Marbled Umbrella

Marbling is a method of aqueous surface design, which can produce patterns similar to smooth marble or other kinds of stone. The patterns are the result of color floated on water and then carefully transferred onto another surface such as paper or fabric.I have tried marbling on different materials like paper, shells, clothes, shoes, pots. But I was not satisfied. I wanted to try something new. Something different. Something that would beautifully showcase the marbled designs. And then I had the 'Eureca' moment. Marbling on umbrellas. It was the perfect surface for doing marbling as the flat surface of the umbrella wouldn't distort the design. And also the flowy marbling patterns would go well on an umbrella. They would suggest rain-water. In addition to the marbled patterns I chose to add intricate floral designs on the boarder to beautify it farther.

I hope this inspires you to experiment with marbling on different surfaces. Please don't forget to drop a vote in the 'Paint Challenge' if you like this project. Feel free to leave any questions in the comment section below.

Supplies:

1. A plain umbrella

2. Marbling paints (Jacquard marbling paints give the best results) You could buy them on the following link:

https://www.amazon.com/Jacquard-Marbling-Kit-Fabri...

3. A basin that is big enough to fit an umbrella

4. Cups to mix the paint in

5. 1 inch wide paint brushes to sprinkle the paint

6. 3 mm metal wire to make the structure to press down on the umbrella

7. A Piece of metal pipe of dimension 5 cm diameter x 7 cm

8. A welding machine

9. A spatula

10. Waste paper

11. Acrylic paint

12. A thin paint brush

When you press the umbrella down into the basin of water it will be hard to ensure that the umbrella does not tilt to one side and does not collapse. To help you with this you will need to make a metal frame that you can place into the umbrella to distribute the force evenly across the surface. To make the frame you'll have to cut the 3mm diameter metal wires into bits of sizes mentioned below:

1. 8 pieces of 47 cm

2. 4 pieces of 9 cm

3. 8 pieces of 6 cm

4. 1 piece of 170 cm

5.1 piece of 200 cm

Bend the 170 cm and 200 cm pieces into rings and weld the ends. Weld the remaining pieces into place as shown in the image above.

I want my umbrellas to be evenly marbled, therefore I have chosen to make the frame. If you are not so particular about it you could just press down on the umbrella handle.

I have chosen to use a plain white umbrella, but you could choose one of any colour.

Prepare the colours of your choice into cups, but make sure that you include the umbrella's colour in the mix. For example, as my umbrella is white I have prepared white paint. This will make the marbling patterns merge with the background.

Sprinkle the paints into basin of water in an even fashion and wait for them to spread. If they don't spread as desired you could use a fan to spread them.

Move the spatula along the surface of the water to make designs.

Insert the frame onto the umbrella and dip it into the water keeping the handle as vertical as you can. Hold it in the water for about 10 seconds and pull it out with a brisk movement so that the surrounding paint does not whip onto the surface of the umbrella.

Tie the handle of the umbrella to a cloth line and leave to dry in the sun for 24 hours.

Clean the remaining paint using newspaper or any waste paper.

I have chosen to paint a floral design along the border of the umbrella using acrylic paint but if you want could just leave it blank. I have also made some umbrellas without the floral design border. The images are at the top of the page. That could give you an idea as to how it will look without the floral design. Once the design has been painted leave it to dry for about an hour and your marbled umbrella is ready!

I hope you liked this instructable and found it useful. If you would like to buy this artwork visit my Etsy shop in the link below:

https://www.etsy.com/in-en/listing/706188099/marbl...

Thank you! :)