If I am adding several layers on top of my marbling, do I need to re-apply allum?

Acrylic Marbling
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myra_myra
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2017 6:00 pm

If I am adding several layers on top of my marbling, do I need to re-apply allum?

Post by myra_myra »

for example, if I alum my paper, marble it, let it dry and then 1 day later etc I want to add another layer on top, does it need more alum or is it already alumed?
Milena
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun Dec 18, 2016 2:25 pm

Re: If I am adding several layers on top of my marbling, do I need to re-apply allum?

Post by Milena »

Yes, alum needs to be carefully re-applied after previous layer has been rinsed and dried well.
SouthHillKaren
Posts: 15
Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2017 11:12 am

Re: If I am adding several layers on top of my marbling, do I need to re-apply allum?

Post by SouthHillKaren »

Milena wrote:Yes, alum needs to be carefully re-applied after previous layer has been rinsed and dried well.
Acrylic paints dry with a kind of plastic finish. Once they are dry, more acrylic will not stick. The second time around, do the alum thing and proceed. But the second marbling will stick only to the paper which was not covered with paint the first time. Results are very spotty. This can be interesting, or not
myra_myra
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2017 6:00 pm

Re: If I am adding several layers on top of my marbling, do I need to re-apply allum?

Post by myra_myra »

SouthHillKaren wrote:
Milena wrote:Yes, alum needs to be carefully re-applied after previous layer has been rinsed and dried well.
Acrylic paints dry with a kind of plastic finish. Once they are dry, more acrylic will not stick. The second time around, do the alum thing and proceed. But the second marbling will stick only to the paper which was not covered with paint the first time. Results are very spotty. This can be interesting, or not
so we should work first with watercolours and save the acrylic paints till last?
SouthHillKaren
Posts: 15
Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2017 11:12 am

Re: If I am adding several layers on top of my marbling, do I need to re-apply allum?

Post by SouthHillKaren »

Yes, I would do the acrylic layer last. Some other artists are able to do several layers of acrylic. It might be a combination of the paper and the brand of acrylic. I have done pieces with the first layer of acrylic thinned a lot, so it didn't cover the paper fibers completely. The second layer stuck. Lots of experimenting to do!
Griffin.benko
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Jan 09, 2017 12:26 pm

Re: If I am adding several layers on top of my marbling, do I need to re-apply allum?

Post by Griffin.benko »

I use Golden Fluid Acrylics and a size made of carrageenan. I've been able to overmarble without a problem. I alum the paper (following the Jacquard ratio for paper...I think it says 1/4c Alum to 1 quart water?), let it dry, marble it, let it dry, alum it again, let it dry, marble it, let it dry.

Although today I experienced something weird! Using a tip from another marbling artist, I switched the ratio for the Alum. Instead of 4 Tablespoons (which is 1/4c) of alum to 4c water, I used 4 teaspoons Alum to 4c water. This worked great for marbling shoes, a hat, and some mix media paper from a pad I bought at Dick Blick (I try to find cheaper paper pads and such that I use as "practice" sheets and save the expensive paper for those moments when you really nail it). HOWEVER, I was trying to overmarble some previously marbled papers (some were the same mix media paper while others were Rives BFK 115g) and the new marbling design hardly stayed on. When rinsing the paper, 50% of it would wash off. Weird, right? While some parts of it look kinda neat, it's not the result I hoped to achieve.
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