EXPERIENCE

I recently attended a Suminagashi workshop ran by artist Sarah Amatt. Suminagashi is an ancient Japanese method for marbling paper or washi by floating ink on water then absorbing the pattern onto the paper. Here is a video showing the process as demonstrated by Sarah:

Below is an example of a marbling pattern floating on water ready for the paper to be presented:

The next step is to place the paper carefully onto the water, either by ‘rolling’ it down from one corner, or holding the paper in a U shape and lowered down from the centre of the paper. This process should be done slowly with very steady hands so the paper floats and does not sink.

Strips of newspaper can be used to absorbed the extra exposed ink to keep the water as clean as possible for multiple uses.

The paper is left on the water for a few seconds then lifted up carefully. It should be washed down with a few cups of clean water by a bucket or sink then put on a rack such as a clothes horse to dry.

We made many sheets of various types and sizes of paper during the workshop:

Here is an example of a starter kit of marbling ink:

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REFLECTIONS & LEARNING

It was an enjoyable workshop. Sarah encouraged us to experiment which was great. I had no knowledge of the technique or history of Suminagashi beforehand so the workshop was a good learning opportunity.

My reason for attending was to make some patterned paper that I could use in my art practice to make books or sketchbooks. I came away with a good stock of marbled paper. So overall I achieved the objective, learnt some new techniques and enjoyed myself.

NEXT STEPS

Play and see what can be done with the paper and make some books.

Below is an example of using the paper for Chinese calligraphy: