The first day (5 hours) will be a beginning class, learning the basics of marbling on paper. I show the class a selection of typical marbled papers, and teach them the names of the traditional patterns. Then I give a full demonstration of the whole marbling process, with the students gathered around my marbling tank. Next they learn how to apply alum to the paper, how to mix the carrageenan, how to prepare the paints, and how to do several standard patterns such as the Feather, French curl, Peacock, Stone marble, Italian vein, Flowers, Nonpareil, and Spanish wave. Each person will have an individual small marbling tray, so no sharing of trays will be necessary. (The students will work on 9½" x 12½" papers, since it’s much easier to learn on small sheets than large ones, and they’ll get to do more different patterns that way too.) Each person will be able to marble from 10 to 15 papers to take home during this class.
The second day (5 hours) will be a more advanced class. We will learn several more patterns, slightly more complex, such as the Thistle, Moiré, Fantasy wave, Antique spot, and Ripple. We will experiment with Overmarbling and Masking, and will do some marbling on cotton fabric. Each person will also get to do a sheet of paper in a large tray, printing a standard-size 19" x 25" paper. There will be time toward the end of this day for some individual experimentation.
By the time students finish these two days, they will have learned all important aspects of marbling, and will know enough about it to go home and, with practice, produce excellent quality work. For those who are mainly interested in fabric marbling, it is always best to learn on paper first. The same supplies and techniques used for marbling on paper are also used in fabric marbling; the few differences will be discussed in class.
Students are not required to bring anything to class except pen and paper to take notes with, and a lunch if desired. I provide all supplies used in the class. A small materials fee will be charged. For those who wish to purchase supplies to take home, after class we will have a table set up with all the basic marbling supplies for sale on it -- paints, paper, carrageenan, alum, gall, combs, rakes, brushes, and booklets. This will save you the trouble of ordering supplies later, plus you will be able to continue marbling as soon as you get home while the things you have learned are fresh in your memory. The prices for supplies that we sell in class will be the same as on our website.
Price: $225 Class Limit: 20