New Clouds on Water Offering

The six-week guided portion of my Clouds on Water eCourse just wrapped up and I cannot even begin to express what an amazing experience it was for me and for participants. They wowed me with their tenacity, creativity, and enthusiasm and I was blown away by how quickly they embraced the art form 100% ~ in all its challenges and glory!

While the guided group portion of Clouds on Water is over, the classroom itself is still open! This introduction to paper marbling eCourse was designed to be taken at your own pace so you can jump in and get started marbling at any time.

Two New Offers

And now I'm offering two new options for Clouds on Water: on-your-own or with mentoring!

$199 Investment – Full Course
You’ll have access to all the videos, written content, and website through December and lifetime access to the private Facebook page (where lots and lots of great troubleshooting conversations are happening and inspiring pictures of people’s work are being posted).

$259 Investment – Full Course plus Mentoring
All of the above PLUS you will have access to me for four weeks (2x/week) of personal one-on-one mentoring via email (or 20-minute Google chats (2x/week), where and when possible, if agreeable arrangements can be made). Send Barb as many questions as you’d like, as many images as you like, as many comments and thoughts and ideas…and you’ll have your own private lessons as you work your way through the course.

The fee includes downloadable handouts and access to the written and video content through December, 31 2015, and unlimited access to our private group Facebook page.

What will I learn?

You will learn the Turkish form of marbling called Ebru. Translated, Ebru means “cloud.” And that is exactly what paint on the water bath looks like: clouds on water! You will be guided through every step of the paper marbling process to help you create a successful experience at home, from building your confidence with marbling techniques to learning how to deal with hiccups along the way.

Topics include:

• Setting up your marbling space.
• Making special marbling tools.
• Preparing the water bath and mordant.
• Floating paint on water.
• Creating foundation patterns.
• Exploring traditional patterns and variations on those patterns.
• Troubleshooting tips.

For more about the Clouds on Water eCourse, head on over to the website: www.CloudsOnWater.com.

Remembering, recalling, reliving...

Post-class studio. There's often a little bit of bath leftover in the tanks after a class. I used to just toss it out and get straight to the business of cleaning out the tanks. But now, I'll marble on that well-used bath, taking in the raw energy of the first-time marbler, grateful for the opportunity to share this beautiful art form with them. Grateful also for the chance to look at marbling through the eyes of a beginner again, that sense of wonder and awe as the paints spread across the surface of the bath, the magical joy of watching designs and patterns emerge, the pure delight when an image is transferred to paper and the piece complete. It never gets old. It always fills me up.

Summer Marbling Classes

I'd love to have you join me in experiencing the beauty and joy of marbling on paper. I have two upcoming learning opportunities.

This Saturday, July 18: Beginning Marbling

Time: 5 hours
Location: South Pasadena
Cost: $189
Materials fee: included
Quick description: In this 5-hour class, you'll be exposed to basic marbling techniques, learn foundation patterns, and have time to play and create your own designs. You'll leave with the information and confidence necessary to start marbling on your own at home! Everything is provided. Just show up and have fun!
More information: Beginning Marbling class details

To register for this class, please contact me at Cheers@BarbSkoog.com.

August 8 and 9: Introduction to Marbling

Time: 2 days
Location: Book Arts LA (11720 Washington Place, Los Angeles)
Cost: $250
Materials fee: $85
Quick description: In this two-day marbling immersion class, you’ll learn the nuts and bolts of the art form, dive into traditional pattern making (foundation and advanced patterns), and have time for creative exploration. You'll leave with a robust understanding of the art form, dozens of marbled papers, and the confidence to start marbling at home. Everything is provided. Just show up and have fun!
More information: Visit Book Arts LA website.

To register for this class, contact Book Arts LA.

Hope to see you in the marbling studio!

In the Studio

Revisiting projects. Seeing things differently. Seeing things the same. Open to possibilities. Eager to continue. Willing to let it unfold. Committed to results.

Beginning

This is the exciting part. To put an idea in motion. To leap. To trust the process. To trust one's self. That blank slate is waiting to receive. It welcomes you.

Trippy

You should really see this in person...

Storytelling

In Ebru, this is a traditional pattern called Zebra. It could almost pass as another traditional pattern called Antique. The difference between the two is the size of the Stones thrown on top of the Gelgit. Larger stones make it Zebra. Smaller stones make it Antique.

I teach the history and variations of traditional patterns to my students because I feel when on knows the past ~ when one understands how something got to where it is ~ only then can one bring the story to life.

I'd love to story tell with you. New in-studio classes have just been announced and registration is still open for the Clouds on Water eCourse.

Open Studio and New Class Schedule!

Now that my eCourse, Clouds on Water, has launched and is underway (I absolutely LOVE the people in the course...spirited, adventuresome, fearless...perfect qualities for marbling!), I'm able to turn my attention to my in-studio classes. And my blog subscribers get first notice!

I would love to adventure with you into the world of marbling. Hope to see you in the studio!

Open Studio

Open to former and current students only (or those with previous marbling experience), open studio provides the time and space to practice your marbling skills and explore the craft deeper at your own pace and with your own goals in mind. All materials are provided except for paper (bring your own or purchase a paper pack from me). No formal instruction is provided but I’ll be there to offer encouragement, make suggestions, and answer questions.

When: Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28
Cost: Four-hour block is $40 for use of the 11x14 tank and $55 for use of the 20x25 tank. Each additional hour is $10. Paper costs extra or bring your own.
More info: Open Studio
How to sign up: email me with the date, time, and tank size.

Beginning Marbling (5 hours)

Experience the joys of marbling in this class that allows you to explore colors, learn basic techniques and patterns, experiment with your own designs ~ and gives you the confidence to start marbling on your own at home! Everything is provided. Just show up and have fun!

When: Saturday, July 18, 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (includes 1/2-hour byob lunch)
Cost: $189 includes everything
Maximum students: 5
More info: Beginning Marbling
How to sign up: email me

Marbling on Fabric (Potential Class!)

If there is enough interest, I will do a fabric marbling class. This would be one day of instruction with a second OPTIONAL day of continued learning. Open to beginning and experienced marblers alike! Students would marble in their own 20x25 tanks but I would bust out the extra-large tank (shared) for those who want to marble scarves or larger pieces of fabric. There is some fabric prep work students would have to do prior to class (or, for an additional fee, I would do it for you) including washing, alumming, and ironing (on some fabrics).

When: Saturday, August 1 and an optional Sunday, August 2 (only available to those who attend the first day)
Maximum students: 4
Cost: TBD

If interested, please email me. You do not have to commit to signing up for the class at this time. I will contact interested folks with more information and pricing if the class is a go.

It's Happening! Clouds on Water Classroom Opens!

The statistics are pretty impressive, if I do say so myself.

Clouds on Water officially starts today. The classroom is robust and a visual stunner...and I couldn't be happier with the way everything came together. My goal was to provide a learning environment rich with content delivered in a variety of ways to meet everyone's learning styles ~ just as I do when I'm teaching students in my studio. eCourses can be tricky. I've seen some bad ones. And I've seen really good ones. The difference is huge. When Jen and Michelle of Animyst first planted the seed about a marbling eCourse, I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical. Marbling is not a stagnant art form. There are so many moving parts. Most people aren't even aware of the art form let alone have the basic tools to get started. Where would I begin?

At the beginning.

Clouds on Water truly is a journey into the world of marbling. Step by step, we make our way through this stunning art form that is as mesmerizing to look at as it is to create. And I am honored to walk alongside the brave, beautiful people (from around the world!) who are taking the course right now. Their enthusiasm even before the classroom opened buoyed me as I worked on the final touches.

Clouds on Water is for them. And for others who dare to venture into new creative territory that will profoundly change them.

Once again, I welcome you to the magic.

Gratitude Giveaway Winners!

Thank you to all who entered the Clouds on Water Gratitude Giveaway! I am thrilled to announce the winners: Jenny Jean M., Tina T., Amelia Wiggins and her friend Hayley, B. Buckles and her hubby, and Leslie Couture. I am so excited to have you all along for the marbling journey.

(B. Buckles and Leslie, please email me so I can send you registration information).

Class begins on Monday and there's still time to register ~ I would be honored to adventure with you into the magical world of marbling.

Visit www.CloudsOnWater.com for details.

Overmarble Love

It was an Overmarble kind of day last week!

The Overmarble is one of my favorite marbling techniques. I can't wait for participants in my intro-to-marbling eCourse Clouds on Water to dive in and try it. We'd love to have you join us too! Class starts June 8. Visit www.CloudsOnWater.com for details.

Bubble Gum Beauty

No tricks. Just technique. 100% 2D marbled paper. 100% fun.

My friend told me she thought this looked like the best bubble gum EVER and she wanted to eat it! That totally made my day!

Don't forget to leave a comment here on my Gratitude Giveaway announcement for your chance to win a spot in the Clouds on Water eCourse. Winners will be announced on Thursday.

Gratitude Giveaway: Win a Spot in Clouds on Water eCourse!

Marbling’s beginning centuries ago was rooted in secrecy. Initially, its practice was limited to royalty and religious figureheads in Japan. As it became a trade in the Middle East and Europe, master marblers were reluctant to share techniques and formulas in order to protect their source of income.

Fast forward to today, when the cloak of secrecy surrounding the art form could not be more transparent. Today’s marblers are incredibly generous with their knowledge. And I mean incredibly generous. I am very lucky to humbly stand in a circle of artists who have peeled back the layers of marbling, who have taken the hits and the challenges and worked through them, whose curiosity and willingness to explore have raised the art form’s bar…and then shared with me all that they know. This is especially true of three very important teachers on my marbling path ~ Tom Leech, Pat K. Thomas, and Elin Noble ~ as well as the extraordinary talent found in the Yahoo Marbling Group. Had it not been for all of them, I may have given up on marbling altogether when my first paint didn’t float. But I didn’t. And marbling changed my life.

In honor of these wonderful folks, I am giving away 5 spots in my Clouds on Water intro-to-marbling eCourse which starts on June 8.

To enter, simply leave a comment below letting me know who you are and why you would love to learn how to marble. Feel free to also nominate someone who has had a significant impact on your life, who has been as generous with their wisdom and sage advice as my community has ~ a teacher, mentor, friend, advisor, family member, neighbor ~ and they will be eligible to win too!

I will announce the winners on June 4.

Epic Fail, Epic Beauty

This weekend, I was messing around with different rake and comb sizes in the production of traditional patterns. I'm making handouts for my Clouds on Water eCourse and I want students to see how different a pattern can look just by changing up the size of the tool (even the strokes are exactly the same).

I'm having a blast doing this and learning a lot along the way, as one usually does when one looks at something from a different perspective. For example, I discovered you CANNOT push the boundaries of the Scallop pattern too far before it becomes completely unrecognizable. It's a pattern that wants to be ~ needs to be ~ tight. In the piece above I went loose. Technically, one would call this piece a failed attempt at Scallop. And yet, I keep getting lost in its beauty, movement, and details and can't help but call it a success.

Marbling is all about not being too quick to judge, not being too quick to dismiss, not being too rigid with expectations. It's about flipping the switch and being open to the possibilities. 

Truth

Leveling tanks for another private lesson tomorrow. Which means another marbler is born. Because once you marble, you can never go back to being just a regular person. ‪

I'm just sayin'...