What is marbling?
Joann’s appreciation for marbling grew out of her scholarly interests in eighteenth-century literature and science along with handling beautiful eighteenth-century books bound with marbled paper.
M arbling is a unique art form that has been practiced for hundreds of years. The art of manipulating and capturing fluid dynamics began in Japan with the practice of suminagashi (literally "floating ink") in the 12th century. The ebru style of marbling flourished in the Islamic world beginning in the long 16th century. Travelers to the Middle East brought marbling to Europe in the seventeenth century.
How does it work?
First the artist prepares the paper, paint, and "size," which is a large tray of thickened water. Paint is dropped on the size where it floats and expands so that new drops push the first drops into veins and spots. This is called a "stone" pattern. To make traditional patterns such as the classic "chevron," or "Icarus," or "nonpareil," the artist drags a stylus or different rakes through the water in a set order. Finally the artist carefully lays one sheet of paper on the design on the water. When the dripping paper is lifted off the size, the pattern has magically transferred to the paper. Finally, the artist hangs the paper up to dry, and cleans the size to start a new sheet of paper since each design may only be transferred once.
About Marbled Edge
J oann McEntire founded Marbled Edge, a design studio that sells marbled prints on paper, and items handmade with this paper, in 2015 in Redwood City, California. Before founding Marbled Edge, Joann received her Ph.D. in English from Stanford University, where she also taught writing and critical thinking.
Joann’s deep appreciation for marbling grew out of her scholarly interests in eighteenth-century chemistry along with handling beautiful eighteenth-century books bound with marbled paper. Many books of this time had marbling along their edges. The finest edge marbling can only be done before the boards of a book’s covers are attached during the binding process, so it catches the moment when the book is in the act of being formed. What a lovely thought!
