Suminagashi Slideshow

This series of images show how I use acrylic paints to turn suminagashi marbled papers into finished paintings. For more details on how to glue rice paper to a firmer substrate (140# paper, canvas, or wood cradleboard), download the .pdf file "Developing Paintings on Sumingashi Marbled Papers Using Acrylics".

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"Holding All The Cards" You can see how delicate and light the sumi marbling was in this piece and how I used a thin brush to paint acrylics and "follow the lines" of the existing marbling. I used thicker, more opaque applications of acrylic for the aqua background and the red hair.

"Waters Within" This sumi began with just two colors--black and blue/black, so I had to work with my acrylics to build up layers of color around the figures. I lightly glazed over the two dresses with a watery mix of acrylics at the very end.

Blue Figures in Moonlight  I drew the figures first, then marbled using dispersant to leave white spaces; then I remarbled with yellow and blue, and finally painted opaque blue around the figures.

Moon Maiden #7 (I didn't get a first picture of the marbled paper all by itself, but you can see I glued it onto a larger paper, and then painted out some of the background in white acrylic); I later glued strips of marbled papers around the edges to create a border).

"Polka Dots and Pleats" (Remember: You can draw with ink or paint first and then marble (as I did here)--or the other way around).

"Red Pears on Striped Cloth" I painted the red pear using sumi ink; let dry, and then marbled a pattern over it. I then painted in the teal cloth, and later added lavender stripes to complete the painting.

"River of Fire"  (Still in progress) I drew a figure on tracing paper, carefully cut it out, placed it on my rice paper, and tacked it on with rolled up artists tape--just enough to attach it to the paper. Then I put watered down fluid red acrylic in a fine mist spray bottle and sprayed the rice paper. I carefully removed the (now wet) tracing paper, let the piece dry and then I marbled as usual.