4 Ways to MARBLE Paper | Alcohol Inks, Shaving Foam, Nail Polish & Acrylic Paint | Marbling How-To

I recently had fun doing some marbling experiments using 4 popular & simple methods. It's a lot of fun to do, so I hope this video inspires you have a go yourself!
The techniques that use alcohol inks or shaving foam were definitely the most successful printing methods, as you will see, but I also think there is value and potential in the other techniques - nail polish and acrylic paint marbling.
I really hope you enjoy this tutorial :)
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[@Hand.made.style4745]

I loved the way you mentioned the time intervals for different methods.. thank you

[@RokoleeDIY]

You're welcome 😊

[@lorimcgarrity6537]

Hi there, thanks so much for taking the time to teach some neat marbling techniques. I do them all fairly frequently, especially the shaving cream. I never dreamed that alcohol inks would stay on the surface so well. I have the complete color set of every major alcohol ink company and it is really nice since we have a few new companies that have come out recently. So hence', I love alcohol inks. It's almost 1:30 am but I am about to jump out of bed and try some right now. I had a couple comments about the other marbling techniques that I would like to share how they perform for me. I have some amazing nail polish prints and a few things I learned is to not have your container of water much bigger than the size of the paper. Also I was recommended to use gel nail polish but found out the dollar store brand works wonderful. I used a little warm water to start. No deeper than about 2 inches or so. I would use at least 3 colors on each pull and sometime up to 5. But I had no problem whatsoever with it but there is a learning curve. You need to have all of your bottles open and right beside of you. Have your paper ready to go also. And you just have to move fast. As long as you are quick about it you shouldn't have any problems. I have gorgeous bright vibrant marbling but of course that is because I used bright vibrant colors. On to the acrylic paint marbling. They will work fine as well but the paint has to be so thinned down, almost as thin as the alcohol inks. I used liquid starch in my water. I've never even seen powder starch. I could give you the recipe if you would like. And then last of all I think you will have much better luck to not put the shaving cream in water. I watched you do that and then to mix it up so it was watery and I was just saying, oh no!!! I use the cheapest shaving cream, also from the dollar store. You can put it down on a plate when doing small amounts but I like to do a lot when I do it so I use that large plastic type serving platters from the dollar tree. They are oblong and very large. I use two of them. One to dip in and one to scrape off the cream, I always take a ruler and just slide that cream off the paper onto this other tray. Which I do end up using later also. Sometimes I smooth out my shaving cream but I really only like to do that when I am stenciling. I tape my stencil onto the back of my paper to where it is complete adhered to the paper and you put you paper down like normal but you end up with awesome stenciled papers. I almost always use the large size of blank index cards. Works great, little heavier than copy paper but not as heavy as card stock but it's perfect. I was saying I only smooth out the cream if I am stenciling but other wise I love the cream all laying there as it is as you squirt it o with some mountains and valleys, just very organic. No two prints will ever be the same. I have used acrylic paints but they dont work too well as they are too heavy. Food coloring from your kitchen from egg dying works great. Any fluid inks do great. Alcohol inks work great but I don't like to waste those. I even use my spray paints sometimes. Actually spraying on the cream or taking the sprayer out of the bottle and dripping it on. Also liquid water colors are very bright and vibrant. So after I have my pile of shaving cream I started dripping whatever colorant you choose all over. Leave lots of white but I do have a very heavy hand with my inks. Then I take a long skewer stick and marble all the inks in whatever patterns I want. Dip your paper down on the surface, pull up once you have pressed your paper down really well. I start on one end and push the paper along the surface to make sure there arent any air pockets. Pull it off and move to the next tray and remove the excess cream by laying the paper on the edge of the platter and take the ruler to do one quick and clean swipe. Set it aside to dry. Then go on to another section of cream and get that. When you have a large pile of shaving cream to begin with you will find you have lots of area to go on to next that hasnt been disturbed. After there is no more fresh ink on there I still go back and use the skewer again to dig down to get fresh shaving cream up to the surface and start over. I will print for a long time before getting new cream because even after your color is all mixed up I love the colors that remain, then it looks more tie dyed. Unless that is, the colors you used made mud for you then it's not so pretty. Before i do that i go over to that scrape off platter and start putting my paper in that. Because you used just one smooth pass with your ruler those piles end up with lots of marbled fresh areas too. And the last thing I wanted to share is pertaining to paint marbleing with actual glass marbles. I take a box and with this marbeling I use a whole sheet of paper, generally just copy paper but card stock is great especially if you want to use that card for putting on card bases for greating cards. I start with approximately 15 marbles or so and I let them all roll to one side and I like to have the box big enough that you have a few inches from the edge all the way around. The short edge boxes that the grocery stores have their canned veggies on are perfect size for me. So when your marbles are up on one side you take just a very small dot of paint on some of the marbles. This is all a try it and adjust to how you want the look to be and you will know how many colors of paint to use, I generally used 3 and I always use metallic paint just because I love that shimmer. But once you have your marbles with a small amount of paint just here and there, I forgot to say your print will be a lot more even if you put some marbles on the opposite end. You will see why after you do it a few times. .it is because if all marbles with paint start on one end you will always have the most concentration of paint on that one side. But how many marbles to use and how much paint you use will all be up to you as to how covered you want your marbling. Quite often I do my entire page, no white showing., which means you dont get a marble look cause there is no white space but the texture you get is even better in my opinion. I sure hope you are able to try it out. These paints should NOT be watered down. You can use cheap acrylic paint or you can use just little dabs of artist tube paints. This is fun for kids as well as adults. Oh I forgot to say the final part. Once you have the paint on your marbles you shake the box back and forth to get the marbles doing the painting for you. That is so much fun but if you are using a shallow box and you get a little over zealous with your shaking, you can very easy have marble flying out the box. There is no need to do it that hard, that is just the way I am. Very hyper and do everything fast. So sorry for writing such a novel here and I appreciate it greatly if you got to the end. Thanks again for your time to show us And I hope maybe if you use any of my experiences that they work better for you.

[@RokoleeDIY]

Wow thanks so much for these tips! I have never heard of using actual glass marbles before, and it sounds like fun :) Also, next time I will use shaving foam without water! Thanks for taking the time to comment & happy crafting

[@sarahwaldock3196]

a quick blow onto the alcohol inks and then get the paper down quick produces some lovely patterns; and if, like me, you marble in the bath for larger sheets, when you let the water out, the colours concentrate as they whirl down the plug and you can pull some amazing patterns off that - absorbent paper is best for these quick prints though, I like a hand made rag paper or home made hand-made paper. done onto paper recycling old brown envelopes with some white paper in it, you get some great organic effects.

[@RokoleeDIY]

Oo good tips, thanks!

[@sarahwaldock3196]

@@RokoleeDIY have fun, and don't marble in the bath if your partner minds the colour not coming off, I should have mentioned this - I have a laid back and tolerant husband.

[@carolbenson6524]

Love the first technique that gives a marbled look. Great video!

[@RokoleeDIY]

Thanks so much!

[@bea-tp5jt]

Thanks so much for this tutorial! I made some beautiful marbled paper using the nail polish method!

[@RokoleeDIY]

Brilliant! I'm glad it worked for you :)

[@sarahwaldock3196]

I'm going to give it a go with 'retired' nail polish refilled with acetone

[@sharonkour9721]

No i did it with old polishes on nails amd i put 8 poloshes plus gold and it came out so beautuful. Thr marble was nice. I like your methods

[@RokoleeDIY]

Thank you, I'm glad to hear it went well for you :)

[@sharonkour9721]

@@RokoleeDIY Hi Aww thank you for your kind reply. I Would love to see more videos from you. very interesting wish the best if luck for your youtube. Kind regards sharon Thank.you have a great day

[@RokoleeDIY]

@@sharonkour9721 Aw thanks! There's lots more videos I have ideas for :)

[@juneribbons5196]

All very interesting. I think the shaving cream method was the most successful. I e also seen this method used without the water. These were also very pretty !!! TFS

[@RokoleeDIY]

Thank you :D

[@grace52775]

Thank you

[@Killerkyli]

I never thought to use my alcohol inks for water marbling. That's such a wonderful idea, and the results are gorgeous! Almost galactic looking! I do have a suggestion for getting the nail polish to work properly. Firstly, all lacquer polishes react to water differently. You just have to test them all, or you'll never know what works. Secondly; you will have to scale down your surface area by at least half. I know that may be counterproductive for transferring the marble image to paper, but if you can find smaller paper, it will work much better, I guarantee it. With a smaller surface area, your polish won't dry as fast as it spreads because there isn't as much distance for it to travel, and therefore, thin out and dry too quickly. I hope that helps. Thank you again for the new knowledge!

[@RokoleeDIY]

Thanks very much for your comment :) Yeah, the spread of the nail polish was the main issue for me, so I shall keep your helpful advice in mind

[@jude1515]

They all look great.

[@RokoleeDIY]

Thanks :)

[@bsagewasson9440]

dont use the shaving cream with water. just use shaving cream and scrape off the foam from the paper after its pressed into it....use a squeegee from dollar store.

[@artsymitsy]

Color tends to spread while removing the foam ! Don't know what went wrong,

[@barbaraedmondson1596]

Thank you for this instruction. Very helpful.

[@RokoleeDIY]

You're welcome!

[@vinodkor2256]

Thank you to do this video

[@RokoleeDIY]

Thanks for watching!

[@KhanzKitchen]

Like 298,I love the art skills

[@KagedCreations08XX]

Great video. Thanks for sharing

[@RokoleeDIY]

Thank you :D

[@GiselaConte]

Hi! can you explain the method with starch?? I couldn't get what did you use to prepare the water for the method with acrylic paints

[@RokoleeDIY]

Sorry for the late reply! It's been a while since I did this, but I think I just followed the instructions on the laundry starch powder packet to mix it with water, then put it in the container. Then I dropped diluted acrylic paint onto this starch-water mix :)

[@GiselaConte]

thank you so much ! I will try it@@RokoleeDIY

[@willow1257]

If a small amount of acetone was added to water when using the nail polish, might this prevent it from drying so quickly and thin it out some so you may be able to get it to marble? I've never tried this method at all with nail polish. just thinking out loud. I've no idea if it would work but it might be worth a try as long as the "water vat" used is acetone safe?......

[@RokoleeDIY]

I can't imagine a small amount of acetone in water would be unsafe, and it's an interesting idea. If you or anyone else tries it please let me know!

[@whitneyparbs9955]

Yes!!! Adding a few drops of acetone to room temp water stops the polish from drying so quickly and helps with the marbling!

[@GlitzyWitch]

Brilliant, thank you ❤️

[@RokoleeDIY]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@nancyeaguiar]

I wonder if alcohol inks would stick to vinyl. Great video!

[@Jessica-ko1eg]

Just curious about what you do with your patterns? Do you scan them into the computer?

[@RokoleeDIY]

Hi! I personally used these to decorate miniature books :) Marbled papers are great for bookbinding and paper crafts.

[@ThaoNguyen-hs5fk]

Very beautiful!! I like it. What the kinds of water do you used in this video? How the color can float on the water?

[@RokoleeDIY]

I just used regular water :)

[@delialeonortorres7150]

Muy bueno, a pesar de no entender Inglés, se entendió bastante bien!!!🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️👍

[@RokoleeDIY]

¡Excelente! Gracias por ver :)

[@delialeonortorres7150]

@@RokoleeDIY sería tan bueno que pongan la traducción en el video...🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@mildred6305]

Beautifull thanks😍👏🙏

[@RokoleeDIY]

Thank you 😊

[@breannegeaghan7392]

Pour from the bottles! Instead of dabbling the brush. Works better and more to work with. :)

[@charley408]

You must put Alum in the water then you can add all sorts of acrylic paints! Usually 1 tablespoon in one gallon of water.

[@RokoleeDIY]

Excellent :) Thanks for the info

[@amethyst1826]

Acrylic paint works quite well when thinned down & sprayed on.

[@RokoleeDIY]

Aha! Sprayed on would have been a good idea, I should have used my water spray bottle. Thanks for your suggestion :)

[@amethyst1826]

You're welcome. 😀

[@amethyst1826]

Could you drop cheap nail varnish onto a plastic stick, then flick it onto the water? This may work if you put several drops on the stick, & flick all together.

[@RokoleeDIY]

Possibly! The trouble with nail polish compared to other liquids is that it's kinds sticky so could be difficult though.

[@MaNa-bz6tx]

Nice.what kind of paper you use?

[@RokoleeDIY]

Hi! I used regular printer paper mostly. You just need an unsized/uncoated absorbent paper e.g. not glossy. Ideally you would use a cotton paper or rice paper, but that's not necessary.

[@MaNa-bz6tx]

@@RokoleeDIY thank you

[@sarahwaldock3196]

I wonder how the alcohol inks would perform on shaving foam

[@shyamalachivukula230]

Your method sounds good

[@RokoleeDIY]

Thanks!

[@nicolle3725]

How did you make those grey ones at 12:35? Btw, thanks for the video :)

[@RokoleeDIY]

I have a different video about making those grey patterns here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZXKg4Sca7qceq8&lc= :)

[@nicolle3725]

@@RokoleeDIY thank you so much!

[@alicespringer8781]

Iv never used water with my shaving cream , crafe it comes out great 👍 little messy but paper never wet .

[@RokoleeDIY]

Yes that works too :D

[@anthonyd.easton4008]

Nice

[@RokoleeDIY]

Thanks!

[@melissasmuddle9728]

I saw the wood-like backgrounds laying there but you didn't tell how you did those. Please let me know!

[@RokoleeDIY]

Sorry about that!...they are created using the Suminagashi technique which I did a video on here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZXKg4Sca7qceq8 Thanks for watching :)

[@suzannesinkunas6868]

I saw a video marbling nail polish and It work better if you add 1/2 cap of nail polish remover

[@RokoleeDIY]

Ah that sounds like a clever idea because it should help prevent the polish drying...thanks for the comment :)

[@billiebryant6193]

can i dip shinny plastic?

[@RokoleeDIY]

Hmm I think you might have a problem getting the colours to dry and 'stick' as they won't be absorbed. If you try it please let me know how it went!

[@hayjors]

which is the cheapest method?

[@RokoleeDIY]

Probably the foam and paint method :)

[@papertowels9885]

can someone try to pour all the nail polish color in at one and see what happens and if it work thx

[@christianecarson4321]

Hi Nea, I've been told that nail polish works well with saving foam as long as it's not the quick dry ones, or its had a few drops of nail polish remove, or the shaving foam has had a few seconds in the microwave..I haven't tried any of those though because I on;y use acrylics and inks now and can't be bothered buying nail polish... so I guess you could experiment? Also, this is the first time I've ever seen anyone putting the foam onto water... I don't. Stay safe and well everybody!

[@wonderwend1]

I think the quick drying nail polishes don't like this technique (the alcohol in them makes it dry too quick)

[@RokoleeDIY]

I think you're probably right :)

[@sillyninjasyt4025]

which paper do u use ?

[@RokoleeDIY]

I used regular printer paper but there's lots of papers you can use. I would use smooth paper though, on the thicker side.

[@NikSakPattyWack]

so you obviously can't take so much time dipping and dripping one drop of nail polish at a time - it dries. You should also use cold water to increase drying time. And for goodness sake, just turn the bottle upside down and POUR. Don't waste your time trying to do one drop at a time.