No Fuss No Chemistry Suminagashi Ottoman Ebru Marbling Class

 Wednesday 1:30 - 4:30 $75  
  Kat Allison      


Student Level: All
Type of Workshop: Process
Prerequisite:None

       
     

Suminagashi is a very old (old like 825 B.C.E.) printing process that required all sorts of patience and chemistry. It is very impressive stuff and fairly hard to do because it requires that water based ink mixed with ox gall float on top of plain water long enough to get a sheet of paper printed. Ebru, developed in the Ottoman Empire is done pretty much the same way but it requires you to draw flowers and leaves while trying to get your ink to float. A hundred years or so later, somebody started marbling on size, also known as thick slimy goo that smells bad, but the ink floated. Now, skipping over a bunch of marbling and printing history, we find the guy (whose name is lost to history) who realized that if we just used oil paint on water it would float darn near forever. It meant we could do all sorts of clever and creative stuff to put cool images and vivid color on paper, fabric, matt board and white tennis shoes. We will use techniques that are timeless, and a few that I discovered by mistake. We'll have 3 fun and relaxing hours of imaging some of the most beautiful and useful paper you'll ever make, and, if the muse takes you, marble some shoes. This is a great class for beginners and learned artists.

Supplies provided by teacher for use in workshop:

  • paper towels
  • tools and gadgets that make texture and images
  • swizzle sticks
  • bamboo skewers
  • plastic cups and spoons

    Kit Fee of $15 payable to Instructor at class time includes:
  • 15 sheet pad of watercolor paper,
  • 2 fat quarters of white canvas
  • turkey roasting pan
  • turpinoid
  • oil paint
  • glass eye droppers
  • mat board
  • computer paper

    Students should bring:
  • Gloves if you care what color your hands are
  • Other papers--remember that we are printing with oils and they stick to almost anything. The process goes fast, and it isn't unreasonable to leave with 100 sheets of paper. If in doubt, bring it.
  • Optional, but fun, white canvas tennis shoes. Mine are high tops, (my son calls them Chucks and the brand is Converse) but the only requirement is that they be white and canvas. If the shoes don't float your boat, a canvas bag would work, too. Remember that it has to fit in a turkey roaster.

    • Place an advance order for your supplies & tools and pick it up when you arrive at AU:
    Mixed Media: The Occasional Artist - Email your order to: theoccasionalartist@cox.net or call 623-847-2215
    Jewelry: The Urban Beader - Order at theurbanbeader.com, then send email to sales@theurbanbeader.com stating that this is a pre-order for Art Unraveled. Once the email is received the shipping will be reimbursed.

    Questions? Email Kat at copperleaf111@gmail.com
    Website: copperloom.com