Simply disturbing the surface of water creates something beautiful; just imagine what it must be like if you could add some color to this sight. Don’t think about the paints you had to dilute with water in order to be able to paint on paper that you used when you were young.

This form of painting is also called Ebru or paper marbling and it involves putting paint on an aqueous surface in order to create different designs. You simply put the paint on water and then use a straw to manipulate the paint, just like drawing on a latte.

Photo credits here

The pictures provide just five examples of the many types of Ebru. However, paper marbling can also represent more intricate designs. But maybe you want to see for yourselves…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay-tD7x6dK8

While I was watching the videos, I was expecting them to be a perishable form of art: you add the paint, draw the design and then simply, get a new “sheet of water”. So I was quite surprised to see that the artist used paper as well to immortalize their creations.

Many of these modern ways of painting may only create a “wow” effect, striking a chord in the viewer with their sole aesthetic purpose, but some of them can also be used in marketing. Among these marketing strategies there are those that employ art to convey a message. Sometimes, water painting isn’t all about the colors on water, but it can be the other way around. A very good example of using a different kind of water painting was preferred when raising awareness regarding drinkable water.

So if you want to take up any form of Ebru, you might want to know what materials it requires. So who’s trying it at home?