The Colored Effect In The Picture

[Kangee]

Hi,

I am kind of new to all this cool leatherworking stuff, now I´ve seen an interesting coloring effect - and maybe one of you know how to achieve this.

http://www.lescuirsdebelfeuil.com/ventes/18/100/symbiosis%201.jpg

It is about the blue color.

Would love to get some more insight. :D

Thanks

[billybopp]

I don't know .. But I'd like to! That's really cool. I will ask the spousal unit ( an art teacher ) later this evening.

Bill

[ClaireAshton]

http://www.lescuirsdebelfeuil.com/en-videos.html

have a look at the bottom video, a sort of 'About Me'. I can't describe the quality of some of the work.

I realise that not only have I a very long way to go, but that I'll never get there.

Edited August 21, 2014 by ClaireAshton

[JLSleather]

Are you sure it's the blue? I mean, what if they bought it blue, and added the BLACK ?????

[billybopp]

If you look on the guy's website ( thanks for the link, Claire ), he uses that mottled effect on a lot of his leather items, and particularly book covers.

http://www.lescuirsdebelfeuil.com/en-ventes.html

Bill

[JLSleather]

So, is he a fairy? Dressed like a fairy.

Oh, wait .. maybe that's more of an elf?

[cem]

It's called marbling and the guy is very good at it, for leather it's most commonly seen on old bound books.

[WinterBear]

So, is he a fairy? Dressed like a fairy.

Oh, wait .. maybe that's more of an elf?

I think it's supposed to be a combination of the Tree of Life and the Vitruvian Man (think Michelangelo's sketch of the man with his arms and legs spread).

[billybopp]

The man / tree figure is almost certainly Odin sacrificing himself to himself by hanging on Yggdrasil, the world tree so that he could bring writing down to earth. There are a number of variations on that legend in Norse mythology. And I think WinterBear is right, it's also a sort of mashup with DaVinci's Vitruvian Man.

Sounds like I'm going to have to do some research on marbling leather.

Thanks

Bill

[shtoink]

Could this effect be accomplished with a layering effect with an antiquing gel combined with maybe a solvent and a wadded up rag? I'm truly intrigued by the effect that was achieved as it look so expertly done.

I would love to know, though it's likely that this person might not want to share the details since it probably took a fair amount of time and experimenting to get to this point.

[billybopp]

According to my own personal art teacher, cem is right. It's called water marbling or sometimes ebru, and is often found on old book cover paper. The technique is known to exist back as far as the eighth century. It's done on paper by mixing a form of seaweed to make a gel and then placing a water based dye on the surface and manipulating it in various ways. It is currently in popular use in painting fingernails.

I'm going to try this with leather and water-based dyes sometime soon!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_marbling

People of a certain age will appreciate the following video for the memories this sort of film brings back in addition to the content:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vyga8VMWXKg

Hope that helps.

Bill

[leetpuma]

According to my own personal art teacher, cem is right. It's called water marbling or sometimes ebru, and is often found on old book cover paper. The technique is known to exist back as far as the eighth century. It's done on paper by mixing a form of seaweed to make a gel and then placing a water based dye on the surface and manipulating it in various ways. It is currently in popular use in painting fingernails.

I'm going to try this with leather and water-based dyes sometime soon!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_marbling

People of a certain age will appreciate the following video for the memories this sort of film brings back in addition to the content:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vyga8VMWXKg

Hope that helps.

Bill

So I think you need to be using OIL based dye not water based. Oil floats on the water causing the colors.

So does that just mean I need to get some oil based dye through it in thin pan of water stir/agitatie it lightly with a comb and lay my leather down on top of it?

Beggs the question can you get enough dye on in one dip to be done?

If I have to do multiple dips will my patterns overlap?

Should I start with an very lightly stained piece and then do the dip?

How much dye goes to waste in thie process?

[billybopp]

Most of what I've found so far comes from youtube videos, and some from the spousal unit.

The books / folio we're seeing may in fact be a paper covering over leather or something else, with leather used for the spine / inlay. Or it may actually be a leather panel on the books.

What I've found so far seems to say use water based dyes. Remember that's not a pan of water .. It looks more like jello that hasn't been in the fridge long enough to set. The gel being more dense than the dye will allow it to float, yet not spread too thinly as oil based dye might. From what I've gathered so far, you can dye directly onto leather, but it takes a bit more care than paper, and needs to sit atop the dyes for a much longer time.

There doesn't appear to be much wasted dye, but I do not know how long the "gel" will last, or if it can be stored.

I don't know about starting with a pre-stained piece, but would think that if it doesn't impede the marbling dye absorption it should work. It's worth an experiment!

As far as I can tell, multiple dips aren't necessary, and have no idea what would happen if you do. ( not that I know what will happen if you don't yet, either!)

The video that looks closest to what we're seeing in the examples is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwAotLTL-Ws Very similar pattern, although on paper with different colors.

It's pretty fascinating to see what artists come up with using this technique.

This one looks to be tulips. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqedBekgLdo

This one has some cool patterns... on a HUGE scale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak-Gcikux7E

In any case, trying this is on my to do list for some time soon.

Hope that helps

Bill

[DavidL]

Could this not be done with a sponge (different textured - easily found at any craft store) loaded with blue acrylics and on the second pass lighter blue was added to the very tip of the sponge.

It could be the marbling technique though. What makes me suspect it wasn't was because it was doubled up specifically around the circle so it had to be done with a sponge or something similar.

[cem]

Craftsha do a gel for it it's available from goodsjapan http://www.goodsjapan.jp/item/leather-craft-items-leather-fi/leathercraft-psychedelic-marbl/lid=29749040

[mjensen]

After looking at his armbands I'm going to agree with the sponge.

http://www.lescuirsdebelfeuil.com/en-ventes.html

It looks like he put a yellow base down, then sponged over it with green. If you were to pat the sponge onto a scrap cloth or leather you would be left with a thin layer of dye that doesn't apply well. But if you keep patting the area you are covering some areas will get darker and darker. I'm going to try this and I will get back to you with the results (might take awhile though)