Until recently the art of marbling was on the decline. Keen amateur Hugh Lansley talks us through the history of the craft and its resurgence as a hobby
Marbling has a long history stretching back to before the 10th Century in ancient China. Its popularity in the Middle East during the 15th Century helped spread the craft West, especially in Turkey where the Ebru style was developed and is still practised today. This is a very highly skilled technique taking its inspiration from the natural world to produce intricate designs, particularly illustrating flora and fauna.
The craft reached Europe proper in the 17th Century. This was the period during which printing became widespread with a consequent demand amongst bookbinders for decorative papers for covers and endpapers. Such examples can be seen in leather-bound volumes produced from this time up until the very early 20th Century. These marbled papers were used primarily by bookbinders to enhance the appearance of the finished product. In the last 100 years the demand for reading material and especially books has led to the mass-production of identical copy meaning the costs of hand-crafted, marbled paper isn't economically viable, resulting in a dramatic decline in the number of practitioners.
Today the main demand comes from book restorers, of which there are only a small number still in business. As they have declined in number, so have professional marblers, leaving fewer than a dozen remaining in the UK. However, all is not lost. As the professional marblers have almost disappeared, the number of amateurs have grown, if not exponentially, at least significantly. I number myself among this cohort. It would not be an exaggeration to say that a marbling renaissance is in progress.
As an amateur striving to be part of the craft rebirth, let me outline what marbling is...
Firstly, it’s not about the marble from which classical statues and memorials were carved although it can and does simulate their veined patterns, nor is it about small boys rolling glass balls! Marbling is a method of printing designs by floating inks or watercolours on the surface of treated water (size). The characteristics of the paint/ink are such that the different colours don’t mix but rather disperse throughout the size so that one can manipulate them by means of rakes/combs/needles to form a variety of different designs. When the design is complete a sheet of paper is laid across the surface of the size and carefully peeled off producing a one- off print.
Examples of the finished prints are shown in the illustrations below. It’s important to realise that once a print has been taken it is virtually impossible to produce other copies because the paint on the surface of the size has been removed in the process. This allows one to justifiably describe the papers as unique. It’s really that simple. The finished designs are only limited by the imagination of the marbler.
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Secondly, what to do with the finished prints?
Take a look inside the front and rear cover of any antique leather-bound book and you will see an attractive multicoloured design similar to the illustrations above. Such books are often in need of restoration and this is where a professional can help by producing replacement papers to repair those damaged. This is a highly skilled service used primarily by book binders and restorers. The amateur, however, can use the finished prints for pictures; dust jackets, gift boxes, placemats coasters and even lampshades. As I mentioned previously, each design is original and unique so articles treated in this way are always one-offs.
Thirdly, what equipment does the would-be marbler require?
Unlike some creative activities, marbling requires little in the way of specialised or expensive equipment. This means anyone can try it without making a large financial investment.
When I started some 4 years ago I managed with the following items:
- A selection of watercolour paints; yellow, crimson, blue, green, orange, black and white. This last is to use for mixing with the others to create different shades. Of course a multitude of other colours can be mixed to produce a more extensive range of colours. I use guache watercolour mainly because it tends to produce superior results in terms of intensity compared with acrylics. I should add that it’s a good idea to use tubed paints since these are more economical and easier to mix than pans.
- Obviously one requires suitable paper on which to transfer the print. Something like 130 to 150 grams per square meter is best and it shouldn’t be glossy. Cartridge paper is ideal and preferably light coloured rather than white, thus providing an extra colour for the palette.
- A suitable trough to contain the size and roughly A4 in area, for example a cat litter tray is ideal.
- Finally, a selection of cheap artists’ paint brushes which are used to ‘flick’ the colours onto the size together with some simple implements used for manipulating the paint such as thin knitting needles or wooden skewers.
Hopefully I’ve whetted your appetite, so why not give marbling a try?
For more guidance just Google MARBLING and take your pick from the host of entries
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