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Easy Marbling Tutorial + Martha Stewart Living Giveaway

Ryan Liebe for Martha Stewart Living

 

It’s that time of the month! I’m so excited to be able to share this gorgeous marbling tutorial from Martha Stewart Living. Marbling is one of those crafts that seems really intimidating, but with these instructions, you’ll find it quite simple. There are so many fab applications for this technique, it’s worth giving it a whirl! How much fun would it be to have these coasters for a spring party!

Ryan Liebe for Martha Stewart Living

Okay, I’d take this beauty in my office! love. The other good news is that I have a great giveaway to get you kickstarted in your marbling obsession.  Leave a comment below and I’ll randomly select a winner to receive this goody package: a copy of the current Martha Stewart Living issue, one 12 pack of Martha Stewart Crafts acrylic paint (kind of like this) and one 8 oz bottle of Martha Stewart Crafts Durable decoupage (U.S. and Canada only). Gee. I’m kinda wishing I could win this!  Make sure you leave your email or other way for me to find you if it’s not connected to your profile.

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations, B. Kolic! You are the lucky winner! I’ll be in touch soon.

Ryan Liebe for Martha Stewart Living

I haven’t tried marbling yet, but I certainly want to now!  I think it would be a great way to get some gorgeous wall art. Or, how much fun for an Easter table runner. Oh, the possibilities are endless!

Of course, you can find this craft and lots of other great ideas in the March issue of Martha Stewart Living, available on newsstands and for iPad now. This issue is gorgeous. I mean, just look at the cover!

 

Tutorial for Marbling
This tutorial is provided courtesy of Martha Stewart Living and can also be found at Martha Stewart.
Materials

 

  • Alum
  • 2 shallow plastic bins (with lids, optional)
  • Medium (paper, leather, or fabric)
  • Plastic bucket
  • Methocel
  • Distilled water
  • Clear ammonia
  • Whisk
  • Craft paints
  • Paper cups
  • Dispersant
  • Coffee stirrers
  • Clothesline or drying rack
  • Paper towels

Step 1

Prepare Materials: Mix 3 tablespoons alum per quart of hot tap water in a bin; let cool. Soak leather or prewashed fabric in mixture for 20 minutes, or brush onto paper. Let dry flat. (Reserve alum mixture in bin to use over several days.)

Step 2

Prepare “size,” or base, for paint: In bucket, mix 4 tablespoons Methocel per gallon of warm distilled water. Add 1 tablespoon ammonia per gallon and mix vigorously with whisk.

 

Step 3

Pour Methocel mixture into second bin. Let sit until all bubbles dissipate. (This should take several hours; mixture will have a sheer, viscous consistency, slightly thinner than egg whites.)

 

Step 4

Squeeze paints into paper cups (mix some, if desired). Thin each with a drop of dispersant and slowly add water until paint has consistency of whole milk.

 

Step 5

marble-process-0541-md110796.jpg
Marble: With a coffee stirrer, drop paint onto several spots on surface of size; let pigment spread out 2 to 3 inches.

 

Step 6

marble-process-0572-md110796.jpg
Add another color, dropping paint into middle of previous color, if desired.

 

Step 7

marble-process-0641-md110796.jpg
Continue in this fashion, adding color over color and letting paint spread out and form random shapes. Repeat sequence in several spots over surface.

 

Step 8

marble-process-0666-md110796.jpg
Some paints will spread out more than others; the more concentrated the color, the more it will stay put.

 

Step 9

marble-process-0727-md110796.jpg
Drag stirrer through paint to add swirls and create designs; work over whole bin, or focus on specific areas.

 

Step 10

marble-process-0791-md110796.jpg
Gently lay medium flat onto size, and pat to remove air bubbles.

 

Step 11

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Let sit until fully saturated.

 

Step 12

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Pick medium up by two corners.

Step 13

marble-process-0847-md110796.jpg
Gently and evenly pull up. Rinse thoroughly under running water until soapy film is gone. Hang to dry. Lay paper towels on size surface, then lift to remove paint. Reuse size as desired for several days (cover bin with lid or plastic wrap when not in use to protect from dust).

Good luck! Make sure you tell me if you try it!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. hi Anne!
    thanks for posting this tutorial, it brought back memories of doing something similar in high school, but that involved simply paint and water. I still remember the excitement of not knowing exactly what the piece would turn out like, and the smile-worthy finished project. Hope we get to see your finished masterpiece!
    cheers.

    Reply

  2. Marbled papers are so beautiful and that wall hanging – wow! I’ve been meaning to try a kid-friendly version I found online that uses just food coloring and oil. The results looked impressive and it seems nice to not have to track down exotic supplies.

    Reply

  5. Oh! This looks like so much fun! Can think of so many things that could be made from this. Thanks for the opportunity.

    Reply

  8. Wow that looks awesome!!! I can definitely see myself adding this to my crafty repertoire!! Thank you for posting the tutorial and the giveaway!!

    Reply

  15. I wonder where to get one of those nice bins that are flat and large enough to make this work. I would LOVE to try this!

    jessicarwarfield at gmail dot com

    Reply

    • acrylic box frames ; shallow plastic storage bins; photo developer trays all work great. I’ve used a plastic pan that goes underneath a washing machine. For larger pieces such as scarves you can make a simple wood or PVC frame lined with landscape plastic (there are tutorials out there to be googled). It’s incredibly fun but watch out – it’s highly addictive!

      Reply

  17. thanks for offering this giveaway in Canada. Yahoo. I successfully taught marbling to grade 4s. They then turned the paper into a little card set for their mothers for Mother’s Day. 15 years later.. I would love to do this with my children at home.
    Thanks for sharing

    Reply

  24. Can you please tell exactly which type pf color to he used as water color or acrylic color don’t work. Please reply because I want to try this.

    Reply

    • Here is the response I got from Martha:
      Multisurface craft paint, by Martha Stewart Crafts, $3 for 2 oz., michaels.com
      I have asked specifically for the color they used and am waiting to hear.

      Reply

        • You can use liquid starch instead of the methocel. It’s cheaper and easier to find. If you have oil paints you can thin them with turpentine and float them on water. Great fun to do with ” kids” of any age.

          Reply

  25. I love this!! I have seen marbling on pinterest but I haven’t found the courage to actually try it! This seems very manageable!! Thanks for the tutorial!

    Reply

  26. I love it, guess you are never to old to learn something new. I am nearly 73 and love modern stuff. I might even get my grandson interested it as a summer project.

    Reply

  29. Is the fabric that is tie dyed, washable? I would love to make napkins, wash and resse for outside meals.

    Reply

    • Hi Victoria, Normally, acrlyic paint on fabric is not machine washable. You would need to add a textile medium for this. I’m not sure the effect the additives for the marbling have to the acrylic paint in terms of its washability. Let me know if you find more out! thanks, Anne

      Reply

      • You can add fabric medium to acrylic paint or use actual fabric paint (Jacquard makes a great line of colors that thin with water and work beautifully). Make sure you allow the marbled piece to dry thoroughly for a good 24-48 hours, then heat set with an iron as hot as the fabric will tolerate (iron the back side, no steam) OR tumble in a hot dryer for an hour or so, then let it ‘cure’ for at least a week before washing in cold water with a mild detergent. If you try to wash it too soon the colors will fade somewhat. Handwashing is probably best – if the painted surface rubs against itself as when agitated in a machine it tends to “scuff” and you end up with a sort of stonewashed look (which can actually be a really nice effect, too!) A REALLY important step to do that isn’t listed here is before you start dropping your paint onto the size, use a strip of newspaper to skim the surface of the size to break the surface tension; otherwise, the paint won’t float properly.

        Reply

  30. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING THIS INFO. I HAVE WANTED FOR SO LONG TO MARBLE PAPER AND FABRIC TO USE AS A BACKGROUND OR ALONE FOR ART PROJECTS. WHAT BEAUTIFUL WALL HANGINGS THIS WOULD MAKE. I WOULD LOVE-LOVE-LOVE TO WIN THE SUPPLIES. WISH-WISH-WISH

    Reply

  32. Wouldn’t that be so much fun to do! I love batik like fabric! Could I possibly be lucky enough to win???!!! We will see!

    Reply

  34. Hi,I’m in Australia and I’m going to try this over the weekend. Looks like great fun. Thanks for the tutorial.

    Reply

  35. hi
    Thanx for sharing this nice video I really liked it I have a question where I can buy these supplies I live in Canada
    Thanx

    Reply

  36. Hi! I would like to know if you can do marbling on artificial fabrics like lyocell/tencel, modal, polyurethane..
    or should be use with silk, wool, cotton…
    Thank you so much for the info!

    Reply

    • Hi Dana,
      I wish I could offer more insight. I do not marble a lot, though this tutorial has me wanting to. I certainly would think that silk, wool and cotton would “take” the marbling better. Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply

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