Make your own captivating crystal water marble collage.

SUPPLIES

• Crystal Geode Water Marbling Set (BD5WMCG)
• Magic Medium Water Prep (DWM100-36)
• Premium Marbling Paper (20pcs) (DAS277-K)
• Water Marbling Premium Cleaning Paper (32pcs) (DAS278-K)

• paper towels
• scissors
• iron
• watercolor paper
• all-purpose glue
• water marbling tray
• tray for rinsing

INSTRUCTIONS

NOTES:

Before you begin be sure to set up your water marbling station. You should have your supplies set up and easily accessible. Following directions on bottle, mix the Magic Medium Water Prep with the appropriate amount of water in the water marbling tray or separate container.

You should also have a tray of clean water to rinse your prints after they are dipped. (TIP: Lay out paper towels to place your fresh prints on to speed drying time.) Plan to create several unique prints at one time.

Some of the drops of paint will sink and you may begin to see drops of paint gathering on the bottom of the tray, this is normal and will not effect the surface where the print is pulled.

For this project use the Crystal Geode Water Marbling Set, which includes the following colors: Blue, Lavender, Aquamarine, Violet and Pink. Do multiple different looking prints to cut up for collage.

1. Prepare your size. Follow the easy instructions on the Magic Medium bottle to prepare the size (water) mixture. (TIP: Prepare mixture in a plastic tub with a lid and fill/refill the water marbling tray as needed. Cover unused size and store at room temperature to keep it fresh for up to five days) Now you are ready to add paint.

2. Start by loading the surface with paint. Do this by dripping drops of Blue closely together down the center of the tray. Add sporadic drops of Violet and Lavender.(TIP: this is a good project to use previously pulled second and third prints from other water marbling sessions!)

3. Blow on the surface of the size to create swirls and movement in the paint's design.

4. When your tray is ready to transfer the design onto the paper, use a piece of DecoArt's Premium Water Marbling Paper to get maximum absorbency of the paint. (TIP: Keep paper very dry! If the surface is wet prior to dipping into the size, it won't absorb the paint, which will result in a white spot.) A good technique to minimize bubbles in your print is to hold your paper on opposing corners to allow the center of the paper to touch the surface first. Then, slowly lay your corners down onto the surface. Make sure the paper is in full contact with the surface.

5. Allow the paper to float on the surface of the size for a moment. This allows the design to transfer onto the paper. The corners of the paper will begin to pull away from the surface. Lift the paper off the surface by lifting opposing corners of the paper. Although you may notice some slight finger smudges in the corners of the paper, do not be concerned. They simply add to the overall effect. Place print face down in a clean tray of water to rinse off extra sizing. This step is optional, but rinsing off extra sizing allows for cleaner, more vibrant colors to shine through! Also, the paper will be less stiff and dry flatter.

6. Lay paper, print side up on a paper towel to dry. This step will help absorb excess moisture and allow prints to dry faster.

7. There will be extra paint left on the surface. You can transfer another print at this point. (TIP: blow on the surface to give the paint more movement and interest.) The pool of sizing can be reused again and again.

8. You want some variations of colors, brightness of paints and design on 4 or more prints to create the crystal project. (TIP: you will have enough to create more than one collage!)

9. It is okay if these prints are not perfect. You will pick the best parts to cut out anyway. (TIP: these second pulls from the same size are beautiful too! They are great to have for paper projects and collages.)

10. Add some more drops of paint to the paint that is left on the surface and blow around to get more solid areas. Transfer additional prints.

11. The more variations in pattern and brightness, the better.

12. To prepare the pool for a new project, simply use DecoArt's Water Marbling Premium Cleaning Paper and drag it across the surface until clean. (TIP: Remember, just the surface has to be clean to reuse. There may still be paint that has fallen to the bottom. This is called "sinking". This will not affect further prints!)

13. Allow print to dry completely. Lay paper, print side down and using an iron on high, iron to flatten. (TIP: Place a piece of watercolor paper between the paint and the table surface to protect the print. If you have steam, place a paper towel between the watercolor paper and the table.)

14. Print out the DecoArt crystal templates or use your own. Cut out the perimeter of each gem.

15. Cut out individual shapes inside each gem. (TIP: print out an extra copy of each crystal design for reference when putting pieces back together!)

16. Take each individual shape of the crystal and pick out a spot on a water marbled paper to cut out.

17. (TIP: use different papers for each section to create visual interest. You want a different pattern/direction of paint for each.) Refer to your reference crystal and place pieces together.

18. Use watercolor paper for a base for your crystal shape to be glued.

19. Spread glue thinly, covering entire back surface. (TIP: pay close attention to the tiny corner areas.)

20. Glue sections together leaving a small gap. Leave as is or use the following steps to add gold accents.

21. Place a Fine Writer Tip onto a bottle of 24K Gold Extreme Sheen.

22. Squeeze paint into the gaps on the crystal. (TIP: this can also be painted with a thin liner brush.)

23. Allow to dry completely.

24. Your piece is ready to frame. This project is a beautiful, trendy wall decor piece. This paper craft collage is also an amazing way to use up extra water marbling prints .

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