Shaving cream marbling is the easiest way to make swirly, one-of-a-kind paper. No special marbling size, no water bath, no mess you cannot wipe up. Jackie of Happy Hooligans makes it with her kids all the time, using a can of foam, a few bottles of liquid watercolour and a baking tray. Every sheet comes out different, which is half the fun.
How to marble paper with shaving cream: the short version
- Spread foaming shaving cream evenly over a baking tray.
- Drip liquid watercolour or food colouring over the top.
- Swirl the colours with a craft stick.
- Press paper onto the foam, lift it, and scrape the foam off.
- Let it dry flat, then make the next sheet from the same tray.
Which shaving cream and colours work
Use plain white foaming shaving cream, the cheap fluffy kind. Gel types and ones with moisturisers do not hold the colour on top in the same way. For colour, liquid watercolours give the brightest result. Food colouring works too and is easy to find. Acrylic paint thinned with a little water gives bolder, more opaque swirls, but it takes longer to dry.
Choosing paper
Plain printer paper works fine, as Jackie shows, and it is cheap enough to make a big stack. Cardstock is sturdier and curls less as it dries, so pick it if you plan to make cards or bookmarks. Watercolour paper gives the crispest pattern of all.
Getting bold swirls instead of mud
Swirl less than you think. A few passes with the stick give clear ribbons of colour. Keep going and everything blends to one muddy shade. Pick two or three colours that look good mixed, such as pink, purple and blue, or yellow, green and blue. When the tray starts to look washed out, drip in a little fresh colour rather than starting over.
Drying and flattening
The paper dries quickly, usually within an hour. Lay it on a baking sheet or a covered table. If it curls, press it under a few heavy books overnight. The colour sits on the surface, so give it a full dry before you write on it or glue it down.
What to make with marbled paper
Common mistakes
- Faint colour. Too little dye on the foam, or the paper lifted too fast. Add more drops and let the sheet sit a few seconds longer.
- Smudged swirls. The paper slid as you pressed it. Lower it straight down and press with flat fingers.
- Bare patches. The foam was uneven. Smooth the tray with your card before the next sheet.
- Stained hands. Liquid watercolour washes off skin with soap, but gloves help with darker shades.
A kids' activity with a bonus
Children love the feel and the smell, and they get a little mucky, which is part of the fun. Put a towel under the tray, roll up sleeves, and keep wipes close. One tray of foam makes a whole stack of paper, so everyone gets several turns.
