After a few years of water marbling I have some ideas of what works the “best” for a setup for water marbling.
Newspaper vs Tablecloth
Newspaper is cheap and readily available. Usually a super easy cleanup. But the problem with newspaper is that the water or paint can soak thru and damage or stain your workspace. So I do reccomend newspaper to protect your workspace.
I use a waterproof tablecloth as my choice to protect my workspace. If you are working with little kids I highly recommend having it taped down so that it cannot be pulled off the table. I use mine over and over. You can also dispose of the table cloth after use if you are looking for a quicker clean up.
Garbage Can
I have a hack for my garbage can. I have a layered garbage. I use 2 buckets that can be layered inside of one another. The top one I have drilled holes into it. So I can place the garbage in and the liquid will drain to the bottom bucket. When my creating is complete. I empty the top layer into the garbage and the bottom layer I will reuse with my gel. This is great to avoid a drippy garbage bag too!
Paper Towel, Newspaper or Rag Cloths
Paper Towel is great for cleaning the leftover paint off the tray. You can also use old newspaper as a cheaper alternative. I just find it hard to manage in a busy workshop. So I usually use paper towel.
Rag Cloths or towels are great for wiping off your tools as a great alternative to using paper towel. You can also lay a larger towel on the table to wipe off tools. Or use a small rag cloth to wipe off your tools after each use.
Paint Bottles vs Paintbrush
In water marbling and ebru you have the option of using bottles to holdyour paint and allow them to drop onto your surface. In ebru they use a lidless container and dip a “paintbrush” like tool in and then shake the paint off onto the surface.
I always use the bottles. For little hands I like bottles that require a squeeze. For big hand I use a bottle that just drips out the paint. I find this give me control.
The ebru version of sprinkling paint is just tooooo messy for my workshops. But if I did some work for me I use this technique but I have to be setup really well for the extra mess.
Newspaper Strips
I use the newspaper strips to clean the surface of the gel. This cleans off any bubbles or dust and sets the surface tension. About 1.50 inches wide and the length of the tray. I don’t use anything else, but you could try printer paper if needed.
Tools
Tools can be so much fun! I start with just sticks to create designs. BBQ kebab sticks. Then you can make your own tools with different spaced nails or toothpicks attached to wood or cardboard.
Drying Station
To make a drying station you have a few options. You can use a clothing rack with a rag towel underneath. This will allow you to hang items to dry. You can use a table that is covered with a rag towel or waterproof tablecloth to lay your items out. This will allow you to lay your items to dry.