September 1, 2026

Jess’s Test Studio: Paper Marbling with Acrylics

There’s something a little magical about paper marbling. You drop paint onto a tray of thickened water, move it around, lay down a sheet of paper—and suddenly you’ve made something completely unexpected.

Various Marbled Papers

I spent some time in Jess’s Test Studio experimenting with Methocel, alum, different papers and GOLDEN High Flow Acrylics to find a method that was approachable, repeatable and didn’t require a huge collection of specialized marbling supplies.

Here’s what worked for me.

What You’ll Need

For the marbling bath

  • Methocel (methylcellulose)
  • Water
  • A shallow tray slightly larger than your paper, I used a 9 × 13-inch baking dish
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Large pitcher
  • Large spoon or stir stick 

For preparing the paper

  • Alum
  • Water
  • A clean pottery sponge
  • 2-cup measuring cup
  • Paper

For marbling

  • GOLDEN High Flow Acrylics
  • Drop cloth or paper to protect your table
  • Skewers, toothpicks, combs or other tools for making patterns
  • Scrap paper or newspaper for cleaning the surface between prints
  • A flat surface to place over the bath before you pull the paper (cardboard, foamcore, matboard)
  • A large tub
  • A place to lay your finished papers flat to dry

Prepare the Paper

My Alum Solution — Small Batch

Makes 1 cup

  • ½ teaspoon alum
  • 1 cup warm water

Pour alum and water into a 2-cup measuring cup. Mix.

Dip a clean pottery sponge into the solution and apply it evenly to one side of the paper. I make my first pass in one direction and then a second pass in the opposite direction. This gives me nice, even coverage without unnecessarily soaking the paper.

Lay the paper out and allow it to dry completely before marbling.

Jess’s Test Note: Make a tiny pencil mark on the untreated side of your paper. Once you’ve prepared a whole stack and everything is dry, it’s surprisingly easy to forget which side has the alum!

Make the Marbling Bath

My Methocel Recipe

For 1 gallon:

  • 2½–3 tablespoons (37–44 g) Methocel
  • 1 gallon (3.79 L) warm tap water

Slowly sprinkle the Methocel into the warm water while mixing or blending until it is dissolved. Let it stand for 1 hour. If it isn’t completely dissolved, blend/mix it again. Then let it rest for at least 30 minutes, or until the bubbles have risen and disappeared. Jacquard recommends using it at room temperature.

Pour the prepared Methocel into your tray to create a shallow bath.

Before you begin marbling, drag a strip of scrap paper across the surface to pick up any dust, bubbles or other debris.

Add Your Paint

Give your GOLDEN High Flow Acrylics a good shake before you begin. It’s also helpful to open the tops so you’ll have easy access. 

Gently drop the colors onto the surface of the Methocel bath. Allow each color to spread before adding more.

This is where the fun begins.

Try dropping colors inside one another, dragging a skewer through the paint, making swirls or using a comb to create repeated patterns. Experiment with how much paint you add and how you manipulate it. If your paint is sinking to the bottom, try adding less. Light colors look deceivingly pale in the water but will pull vivid on your paper. 

There really isn’t one right pattern to make.

Jess’s Test Note: Stop before you think you should! It’s very easy to keep manipulating a beautiful pattern until you’ve manipulated all the beauty right out of it.



Pull Your Print

Carefully lower the paper onto the surface of the bath with the alum-treated side facing the paint.

Allow the paper to make full contact with the floating color. Place your flat surface over about three-quarters of the bath. Gently lift the paper by the corners and pull it up and onto the flat surface. This supports the wet paper as you lift it, helping prevent it from tearing and giving it a safe place to rest.

Carry the flat surface with the marbled paper to a large tub and prop it upright. Using a pitcher, gently pour clean water over the paper to rinse away any excess Methocel.

Lay your print flat to dry. Once completely dry, you can press it under weight if it needs a little help flattening out.

Before making another print, use a strip of scrap paper to skim any remaining paint from the surface of the bath.

Then start again.

Marbled papers drying on rack.

What I Learned in the Test Studio

Plain copy paper worked surprisingly well. I actually really like the lighter weight because I primarily use my marbled papers for collage.

Heavier doesn’t necessarily mean better. Some of the heavier colored copy paper I tested wanted to curl as soon as it touched the marbling bath.

Sponging on the alum gave me good control. Applying it in one direction and then the other helped me see that the entire surface had been treated.

GOLDEN High Flow Acrylics made this incredibly easy. They’re already very fluid, come in fantastic colors and are easy to dispense directly onto the bath.

And perhaps most importantly:

Don’t try to make every sheet perfect.

Marbling is wonderfully unpredictable. Some of my favorite papers came from combinations and patterns I probably couldn’t recreate if I tried.

What Can You Do With Marbled Paper?

Use your finished papers for collage, bookmaking, handmade cards, envelopes, gift wrap, paper sculpture, journals and all sorts of mixed-media projects.

Or put your favorites somewhere safe because they’re much too beautiful to cut up.

I understand.

Want to Try It?

You can find the materials I used for this project at Art Department. I’ve linked the supplies below so you can easily find what you need.

[SHOP METHOCEL]
[SHOP ALUM]
[SHOP GOLDEN HIGH FLOW ACRYLICS]
[SHOP TOOLS & PAPER]

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