Ebru is a traditional Turkish art used to decorate paper for bookbinding, calligraphy and stationary. It is also known as paper marbling for the effect the colours make in the preparation process. Marbling paper adds another artistic depth to the art piece.

The process of Ebru is fascinating and it is like painting on water. The water has some ox gull in it, which causes the colours to float and be on the surface. Liquid colour pigments are splashed with special brushes. There are various tools to use to shape the Ebru and produce different results. Drawing precisely is also possibly, but Ebru in general is unexpected and requires a lot of practice.

I am so glad I got the chance to do a quick workshop with the rebound Turkish artist Alparslan Babaogluin the Istanbul Design Centre as part of the Art of Islamic Pattern art trip. It is surly worth a try!