Paper Marbling With Chris

My friend Chris taught her first class at Paper Crown last week, and it was a great one - paper marbling! I've always wanted to try this but it seemed like a big investment of time for someone with my short attention span, and it requires lots of supplies. Chris provided all the prep work and supplies for the class, making it so very easy. 

Of course I didn't take any photos during the class so am borrowing a few. Here are a couple from Cindy at Paper Crown showing Jackie and I splattering our paint on the water - not the proper terminology, I'm sure!

You can see Chris (barely!) between us explaining the process and overseeing our work.

This last photo from Cindy shows Jeanne prepping paint, and someone else's paint tray ready for paper.

This next photo, from Jeanne, shows Leann prepping her paint for one of her prints. Jackie and Leann both experimented with heart patterns.

Jeanne also captured this shot of one of Leann's heart prints right after she pulled it from the water.

The paint tray below reminded us of that candy that's popular at Christmas - some kind of divinity with chunks of fruit flavored jellies - or maybe olive loaf! It made a beautiful print.

Now for my prints! This was my first attempt. I love the colors and the pattern, called peacock.

I'm not a pastel person and didn't really expect the result I got on my second print. Chris explained that a lot of the color intensity apparently depends on how much paint you use. These were all bright colors in the water, but only the blue came out at all vibrant on the paper. While not my favorite, it's still lovely. 

Next I tried for a black and white print. As above, the amount of paint you use determines intensity and I ended up with gray and white but it's wonderful.

Blue is my favorite color, especially in shades that remind me of the ocean, so that inspired my fourth print. The light colored "flare" you see toward the bottom was the result of pausing while laying the paper onto the surface of the water. The paint floats on the surface, so when you pause it disrupts the paint and causes marks. Still LOVE this one, though!

We each did four prints in class. I stayed after to help Chris clean up and snuck in a quick fifth print before we packed everything away. Jackie had done a neutral print during class and I loved it. This is my attempt with similar colors, but a totally different result than hers. 

If you ever have an opportunity to try paper marbling, by all means do! It was so exciting to see what the papers looked like when lifted from the water. There was much ooohhing and ahhhing going on, and we loved every single print. I'm fairly certain all of us are hoping there will be more classes. 

You can see more photos and read more about the class on Cindy's Paper Crown blog here. Congrats to Chris on a very successful (and sold out) first class. I think her next class is sold out as well!

Next Saturday, November 21, is Glitter Market. If you're local, you should check it out. It's a great opportunity for Christmas and holiday shopping, or to get something special for yourself. I'll be there with vintage goods. Cindy will be previewing some of the artists this week on the Paper Crown blog. Plus, Terri Brush will be here in OKC! I'm taking two of her three classes and will have creations to show after Thanksgiving.

Graphic by Jackie