Bold Rainbow Gelgit Water Marbling

Bold Rainbow Gelgit Water Marbling

Posted by DecoArt on Jan 24th 2022

Use the Over the Rainbow Water Marbling Set to create your own gelgit prints.

SUPPLIES

  • paper towels
  • iron
  • watercolor paper
  • plastic tub or tray
  • tray for rinsing

INSTRUCTIONS

NOTES:

Before you begin be sure to set up your water marbling station. You should have your supplies set up and easily accessible. Following directions on bottle, mix the Magic Medium Water Prep with the appropriate amount of water in the water marbling tray or separate container.

Some of the drops of paint will sink and you may begin to see drops of paint gathering on the bottom of the tray, this is normal and will not effect the surface where the print is pulled.

You should also have a tray of clean water to rinse your prints after they are dipped. (TIP: Lay out paper towels to place your fresh prints on to speed drying time.) Plan to create several unique prints at one time.

For this project use the Crystal Geode Water Marbling Set, which includes the following colors: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Tropical Blue, Blue and Violet.

  1. Prepare your size. Follow the easy instructions on the Magic Medium bottle to prepare the size (water) mixture. (TIP: Prepare mixture in a plastic tub with a lid and fill/refill the water marbling tray as needed. Cover unused size and store at room temperature to keep it fresh for up to five days) Now you are ready to add paint.
  2. Instruction #1
  3. Start by filling the surface of the size with an even coat of Tropical Blue.
  4. Instruction #2
  5. Do this by pouring paint down the middle of the tray horizontally.
  6. Instruction #3
  7. Allow paint to disperse.
  8. Instruction #4
  9. Keep adding lines of Tropical Blue paint to the surface until the surface has become filled with transparent color.
  10. Instruction #5
  11. Next, in the center of the tray, pour five lines of Blue; allowing each line of color to disperse before adding the next. Once the paint is dispersed, move on to the next color.
  12. Instruction #6
  13. Pour a line of Red Water Marbling paint.
  14. Instruction #7
  15. Once the first line of Red has dispersed, add another line of Red.
  16. Instruction #8
  17. Pour an Orange line of paint down the center of the Red.
  18. Instruction #9
  19. Repeat this with another line of Orange paint once the first is dispersed.
  20. Instruction #10
  21. (TIP: adding paint in this method allows for a build-up of a nice horizontal line pattern.)
  22. Instruction #11
  23. Pour Yellow paint down the center of the surface.
  24. Instruction #12
  25. Allow paint to dissolve and pour the second line of Yellow paint.
  26. Instruction #13
  27. Next, pour a Green line of paint. Allow to disperse.
  28. Instruction #14
  29. Add a second line of Green paint.
  30. Instruction #15
  31. Pour on two lines of Tropical Blue paint.
  32. Instruction #16
  33. Next, add two lines of Blue paint.
  34. Instruction #17
  35. Pour a line of Violet paint.
  36. Instruction #18
  37. Pour a line of Red paint.
  38. Instruction #19
  39. Add a line of Orange paint to the center of the Red. (TIP: you can add colors in any order you like. Each combination will give a slightly different look!)
  40. Instruction #20
  41. Finally, pour a Yellow line of paint. Allow to disperse.
  42. Instruction #21
  43. Starting on the left side of the tray, slowly pull the stick down through the horizontal lines of color. At the bottom of the tray, reverse direction and pull the marbling stick back up through the colors from the bottom to the top. This will create a "Gelgit" or zigzag pattern.
  44. Instruction #22
  45. (TIP: Only use the tip of the Water Marbling Stick to create a more controlled pattern.)
  46. Instruction #23
  47. Continue process across the entire paint surface.
  48. Instruction #24
  49. You now have a beautiful and graphic pattern!
  50. Instruction #25
  51. When your tray is ready to transfer the design onto the paper, use a piece of DecoArt's Premium Water Marbling Paper to get maximum absorbency of the paint. (TIP: Keep paper very dry! If the surface is wet prior to dipping into the size, it won't absorb the paint, which will result in a white spot.) A good technique to minimize bubbles in your print is to hold your paper on opposing corners to allow the center of the paper to touch the surface first. Then, slowly lay your corners down onto the surface. Make sure the paper is in full contact with the surface.
  52. Instruction #26
  53. Allow the paper to float on the surface of the size for a moment. This allows the design to transfer onto the paper. The corners of the paper will begin to pull away from the surface. Lift the paper off the surface by lifting opposing corners of the paper. Although you may notice some slight finger smudges in the corners of the paper, do not be concerned. They simply add to the overall effect. Place print face down in a clean tray of water to rinse off extra sizing.
  54. Instruction #27
  55. This step is optional, but rinsing off extra sizing allows for cleaner, more vibrant colors to shine through! Also, the paper will be less stiff and dry flatter. Place print face down in a clean tray of water to rinse off extra sizing. This step is optional, but rinsing off extra sizing allows for cleaner, more vibrant colors to shine through! Also, the paper will be less stiff and dry flatter.
  56. Instruction #28
  57. Lay paper, print side up on a paper towel to dry. This step will help absorb excess moisture and allow prints to dry faster.
  58. Instruction #29
  59. There will be extra paint left on the surface. You can transfer another print at this point. (TIP: blow on the surface to give the paint more movement and interest.) The pool of sizing can be reused again and again. To prepare the pool for a new project, simply use DecoArt's Water Marbling Premium Cleaning Paper and drag it across the surface until clean.
  60. Instruction #30
  61. (TIP: Remember, just the surface has to be clean to reuse. There may still be paint that has fallen to the bottom. This is called "sinking". This will not affect further prints!)
  62. Instruction #31
  63. Allow print to dry completely. Lay paper, print side down and using an iron on high, iron to flatten. (TIP: Place a piece of watercolor paper between the paint and the table surface to protect the print. If you have steam, place a paper towel between the watercolor paper and the table.)
  64. Instruction #32
  65. The print looks beautiful in a simple frame. But there are endless possibilities as to how you can use these one-of-a-kind prints. Incorporate them in a collage, cover a journal, or even as a background for a mixed media project.
  66. Instruction #33
  67. Try using DecoArt's Water Marbling Surface prep and techniques to hydro-dip a scarf, a pair of shoes or anything you want to try!
  68. Instruction #34