Marbled Paper
MATERIALS
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Newspaper or a plastic tablecloth
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White paper cut to 4x6 or 5x7 pieces (card stock, watercolor paper, or thicker paper works best)
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Pan or baking sheet with raised edges
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Shaving cream (foam, not gel)
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Food coloring or liquid watercolor paint (or both)
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Knife or spatula
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Chopstick, knife, or fork
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Small piece of cardboard or a ruler for scraping away excess shaving cream
Artists often make their own paper for their art, like Sam Gilliam did in The Great American Quilt Series [1]. Marbled paper can be used for collage and other creative projects like cards and bookmarks.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Lay down newspaper or a plastic tablecloth to keep your working surface from getting messy.
- Gather your materials and have everything ready to use. Find a designated space for your painted paper to dry.
- Spray a layer of shaving cream into the bottom of a pan. Spread the shaving cream smoothly with a spatula.
- Drip food coloring or water color paint onto the surface of the shaving cream. Use a chopstick to swirl the colors.
- Lay your paper gently in the pan and press it lightly into the shaving cream.
- Lift the paper and scrape off excess shaving cream with the cardboard or ruler to reveal the marbled pattern. Lay the paper on a clean surface to dry.
- You can print more than one piece of paper. Add more color and shaving cream as needed.
- Once the paper is dry, it’s ready to use in your art projects.
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