How to Do Suminigashi Art

Suminagashi is the Japanese art of paper marbling and decoration. Traditionally executed with a pine-resin dispersant and opaque inks, suminagashi can be adapted to use common household items. The color must, by definition, float on a thick agent before binding to the paper. In about half an hour, you and your child can create stunning, classically marbled paper.

Things You'll Need

  • Table
  • Tray (such as plastic tray for beneath dish drainer)
  • Trash bag
  • Tempera paint (at least three colors)
  • Paintbrush
  • Watercolor paper
  • Shave cream
  • Stiff cardboard rectangle (9 inches by 4 inches, ideally)
  • Toothpick
  • Trash can
  • Paper plate
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Instructions

    • 1

      Spread trash bag on table to protect work surface.

    • 2

      Place tray on top of protected surface.

    • 3

      Squirt small blobs of tempera paint onto paper plate, keeping the colors separate.

    • 4

      Spray a thick rectangle of shaving cream onto tray. Smooth the top surface of it with the edge of the cardboard.

    • 5

      Use your brush to paint on the surface of the shaving cream with tempera. Do not press the brush into the shaving cream.

    • 6

      Paint stripes, dots or other pattern on the shaving cream, avoiding making pictures or letters.

    • 7

      Stir the painted pattern with a toothpick for 30 seconds, making swirls and figure-eights as you stir.

    • 8

      Lay your paper on the painted surface and pat with your fingers to make sure the paper takes the paint suspended in the shaving cream.

    • 9

      Peel the paper off of the surface and lay it aside to dry for 20 minutes.

    • 10
      Your design will be marbled in different colors.

      Use cardboard to scrape the shaving cream off the paper (over the trash can) to reveal marbled design.

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