Marbling is a painted decorative finish designed to imitate the look of marble or other natural stones. Many materials and techniques are used in the art. The method used is determined by which stone is being matched.
Glazes and paints are created and blended using rags, cotton balls , paper, sponges, card board and many other tools. Veins and clouds are often applied with small brushes, liners, feathers and pens.
The example below is a
carved wooden mantle. The client provided a sample of marble to be
matched. Colors were chosen based on this sample. Many layers of glaze
were applied over a base coat of paint chosen as the primary color of the
marble. Some glazes were allowed to dry before others were applied,
while others were wet blended. After all the layers
had dried the veins were applied followed by several coats of a clear gloss
lacquer.
When done properly marbling can be difficult to
distinguish from the real thing.
