Marbling for toddlers on the cheap????

[Helgand]

How can I do the marbling thing without having to buy expensive marbling inks? I think it might have something to do with washing-up liquid, but experimentation so far has ended up a mess!

I thought you coloured cooking oil with powder paint or food colouring so it floated on the surface?

oh yes, Mrs B, that sounds like it would work - so bowl of water then oil then powder/colouring - is that the right idea?

oil + poster paints sound like it would work.

good idea

god would be messy though. I am quite tolerant of mess but...am shuddering a bit at this, tbh. Would require forward planning and a small washing line...

(WHY do IKEA no longer do those "clothes airers" for toddlers? they were great!)

Now, now, fillyjonk, don't go thinking I am about to let the dds loose with this in my house - oh no! This is for playgroup

(in my mind you colour the oil first in a yoghurt pot then put drips of it on the surface of the bowl)

That would only work if the food colouring is oil based otherwise it won't mix with the oil.

IIRC you can thin artist's oil paints with turps and use that but it's so inappropriate for toddlers I don't know where to start!!

You can mix a watery solution of icing sugar and water coat the paper in this then drip on watery paint and it gives a very simular effect to marbling.

Right, I'll start with Mrs B's suggestion then do soup's and will then give up and choose a different activity .
Thanks for all you help, ladies

I'm sure you can do this by having a tray of walpaper paste and dripping thin paint on the top of it. Then you can swirl it ti make patterns using combs (make some wide toothed ones from cardboard) and thin sticks.

The basic ingredients for marbling on a budget are cornstarch and liquid tempera paints.