This easy-to-follow art project takes you step-by-step to create beautiful flowers like those found in the paintings of world-renowned artist, Georgia O’Keefe.
Challenge: Create a whole stack of customized marbled paper to use in future art projects.
Step 1: Supplies
You’ll need the following:
Foam Shaving Cream (Do not use gel shaving cream.)
Food Coloring
Tooth Picks
Cardboard Squares, @4” x 6”
Shallow Pan or Glass Dish
Paper to Print On
Plastic Bag
Step 2 | Shaving Cream Base
Spray shaving cream into a rectangle slightly larger than the size of the paper. The shaving cream base should be about 1” deep.
Use one of the cardboard pieces to spread the rectangle out into a smooth surface,
Step 3 | Create Color PALETTE
Squeeze drops of food coloring onto shaving cream.
Take the toothpick and and lightly draw through the droplets to create swirls throughout the shaving cream base. As you pull the toothpick through the shaving cream, the colors will combine together to create new colors.
Step 4 | Apply Paper to Prepared Shaving Cream
Gently lay the paper onto the the shaving cream base, lightly pressing the paper into the surface to ensure complete coverage.
Lift the paper from the shaving cream base and lie it flat onto the table.
Step 5 | Remove Shaving Cream from Paper
Using the other piece of cardboard, scrape across the paper to remove the colored shaving cream and discard into the plastic bag.
Voila! You now have a custom-marbled piece of paper to use in a variety of art projects.
Step 6 | create Desired Number of Marbled Papers
You can continue to use the shaving cream base you’ve started with by repeating steps 1-5.
Read below to learn more about about the art of and history of paper marbling.
Paper marbling is a method of aqueous surface design, which can produce patterns similar to smooth marble or other kinds of stone. The patterns are the result of color floated on either plain water or a viscous solution known as size, and then carefully transferred to an absorbent surface, such as paper or fabric. Through several centuries, people have applied marbled materials to a variety of surfaces. It is often employed as a writing surface for calligraphy, and especially book covers and end papers in bookbinding and stationery. Part of its appeal is that each print is a unique monotype.