Marbling requires basic equipment and supplies to get started:
(1)left- rinse water container right- marbling tray
(2) easy to make tools
(3) small paint containers
(4) fixative, paint and bath/size*
* I use aluminum sulfate fixative, Golden Fluid Acrylics and a methyl cellulose bath.

Tools primarily consist of the following:
(1) stylus (ex. bamboo skewer)
(2) 2 rakes with teeth evenly spaced 1" - 3" across a handle the length and width of the tray
(3) 2 combs with teeth evenly spaced 1/4" - 1/2" across a handle the length and width of the tray
(4) hair pick

Getting Started:
In most cases a porous surface must first be treated with a fixative before the paint will stick to the surface evenly. The fixative, alum, coats the fibers and the paint sticks to the alum like a magnet.

To begin, clean the surface of the bath with a strip of newspaper to clear any invisible film or paint residue from the previous print.

Once the paint is adjusted to float properly, drop it onto the surface of the bath and watch droplets spread into circles of color called 'stones'.
The bath/size in the tray is a clear, viscose solution of water and a plant gum.

Once the paint has been applied to the surface of the bath the stone pattern may be printed. However, the stones can also be manipulated into classical patterns or unique shapes by using different tools.

Carefully lower the paper on the surface of the bath/size.

The pattern sticks to the paper on contact.

After the paper is rinsed hang it to dry. The print is stable once dry.

Alum Fabric

Fabric/scarf is soaked in an alum solution and hung to dry.

Once the paint is applied to the surface of the bath the fabric is carefully lowered onto the surface.
Keep in mind that the tray must be larger than the piece being marbled. For example, my tray is 36in. x 8ft. for my production work.

It is then lifted off the surface of the bath to be rinsed.

The scarf is carefully rinsed and hung to dry. Once it is ironed on the reverse side to heat set the fabric it is hand washable.

Vat dye discharge has an unpredictable quality that enhances the uniqueness of a print. A piece of silk is printed or painted with a thick discharge paste mixed with vat dye powder, a dye which is not affected by the discharging agent. As the silk print is individually steamed, a mutual chemical condition is created allowing the discharge paste to remove the original color from the silk and simultaneously permiting the vat dye to penetrate the fabric, replacing the discharged areas with new color.

The low water immersion dye process uses fiber-reactive dyes to penetrate the fabric in a soluble form. The dye is then made to become insoluble or permanent by the addition of a washing soda solution.
By using minimal water in the dye solution it is possible to get subtle and bold variations of color over the surface of the silk, as seen in the silk scarves.