Paper marbling can be daunting, and kits often aren’t cost effective, but there is an easier way!
What you’ll need:
What you’ll need:
- Shaving cream (I go for the dollar store unscented variety, the less fancy the better, as long as it’s aerosol)
- Food coloring, liquid watercolors, or acrylic paint
- Popsicle sticks
- Decent drawing paper (I use this)
- Paper trays (I found mine at the dollar spot in Target) or inexpensive baking sheets
- Drying racks
- Pencils
How to do it:
- Prep your area. I like to cover my tables, but I also have to turn my room over quickly between classes and I find it helpful. You’ll need each group to have their own tray, can of shaving cream, assorted colors (food coloring, liquid watercolors, or paint), paper, and pencils.
- I always start by asking students to put their names on two sheets of paper. I then demonstrate how to spray shaving cream into the paper trays/baking sheets.
- Drop small amounts of ink/pigment and swirl using a popsicle stick. Encourage students to consider the color wheel when choosing colors. Complimentary colors to start won’t allow them to make the most of their shaving cream.
- Place the first sheet face down on top of the swirled shaving cream and gently press down. Carefully pull up, and repeat with a fresh sheet of paper. I’ve found students can get two good prints from each swirl!
- I like to encourage students to count to 50 before cleaning the shaving cream from the paper. Carefully, have students slide the edge of a popsicle stick like a squeegee across the paper, revealing the marbled print and removing excess shaving cream. A quick rinse in the sink will get rid of any tricky shaving cream in a pinch.
- Add more color, swirl, and pull prints until shaving cream is too dirty to re-use. Rinse out tray and add more shaving cream as needed.
Now what?
- Consider using these beautiful sheets of paper for a collage, in lieu of painted paper.
- Allow students to use only cool colors and use as a background for gyotaku, Japanese fish prints
- Cut sheets into 6x6 inch squares and make origami cranes
- Let students choose what to make next!