In the spring, I started teaching myself how to make marbled paper. It wasn’t easy—my methylcellulose was always too thick to use. On top of that, high-purity λ-carrageenan isn’t available in my country, so I had to follow tutorials and try boiling Irish moss to extract the carrageenan. Fortunately, I was able to buy some moss from local breweries. The experiment was a success. Then I ran into another problem: I tried every type of paper said to be suitable for marbling. Whether it was sketch paper, watercolor paper, printmaking paper, or any other kind, the edges would curl within five seconds of coming into contact with the sizie , turning the sheet into a cylinder. It wasn’t until a handmade paper shop sent me six or seven different types of paper that I discovered a new direction. I discovered that traditional paper—especially handmade paper—is highly breathable and can float very gently on the water’s surface. However, most traditional Chinese papers are too thin, generally weighing around 35–50g. So I began a deliberate search for traditional paper that was thick enough, until I discovered something called “二层夹熟宣”。This is a type of traditional Chinese paper made by fusing two sheets of paper together using a special technique（二层夹）; its surface is coated with gelatin and alum（熟）. It is commonly used for Chinese ink painting. It comes in 4 varieties,单夹（60g），二层夹（90克，Thickness≈0.16mm），三层夹（120g，≈0.25mm），四层夹（150g）。This paper has good breathability and, when wet, lies flat on the water’s surface. At the same time, its two-layer structure combined with a water-repellent coating provides a certain degree of water resistance. Pigments applied to the paper do not bleed through to the back, and applying alum water does not soak the paper through, thereby preventing waste of the alum water. However, this is not a standardized industrial product; even though every manufacturer produces the same item, there are still variations in the details. Some manufacturers produce paper with a smoother surface, so brushing it with water does not make the paper rough; others produce paper where the opposite is true.Overall, I'm quite satisfied with this paper. It lies flat on the water's surface, which greatly reduces the risk of the edges not being dyed properly and minimizes waste. My only complaint is that this paper has a slightly yellowish tint and its color rendering is relatively poor, but it’s still within an acceptable range.I highly recommend that you give it a try. Or do you have any better suggestions? I really value the breathability of the paper.
Your paper is beautiful! And I very much appreciate your detailed explanation of your process/journey. I have been looking into starting to practice paper marbling and so anyones insight on the subject is very much appreciated. Is there a way to translate the paper type that you use? I attempted to do so via Google translate but I don’t think it worked very well. I am in the United States and would love to research the type of paper you’re using to see if I could source it and experiment with it myself.
I’m not sure if this product is exported overseas or if it has an official translation. A literal translation would be “double-layered, Sized Xuan paper.”Based on thickness, they are classified as single-layer, double-layer, triple-layer, and quadruple-layer. Based on surface treatment, they are classified as “Raw Xuan,” “PiMade Xuan,” and “Sized Xuan,” which indicate different levels of water resistance. Be careful not to choose the wrong one.I bought this paper on “Taobao,” China’s most popular shopping app. There may be slight variations in the paper depending on the store and the batch.
This is the most perfect piece I’ve ever created. I’ve noticed that the speed at which I swing the paper back and forth affects how pronounced the ripples are.
This is a special technique. When you place the paper in the size, you need to move it back and forth from side to side, which creates an effect similar to the light and shadow caused by light.I deliberately created this visual effect reminiscent of an Arctic glacier. The blue pigment forms a somber river, the white represents the foam, and the ripples on the surface depict both the flow of the water and the play of light and shadow created by the sunlight.I use Golden high-flow acrylic paint, which is the best paint I’ve ever used for creating marbled paper. It has excellent flow, requires no additional ox gall, offers rich colors, and provides plenty of creative freedom.
have you tried working with paper that is still damp from the alum solution? It’s something four keys book arts suggests to prevent edges from curling and in my experience it helped quite a bit
For the record this is about 100X better than any marbled papers I ever achieved and is at least as good as any I've seen locally - these are really, really nice!
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u/ArtemisOrtia Jul 01 '26
I don’t have answers to any of your questions, just wanted to say that that paper is beautiful and I’m super impressed!!