Suminagashi: The Anciet Japanese Art

Graphic from Pugly Pixel.

Hello Hapi People!

My main goal on this blog has always been to share things that make me happy. Today I want to share a  hapi discovery I made this past weekend. I have always been a lover of art in every form, including visual art. Through my work yesterday on the blog design and using Pugly Pixel, I discovered some graphics in Pugly's store. The graphics were these beautiful marbled swirls called Suminagashi. I'd never heard the term before so I took to Google to find some answers lol. Here is what I discovered:

Suminagashi (墨 流 し) or "floating ink" is the process of marbling plain paper with water and ink to transform it into something vibrant and colorful. (from suminagashi.com)


I had no idea that this was an ancient practiced art! I know that water marbling has transcended even into the beauty world, as people use water marbling for nail art design. I found the results of the marbling on paper to be so fascinating I had to share with you. Here are some videos that I discovered on YouTube that let you see the process. Apparently its quite easy to do, so you can do it home! I hope you enjoy and be sure to share pics with me if you try it on your own!

This first video was on the suminagashi.com website. 

This is a Japanese artist showing is technique and art. 

It's a very short video but a great introduction into the Japanese art.

This video shows another artist's creations. 

Its a first person view so you get to see from above the designs come to life. 

The artist also uses her self-composed piano music in the background. 

The video is relaxing and inspiring to watch.

The third and final video is a demonstration 

on how you can make Suminagashi yourself!

I hope you enjoyed this post and found this an inspiring art form. It seems easy enough for anyone to do, it just takes a creative eye and some supplies. Again, if you make or have made such art, please share it with us!

Peace&Love,

Amy