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DIY: How to Make Gorgeous (and Easy) Marbled Art

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When I was a kid I loved making abstract art. I’d spend hours with canvases and paints mixing colors and creating shapes and textures. I still love these things and this marbled art technique is something I so wish I had know about as a kid! (Though adult me is having just as much fun with it!)

Items needed:

Marbled Art supplies

  • Watercolor Paper (cut to desired size)
  • Nail polish (How fun is that?!)
  • Large pan or dish
  • water

I previously tried this marbled art look on glass vases with nail polish with amazing results but wanted to try my hand at some artwork I could display in my house. My mom and I attempted this project and the outcome could not have been better!

This takes just minutes to do and looks AMAZING! Plus, if you’ve got old nail polish on hand, this is a great way to use it up!

5 Steps to Gorgeous, Custom Marbled Art

1. Fill a large dish or pan with water about an inch or so deep. (We used a disposable aluminum pan.)

Marbled Art water pan

2. Take your desired nail polish bottles and drop polish droplets onto the water. Use a little, use a lot, it’s up to you! You can use a toothpick to swirl the color or gently shift the pan to spread color.

*You’ll find that different polishes react differently depending on the brand or the age of the polish. Some are thin and spread out, others clump together. It all makes for amazing art work!*

Marbled Art with Nail Polish

3. Quickly place your paper onto the water and then after a second or two pull up by one corner.

Marbled Art dipping paper

marbled art out of water

We were able to get at least two uses out of every pan of water. You can dump the water and refill to start with new polish colors or sometimes you can grab a paper towel and skim across the top of the water to collect the polish film. This will save some time and water!

4. Allow to dry. (As you can tell, this is a very addicting project. We couldn’t stop!)

Marbled Art drying

5. Frame and impress your friends!

DIY Marbled Art framed art

DIY Marbled Art framed

DIY Marbled Art

See it in action below!

Originally published June 13, 2016

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