Making Marble Paper Using Methyl Cellulose

If you're interested in completing an art project that requires the use of unconventional techniques, creating marble paper with methyl cellulose could be the right project for you. Methyl cellulose is derived from vegetables and is used in a variety of applications including bookbinding and as a thickener for marbled paper water baths. The process of marbling paper can last a couple of hours and the marbled paper product can be further crafted into decorative items.

Things You'll Need

• Methyl cellulose
• Mixing bowl
• Whisk
• 2 aluminum baking pans
• Newspaper
• Liquid acrylic paint in desired colors
• Container for mixing paint
• Paint brush
• Toothpicks
• Comb-size piece of cardboard
• Masking tape
• Bamboo skewers
• 100 percent cotton paper
• Clothespins
• Clothesline

Instructions

1. Pour 1/2 cup of methyl cellulose and 8 cups of water into a mixing bowl. Whisk the ingredients together when you first add them to the mixing bowl and once every additional 15 minutes until one hour has passed.

2. Pour the mixture into an aluminum pan until the mixture measures 1 inch high. Remove any bubbles in the water bath by placing a strip of newspaper on top of the mixture above the bubbled area and lightly tapping the entire surface of the strip. Remove the newspaper by pulling up from a single corner. Place a second aluminum pan next to the first tray and fill it to the same height with water.

3. Mix the liquid acrylic paint with a small amount of water in a separate container to dilute it to the color you desire. Sprinkle the diluted acrylic paint onto the surface of the water/methyl cellulose bath using a paint brush. Repeat this step for each additional paint color.

4. Lay toothpicks 1/2 inch apart along a piece of cardboard. Use masking tape to affix the toothpicks to the cardboard to create a comb.

5. Hold the comb so the toothpicks face downward. Place the comb into one end of the aluminum tray containing the mixture of methyl cellulose and water. Move the comb through the mixture to the other side of the tray. This raking motion will produce streaks in the paint you sprinkled in Step 3. Rake the mixture as many times as you want until a desired pattern appears. Use a bamboo skewer to add swirls and lines into the suspended paint if desired.

6. Lay a piece of cotton paper onto the water/methyl cellulose bath and lightly pat the entire back so the paper makes full contact with the mixture. Grasp the cotton paper by a single corner and remove it from the pan. Shake the paper lightly over the pan to remove any dripping methyl cellulose.

7. Submerge the imprinted cotton paper into the water contained in the second aluminum tray. Pour additional water over the paper while it is submerged to remove any excess methyl cellulose.

8. Attach the paper to a clothesline with clothespins or place the paper on a flat, dry surface and allow it to dry completely.

References

• Design Sponge: DIY Project--Marbled Paper
• Daniel Smith: The Secrets of Paper Marbling Revealed