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Marbling Technique

It is said that marbling dates back to the time of the pharaohs, when real marble was much desired but difficult to transport, prompting the ancient Egyptians to explore ways of imitating it. This technique is best applied to surfaces where one might expect to find real marble – pillars, counter tops and floors, for example. However, the following effect can be achieved on almost any object. For added authenticity, study the veins of a real marble slab before attempting to reproduce it.
Materials Plascon Wall & All – (water based) Black, Monsoon Lagoon G5-E1-1, White Plascon Velvaglo – (oil based): Sea Garden (G7-B1-2), White Plascon Oil Scumble Glaze Mineral turpentine A flat brush A natural sea sponge No. 3 artists brush (for fine veining) A flat Toray 1 stroke brush A badger brush
Method
Step 1 Paint the object to be marbled – in this case a decorative concrete wall sconce – with two coats of Wall & All Black, allowing two hours drying time after each coat. Dilute one part Wall & All Monsoon Lagoon with an equal amount of water. Moisten your sponge with water and squeeze it out well. Dip it into the paint mixture, dabbing off any excess on a piece of newspaper. Then gently sponge the paint onto the object, leaving some of the background colour showing through. No drying time is necessary.
Step 2 Lighten the Monsoon Lagoon with a little White Wall & All and repeat Step 1. Leave it to dry for a few hours.
Step3 Mix equal quantities of Velvaglo Sea Garden, Scumble Glaze and turpentine. Decide which direction you wish the veins to go in and using the Toray brush, draw thick ribbon-shaped veins, turning and twisting the brush as you go. Using the artists brush and pure turpentine, make holes in the ribbon stroke.
Step 4 Blur these slightly with a badger brush. Do this after each ribbon while the paint is still slightly damp.
Step 5 Using the same glaze mixture with the addition of a little White Velvaglo, add a few very fine veins with the artists brush using a shaky hand. Finish off with two coats of Ultra Varnish Matt. Allow to dry for 24 hours.