RUNAWAY BLUES STYLE FALL 2013 : SUMINAGASHI

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Thursday, 04th January
RUNAWAY BLUES STYLE FALL 2013 : SUMINAGASHI

REED KRAKOFF FALL 2013 & MARBLED PAPER

Suminagashi, or “floating ink” in Japanese, is the oldest method of decorative paper. One of the world’s largest collections of original post 17^th-century marbled vellum belongs to Einen Miura, compiled in The Art of Marbled Paper. The process, which spread as European travellers passed through Asia, can be applied to almost every surface, from wood to fingernails to silks.

To create marbled prints at home:
First, prepare the surface of your paper.
Dissolve two tablespoons of alum (aluminum sulfate) in two cups of warm water.
Brush one side with the alum mixture, and hang the paper on a clothesline for an hour to dry.
Once dry, iron the sheets on a medium setting to flatten.
In a bowl, combine half a cup of methylcellulose with four quarts cold water, whisking to filter powder.
When the mixture is lump-free, let it sit for an hour, stirring at 15-minute intervals, until syrupy.
Pour the liquid into a pan.
Thin your paints, until runny, with small amounts of water.
Dip a brush into your first paint color and hold it over the tray.
Tap on the handle (with a pencil or stick), allowing the paint to speckle the mixture.
Continue to add paint, leaving the speckles as they are, or paint on solution to create a stone-like pattern.
Move paint in spirals using a knitting needle (or stick), or comb a rake through the paint to create arches.
Hold the paper by two corners and lower it (prepared side down) so that it floats on top of the solution.
Let go of the corners and smooth out any air bubbles with your fingers.
Let the paper float for a few seconds, then gently lift if from the tray.
Immediately place it in a pan and pour water over it, then hang it to dry (about 2 hours).

Frame, use as stationary, line shelves, or layer as a wallpaper alternative.

Ingenious ideas for marbled paper?
Nomad welcomes “do-it-yourself” adventures.
Leave a comment below with a DIY.

September 2013