Tag: ebru

  • Featured Video Play Icon

    Painting on Water With Ebru

    Ebru is the South West Asian art of painting atop water, similar to suminagashi in Japan or paper marbling in European culture. This video takes you inside the studio of Garip Ay, a Turkish ebru artist, letting you observe some of the tools and techniques he uses. Ay’s painting are incredibly dynamic, transforming from one image to something entirely different as he applies more dye, adds a surfactant, or draws a clean brush through the liquid. (Video and image credit: Great Big Story; artist: G. Ay; via Colossal)

  • Featured Video Play Icon

    The Art of Paper Marbling

    Known as ebru in Turkey and suminagashi in Japan, the art of paper marbling has flourished in cultures around the world since medieval times. The details of methods vary, but in general, the technique uses a base of oily water to float various dyes and pigments. Artists then use brushes, wires, and other tools to manipulate the dyes into the desired pattern. Paper is spread over the top to soak up the color pattern before being hung to dry. Every print made in this manner is a unique result of buoyancy, surface tension variation, and viscous manipulation. Check out the video above to watch a timelapse video showing the technique in action. (Video and image credit: Royal Hali)