Art Dad: Paper Marbling Edition

 I'm 100% online till after Fall Break, and have been working in my classroom.  

However, sometimes the job isn't done when I get home!  Sometimes...ART DAD is called to duty. ha ha  We are home schooling our kids & a kid we claim (my wife's best friend's kiddo...who just happens to be our oldest daughter's BFF).  They are working on a solar system unit, and my wife asked if I could do paper marbling with them when I got home on Wed.  It is interesting working with a 6, 9, 10, and 11 year old doing the same project. They all enjoy art and are up for anything!!

Somehow I'm the trained professional...yet my hands look like this?!?! ha 

My son is such a goofball....apple doesn't fall far my friends!!! 

BFF's having a blast!

I thought they did really well!  We used shaving cream & liquid watercolor.  I purchased the pans, wide combs, and shaving cream at Dollar Tree (where else?!?!?).  

Make sure you have a large box/butcher paper/plastic table cloth so you can have a place to scrape off the shaving cream that is left on the paper.  I cut pieces of cardboard for scrapers.  

REVIEW: Dollar Tree Marbling Kit

Dollar Tree is one of my favorite places to explore!

You just never know what you'll find!!!

A week or so ago I found a paper marbling kit.  

I was curious, but not so sure what to expect.

You fill a container with regular tap water, and then squeeze & swirl the color onto the surface  (note: you have to clip the ends...or risk causing the tube to blow!)  Don't stir/swirl too much or it will muddy the color.  Once it looks as you wish...lay a piece of paper on top of the water.  It doesn't need to rest there for long.  Place the paper on a flat surface to dry.  

It turned out surprisingly well!  It could be a fun art club project, at home with your kids, as a reward for a small group....but the shaving cream with paint is a better bang for your buck when working with a larger number of students (though a whole lot messier than this Dollar Tree kit).  

Paper Marbling With Shaving Cream: Step by Step

Here are the supplies you'll need.  Shaving cream, craft stick, tempera or liquid watercolor paint, brush,  plastic lid cut in half, and paper to print on..  You can also use an aluminum pan/mat/flat Styrofoam tray instead of placing the shaving cream on the table...but that isn't necessary.

If you cut a lid in half...it will act as the perfect squeegee for removing the foam and paint later on.  I find the larger the lid, the better!!!!  This isn't a must have, but I like it because you can reuse them!!!!

There should be about an inch or so thickness to the shaving cream, and should be spread out to fit the size paper you are planning to print on.  Using your brush(or a craft stick)...drop paint onto the foam surface.

Take your craft stick and drag it through in one direction...not going too deep with the stick.

Take the craft stick through the opposite direction.  You can do this to your personal liking...trying to get the feathered look. Be careful not to over do it...or you'll just have a muddied look to your print.

Place paper on top of foam surface and press gently into the surface.

Lifting it off...you may think...OH NO..IT'S A HOT MESS?!?!?!?!  Don't worry...the magic comes once you squeegee that mess off!! ha ha  

Using your half lid...scrap off the foam/paint going from bottom to top.  Shake off the mess..and scrap the rest off.  Should be able to do this in 2 or 3 passes depending on the size of your lid and paper.  

You can theme your colors any way you like to fit with the next step of whatever project you're going to create.  Vague...yes...but this process can take you into many other projects: book making, collage, mixed media, paper weaving, etc.

You can use the same surface again to create another print.  The results are inconsistent though.  I dropped more paint onto the surface...re-drug the craft stick through...and reprinted.

It is a little muddied, but still beautiful.

Clean up isn't bad with this....and your room will smell soooooooooo good!!!!! ha ha 

I HOPE THIS STEP-BY-STEP HELPED!!!!!!  

HAPPY MARBLING!!!!

Peacock-A-Palooza Part 2: Paper Marbling

Shaving Cream & Liquid Watercolor  

(You can also use acrylic, tempera, food coloring, or even Kool-Aid to create the color.)  

We made available Sharpie, gems, feathers, beads, colored glue, and other crafting items to embellish their marbleized peacocks.  So fun to see the variety of ideas. REMEMBER...these were created by art teachers.

Pinterest Project Experiment: Marbling Paper

I've pinned a hundred or more projects on Pinterest that I'm interested in trying with my students.  However, before they reach my students....I need to try them out & see if it is something that will actually work in my classroom.  I'm still thinking through this one.  I like the results, but am trying it imagine how it would work with a class of 20some students.  If you've not seen this project...you place a layer of shaving cream in a pan.  Then you drop acrylic paint(I'm sure liquid tempera would work too...powdered tempera does not work well...I tried it) into the shaving cream and take a stick of some sorts(I used a paint brush handle) and draw lines in the shaving cream...dragging the paint as you go.  Then place a piece of paper into the pan, pressing gently to make sure the paper is covered.  Remove paper and let stand for several minutes.  Then take a squeegie and remove the mixture(I used a plastic bowl). 



So how would you use this project in your classroom?