Please do not reproduce or redistribute this handout without the permission of instructor Sheryl Oppenheim - sherylsheryl@gmail.com 

Supplies needed to participate in online Suminagashi class led by Sheryl Oppenheim:

A TRAY TO MARBLE IN:

A clean plastic, glass, or metal tray, at least 2’’ deep. An ideal tray would be a plastic tray such as this one available from B&H and other photo suppliers. An 11x14 print size is recommended, but you could get away with the smaller 8x10 print size one if you are going to be working with 8.5x11 paper.

If you do not want to buy a plastic tray, here are some other things that would work: a plastic storage container, a baking pan (must not have any coatings such as nonstick and must be super clean, glass would likely work best), etc. Anything that is water tight, clean, and big enough to put a piece of paper on top. I’ve even used a plastic cup before and made a very tiny 2’’ suminagashi. I don’t recommend that for class, but you can get creative.

Update: I can no longer recommend disposable aluminum lasagna pans - they often seem to have a coating now that makes them impossible to use for suminagashi. Blick sells a plastic tray that is economical. It’s only one each deep which is a bit shallow but should work for class if you dont want to order from multiple suppliers.

INK:

Aitoh Boku-Undo Suminagashi Innovation marbling kit – this kit contains 6 colors of marbling ink, including black. You should be able to order it online from a variety of sellers. This is the only ink you absolutely need…however read my recommendations below, you may also want to purchase the following:

Yasutomo sumi ink – this is optional, as the boku-undo kit comes with black. However, I like it because the ink behaves slightly differently, and it is a more traditional material choice. Please buy the Yasutomo brand sumi ink in the green bottle, it is the only one I can guarantee will work. Just buy a small bottle, like this. You can also buy only this and not the boku-undo kit, if you don’t want the colored inks.

Soapberry seeds (aka soap nuts)  – this is a special material we will use to make a traditional suminagashi surfactant that was innovated by Tokutaro Yagi.

Update May 2023: I am aware that Eco Nuts, the brand of soapberry seed I used to recommend, went out of business. Anywhere you can buy the seeds from should be fine, they can be used interchangeably. Mountain Rose Herbs sells them: https://mountainroseherbs.com/soap-nuts-deseeded?sku=11-00499-14 

You will only need a few seeds to prepare the extract for suminagashi, and you can use the rest to do your laundry in an economical and eco-friendly manner. I will send a recipe for you to prepare your extract a few days before class. This will give us a clear “ink” that works as white. You can also mix a small amount of dishsoap in water to create the clear ink if you don’t have or want to buy soapberries. It is not an identical substitute but uses the same principle and works well.

If you don’t buy soapnuts, that’s fine. You can use the colored inks and black ink only and have a good result. Alternatively, you can buy yasutomo sumi ink and soapberry seeds only and do this without color.

Please do not buy Photo Flow! I have seen this recommended online - do not buy it. It is not the right material for this technique and on top of that is it toxic if it gets into the water supply.

BRUSHES:

Please purchase a minimum of two sumi ink brushes. Ideally, you might want to have 3-6 so that you can easily switch between different colors during class. I recommend size 6 brushes. Size 4 also works well.

Blick Bamboo Brushes – student grade, economical, perfectly acceptable for class

Yasutomo sumi ink brushes – better quality, more durable, slightly more expensive

PAPER:

Suminagashi is reasonably adaptable to a variety of inexpensive papers…even regular computer printer paper. As long as the paper is absorbent. How do you know if the paper is absorbent? Put some water on it? Does it immediately soak it up? Great!

One Japanese paper that will not work, so please don’t buy: those Yasutomo “sketch pad” sumi ink pads. They are not strong enough and will disintegrate when soaked.

Heavy papers such as watercolor papers do not work well for this. Nothing hot-pressed or coated.

Here are my paper recommendations:

Traditional Japanese washi (handmade papers) are a great choice. In purchasing them you also support a diminishing group of craftspeople who are keeping an ancient and beautiful art alive. You can buy a variety of washi papers online, either from Dick Blick, Talas, Japanese Paper Place, and more.

All of these papers are big (note the size when you buy) and can be cut down into multiple smaller sheets for class.

Kitakata is a decent and economical choice for students – it can be cut down to size for your tray. (available many places including Dick Blick). My only complaint with this paper is that the pattern can distort slightly as the pattern is laid down unless it is done slowly and carefully. A minor complaint, and the tradeoff for an entry-level sheet of washi paper is acceptable.

Kozuke (Washi Arts - also comes in 8.5x11 sheets if you don’t want to cut down a large sheet)

Okawara is also a good choice..very strong and takes ink well. (available many places)

Sekishu is something I use a lot in my studio (available many places)

Izumo Mingei Mitsumata (Hiromi)

Misugami Medium with Clay (Talas)

I can’t promise EVERY Japanese paper will work well for marbling, but when in doubt, buy one or two sheets of what you are curious about and give it a try. Take note of what you like and you can buy more later. Hiromi and Washi Arts are small businesses with a lot of knowledge and good customer service and can answer your questions before placing an order if you are overwhelmed and want to buy more than what I mentioned above:

https://store.hiromipaper.com/pages/online-store 

https://www.washiarts.com/shop

https://www.dickblick.com/categories/printmaking/paper/japanese/

https://www.japanesepaperplace.com/ https://www.talasonline.com/paper-and-board/japanese-korean/fine-art

Non-traditional but works great for marbling:

Strathmore 100% cotton paper – this is kinda expensive ($40) until you consider you are getting 500 sheets for that price. Make sure you buy the 100% cotton – there are also 25% cotton reams sold, and they wrinkle horribly when they dry. Works really well for suminagashi as well as many other mediums. Regular computer printer paper, medical bills and junk mail, etc are also fine choices for learning.

OTHER MATERIALS:

Newpaper or newsprint, torn or cut into strips about 2’’wide. Make a whole bunch of these before class.

A plastic palette for your inks (you can also take the bottom of one of those plastic cartons eggs are sold in and use that - just wash out well first with soap and water)

A sense of humor