Aitoh Origami Marbling Kit, 12 ml (Pack of 6)

I was first given these as a kid back in the 90's - re bought as an adult for paper craft projects - give fabulous colour - a great activity for any age to enjoy, easy to use & clean up. So many options with Marbling.

Great fun... although you can't make the detailed Suminagashi type marbling with this kit... This is due to the use of little paper dots which you drop the ink/paint onto - rather like making a tiny paper boat and dropping a very small amount of washing up liquid on it (stay with me, this was something our parents used to make way back when!...) to make it shoot across a bowl of water; the dots act like those litte boats, and zoom around, so that you can't make the rings for proper Suminagashi - you need the ink to stay where you drop it to do this. And although I tried several times, a lot of the the ink just sank to the bottom without the paper dots, which leaves a messy effect on the paper with no clean white showing through.NB I was rather disappointed that the colours seemed so bright and rather like poster paints for children... But the small drops spread out and become transparent which leaves a much softer colour on your paper - Lovely.

I had bought this set as I was interested to try coloured suminagashi. I have been making suminagashi for many years grinding my own black ink sticks with great success.First of all this is not ink but some sort of dye. The colours are very vibrant, but I found could be made more subtle by mixing them.The black does not float on its own. I tried adding ox gall but didn't improve it much.The set is OK if you are content with a childlike pattern.Not for me. Unfortunately.

I'm a bit bemused by some of the negative reviews, especially by those claiming to be experienced artists. The inks are excellent, when used correctly. The practice of suminagashi is not as easy as it looks; it requires careful technique and an unsized, pliable paper. This is an ancient Japanese art form and it takes time to learn.I was surprised to discover from a professional source that, despite being very affordable, the inks are made with permanent pigments (I haven't performed my own tests for lightfastness as yet). They can be mixed to make desaturated hues.

The best marbling ink. Some colours look weaker on the surface but it transfers onto paper beautifully. I have bought my third box.

I used it on a 'marble' tea light holder and it worked very well, the colours were strong. It is a bit fiddly to use though as you have to drop tiny amounts of the ink onto a small disk, not directly onto the water.

Not good at all! ive used marbeling ink before and know how to as im an art student, and this.product is just totally useless and does not work at all! the photos attached are of the very first try at it, in fabric and paper, and as you can see... miserable results! the inks sunk as soon as they hit the water, and when trying to mix it just turned into this dirty looking water. Would really want my money back so i can buy proper ones!

Would buy this again

It didn't work all that well.

This set is fantastic! The colors are vibrant and the prints come out beautiful. Easy to use (my daughter aged 8 could use the set independently).We used them on rice paper and wood.