Is there any way i can float acrylic paint on top of water to make marbled paper without using carrageenan?

Question

i'm trying to make marbled paper at home but i only have acrylic paint. if i want to use just normal water to float the colours on, is the only option to use ink?

Answer 1

You can use methylcellulose instead of carageenan, but there are other ways to do it too.  You may just need to thin your acrylic paints though before dropping on.

Here are some suggestions I've gathered over the years for "marbling" paper:

marbelizing paper … "combing" paper, etc, using liquid starch and acrylic paints

http://www.make-stuff.com/recycling/marb...

3 parts paint to 1 part water

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Lake/...

Carefully drop a piece of paper onto the marbleized paint and leave for 18 seconds. Then VERY carefully lift out. Place face down in a vat of warm water for 20 seconds or so to remove starch. Allow to dry

Pour liquid starch (liquid starch like for starching shirts) about an inch thick into some throwaway containers.

Add a touch of water to several colors of craft acrylic paints

Pour a couple of colors across the starch.

Swirl a toothpick around it to make patterns, then lay the paper on the surface to pick up paint. (the paper should lay flat) Don’t immerse it.

Pull it off and let it dry.

(You can keep adding colors to the starch until it’s finally too muddy or the starch runs low. Then start over with a new container).

After the paper is dry, you can also dab a bit of metallic paint on a paper towel and randomly daub it across the surface

And here are a few more possibilities:

OIL PAINTS + Unflavored Gelatin

.....(see instructions for this near the bottom of the page)

http://members.tripod.com/~Patricia_F/cr...

OIL BASED PAINT or SPRAY:

The page where this one appeared is now gone, but here's what Patricia_F had written:

Oil-based paint

Bucket

Water

Straw or heavy wire

Plain (paper?) ornament

     Set out an appropriate, expendable bucket, deep throwaway pan, etc. and fill with water about halfway.  

Have children select one or two oil-based paints or spray that is not water soluble.  

Drop several drops of each color (or spray) onto the water.  If it's an oil-based paint it will not mix

with the water.

Have children stir the water with a straw or heavy wire to swirl the colors around.  

Have children dip a paper ornament that has a long wire attached to it into the water.  

Have them swirl it around until it picks up the colors.  

Hang ornaments up to dry overnight.

http://www.tellfriendsnow.com/marbelizin...

You might also want to check out these ways of "marbling" with paints:

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/crafting/articl...

http://kidscrafts.suite101.com/article.c...

making “paste papers”

http://www.rubberstampsclub.com/tips/pap...

AND, check out the links in this search for more on all those ways:

http://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+ma...

HTH,

Diane B.

Answer 2

Yes,  Just use water in your pan and then add drops of the acrylic paint in splotches then quickly run your paper over the top to pick up the paint.  

Check out these sites:

http://www.show.me.uk/site/make/Art-and-...

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/awa...

http://www.suite101.com/reference/marble

Hope this helps you out.