Variant spellings: marbleising,marblising,marblizing,marbling,marbleing.
Marbleizing
or 'Fantasy Marble'
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Marbleizing is slightly more advanced than the basic paint-effects such as rag-rolling, stippling etc. However; these basic techniques are often used in conjunction with other techniques when marbling & marbleizing. One such method is described below: We strongly advise that you attempt a few sample boards first. You will then be able to see what you can achieve & get a little practise. You must first choose between marbleizing with oil-based or water-based (acrylic) paints. Acrylics dry much faster than oils, so you can move on to the next stage quickly. However, many of the more subtle effects can only be achieved using oils. Also: For your first attempts, it may be advisable to use oils, thereby allowing yourself more time to create the effect. |
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Oil based technique for Marbleizing. |
| YOU WILL NEED: | Sample boards. |
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Dust sheets or similar material to protect carpets furniture etc. Disposable plastic gloves (optional). Fine Sandpaper. Dust brush. Oil-based eggshell (mid-sheen) paint in your chosen basecoat colour. Turpentine or white spirits. Raw linseed oil. Liquid driers. Tubes of oil colour: Ivory Black, Prussian Blue, Raw Umber & Indian Red. White undercoat. Brushes: 1" (25mm) paintbrush & size 3 sable pencil brush. Stippling brush. Badger softener. Hog-hair softener. Clear varnish. |
| Step 1: | Prepare your sample boards: |
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Hardboard (available from timber merchants & DIY stores) is perfect for use as sample boards. Cut the hardboard (they may do this for you) into sections 2' (600mm) high by 1' (300mm) wide. Sand down the face & edges of the board with fine sandpaper, then dust off with your dust brush. Paint the sample boards with 2 coats of oil-based eggshell in your chosen basecoat colour & allow to dry thoroughly. |
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| Step 2: |
Mix your medium in the following quantities: Mix 1 eggcup full of boiled linseed oil with 2 eggcups full of Turpentine. Then add liquid driers, approx 5% or less depending on atmospheric conditions (i.e. less driers in warm, dry atmosphere). This is your "medium" or "glaze", which will be mixed 50-50 with your chosen top-coat colour. Save a little of the clear medium for the next step. |
| Step 3: | Applying the effect. |
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Dip a clean lint-free rag into the clear medium & smear it over the sample board thinly (this will prolong the working time). Apply the mixed glaze evenly with a brush. Take a piece of lint-free cotton cloth approximately 18 inches (450 mm) square either dry, or moistened with turps (for a softer effect). Roll the cloth into a loose cylinder shape and twist it slightly making sure there are lots of creases and folds. Hold the cloth in your fingertips and gently roll it on the surface of the glaze using only your fingertips (not the palms of your hands). This should remove some of the topcoat to reveal the basecoat in places giving you a two-tone effect. Roll small sections at a time, then lift the rag from the surface and change the angle of the roll. This is a basic "ragging-off technique. |
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| Step 4: | Softening. |
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You can now soften the hard edges using a badger-softener, or alternatively, the kind of make-up brush used to apply blusher. Gently soften the hard edges using the tips of the bristles in varying directions. You should see the 2 colours blending together. This technique will also be used later to soften the veins. |
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| Step 5: | Adding the veins. |
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Using 2 or 3 other colours, add veins using a N° 3 sable pencil or similar artists brush. The veins are usually added diagonally, but should vary in direction across the board. The veins should not be solid from end to end, they should fade into the background, & then gradually reappear. To help you achieve this, you can use the softening technique from step 4. The brush can be double-loaded like this: Drag the side of the bristles over the surface of one colour then twist the brush 180° & repeat using a different colour You should now have a different colour on each side of the bristles. When adding the veins, you can twist the brush thereby changing colour without taking the brush off the board. Allow the panel to dry thoroughly before the next step. |
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| Step 6: | Protecting your work. |
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Apply at least two coats of clear varnish to protect the work. If the overall colour is too light, a little colour can be added to the varnish. |
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| For more inspiration, take a look at our tutorials for Sienna and Onyx |