Take Your Children for a Dip into Marbling Art

“The world is but a canvas to our imagination.”
— Henry David Thoreau

I am always looking for new, fun experiences to try with my children. However, doing creative things with children can be a challenge when you are on a budget. Of course there are plenty of experiences I would love to do with my children, such as Disney World or a family ski trip. While I can’t afford these things at the moment, it won’t stop me from having fun and creative bonding experiences with my family. You don’t have to fly across the world or even leave your home.I tried an activity recently that was so much fun I have to share it with you.

Today, I am going to introduce you to Paper Marbling, the art of painting on water. As soon as I heard about this art form, I was intent on trying it. There are various ways you can do Paper Marbling. You may be surprised by how little you will have to spend on today’s experience.

Paper Marbling allows you to create patterns similar to smooth marble or other kinds of stones. This is achieved with colours floating on water, which you stir and transfer to an absorbent surface — in our case, watercolour paper.

What is great about this experience is how easy it is to do, and yet it brings such stunning results. I did this with my 3-year-old daughter who had no problem doing it, and she was able to enjoy herself while exploring her artist within. We didn’t even have to leave home as you will generally find everything required within reach. This results in a fun, comfortable atmosphere where you and your children can spend quality time together and deepen the bond you already have.

When you have finished transferring your new art onto the paper, the adventure doesn’t end there. You get to decide what you are going to do with it. For instance, it will make a great gift for friends and family or you can simply keep it for yourself. You could put the artwork into a frame or even make a book and have it as the cover. If you have a gift already, you could use it as wrapping paper or a birthday card. The list of possibilities will stretch as far as your imagination, so go wild and come up with a design that you or someone else will love.

Materials Needed

• Newspaper (or whatever you have on hand) to protect your table
• New bottles of nail polish (try to avoid sparkly ones as they don’t tend to work well)
• Watercolour paper
• Toothpicks
• Popsicle sticks
• 1 inch of room temperature water in a tray (I used a cheap roasting tin)
• Nail polish remover (or if you prefer disposable gloves)

Tutorial

Tip: Before you start, make sure you are in a well ventilated room as the nail polish fumes can be strong.

Step 1
Spread your newspaper across your work surface and place your tray filled with room temperature water on top of it along with all your materials.

Step 2
Choose the colours you would like to use and pour them into the water. IMMEDIATELY after the nail polish is in the water, start to stir the colours round gently with the toothpick.

Step 3
Dip your paper into the water and immediately pull out to reveal your new piece of art!

Throughout this experience I realised just how much my little girl had grown and how proud I was of what she could achieve. This activity has enabled me to find a true passion for my in art, one which I plan on helping and encouraging throughout her life. We both had a wonderful time during this experience and at the end, the only thing my princess had left to say was…”Daddy, when can we do this again???”

Here is the final result of my daughter’s Paper Marbling Experience:

How did your Paper Marbling turn out? Share what you’ve made! Send a photograph of your finished work or comment below what you think of Paper Marbling.

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