stalks into a bundle about 3/4 inch in diameter and tie each of the bundles together at the thicker end and again three quarters of the way down.
The top tie should be tight, while the lower tie is left loose so that it can be slid forward to adjust the flex of the whisk’s working end. Soak the completed whisks in warm water for several hours to remove residues that can disturb the colors.
Marbling Trays
Nancy’s Tips
Below are some things Nancy has learned along the way
On Colors and Chemicals:
Colors spreading too fast
You can mix in White with oxgall until the colors work
Dried Out Marbling Colors
You would have to grind or blend up the dried pigment and mix with small amounts of water until the desired consistency is achieved. This process though often wastes a lot of the pigment so most people don’t put forth the effort to restore dried color.
Prussian Blue
This color is sensitive to cold temperatures and will fail if shipped during the winter. There is a slight chance you can bring it back by letting the pigment settle, mark the existing water level, pour off the water, then refill with distilled water to the line marked. Add a few drops of alcohol and mix.
Getting darker black
Really be sure that the pot is mixed before using. Use a fork, mix for a long time.
Apply black first. Then, each color will squeeze it together to get a darker result.
How to mimic Veridian
Chrome green light and Cobalt blue. Add 1 drop of blue to the chrome green until the desired color is achieved. This will be more opaque than the veridian was but it will be close. If you want a more blue teal, start with the blue and add drops of green.
Oxgall
Chunky bits in the oxgall…just strain it. It does not affect the quality of the oxgall.
Applying Alum
Mix solution then spray on. To dry, either hang and then gently press when mostly dry, or stack face to face and back to back with blotter layers
Tools:
Combing:
DRAG COMB PATTERN
Slow drag with your finger under the comb to make a smooth pattern.