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The Ancient Art of Ebru Painting in Istanbul

16/5/2015

 

Updated in 2022! Amongst the hustle and bustle of Istanbul's Sultanahmet, there is an oasis of art. Ebru painting is incredible!

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase, we may be paid a small commission. As well, you should know that we experienced Ebru painting in Istanbul as part of a press trip sponsored by Turkish Airlines.

Ebru painting in Istanbul paper marbling at Caferaga Medresseh in Sultanhamet Istanbul
Ryan tries out Ebru painting in Istanbul under the watchful eye of our teacher.
Istanbul's Sultanhamet neighbourhood is no stranger to old buildings. It's home to the Hagia Sophia, which dates back to 537 AD, and Topkapi Palace, built in 1459. By comparison, Caferağa Medresesi is the new kid on the block. Built in 1559, it's a mere 456 years young! 

But in its relatively short life, it's had many incarnations. The word medresseh refers to an educational institution and, since 1989, Caferağa Medresesi has been a centre of learning for traditional Turkish handicrafts, such as ceramics, mosaics, calligraphy - and ebru painting, which we were fortunate enough to try. It was incredible, so much so that we now think that everyone should try ebru painting in Istanbul, at least once!
Ebru painting paper marbling at Caferaga Medresseh in Sultanhamet Istanbul
Ebru painting is also known as paper marbling. It involves floating colour and creating designs on an aqueous solution and transferring that design to an absorbent material, such as paper or fabric. The resulting image has a decorative marbled design which has been used for centuries as a background for calligraphy, book binding, and stationary. And it's also a great method for creating fun art!
Ebru painting paper marbling at Caferaga Medresseh in Sultanhamet Istanbul
The first steps of ebru painting is easy enough. You dip a broad, fanned brush in the specialty paint and tap it against your wrist, so that the droplets spread out at random over the dish of water. This first layer will become the marbled background to your painting. There's really no way to screw it up! And the instructor is on hand to keep an eye on things in case more paint is needed. 
Ebru painting paper marbling at Caferaga Medresseh in Sultanhamet Istanbul
Tulips are the preferred design for beginners as they are fairly straight forward to create. But when it comes to ebru designs, you're only limited by your imagination. The designs can be incredibly complex and colourful and Caferağa Medresesi offers more in-depth classes for ambitious students. 
Ebru painting paper marbling at Caferaga Medresseh in Sultanhamet Istanbul
After adding the first layer of paint for the background colour,  you have to make the leaves of the tulips. Turns out there's a lot more to it than meets the eye! You dip your paint applicator (more of a pointed tool than a paint brush) in two shades of green and then dip it in the water so the color spreads out in a circle. You repeat the process several times so that the circle (ie your future leaves) will have a depth of tone.
Ebru painting paper marbling at Caferaga Medresseh in Sultanhamet Istanbul
Using the same instrument, you drag the tip of the tool through the circles to shape the paint into the shape of leaves. For this part of the process, the instructor wasn't afraid to get a bit vocal and, in my case, actually had to step in to fix my leaves! Ryan, of course, got his right the first time round!

You repeat a similar process to make the flower of the tulip. You can mix and match any blend of colours you like and you repeat the process several times to get a multi-toned, multi-dimensional blossom.  You use the tip of your tool to flare the top of the circle to create the tulip's pointed petals - and if you're lucky, they'll be even!
Ebru painting paper marbling at Caferaga Medresseh in Sultanhamet Istanbul
Ta-da! Check out our gorgeous tulips!!! When your painting is complete on the water, you simply place a piece of paper over the design, smooth it out and wait a few seconds for the colour to transfer. With the instructor's help, you slowly lift the sheet up and your gorgeous design has been perfectly transferred to the paper. Instant art!
Ebru painting paper marbling at Caferaga Medresseh in Sultanhamet Istanbul
Ebru painting paper marbling at Caferaga Medresseh in Sultanhamet Istanbul
The final step is to carry your work of art over to the drying screens. Sadly, for reasons unknown, we never received ours back - our tour guide was supposed to come back and pick up our dried paintings and return them to us but it never happened. We're sad that we didn't get to bring our art home - it would have been the perfect souvenir - but we still had a fantastic time creating our masterpieces and we would absolutely do it again.
Ebru painting paper marbling at Caferaga Medresseh in Sultanhamet Istanbul
Caferağa Medresesi is literallly just steps away from Hagia Sofia and the Topkapi Palace and, if you weren't looking for it, you'd likely never discover it. It's located down a narrow alley (which has a few uneven stones - walk with care). Even if you're not interested in ebru painting, the central courtyard makes for a fantastic place for a light lunch or a cup of  tea. 
Ebru painting paper marbling at Caferaga Medresseh in Sultanhamet Istanbul
Ebru painting paper marbling at Caferaga Medresseh in Sultanhamet Istanbul
Picture
Sultanhamet is home to just about every 'must-do' on an Istanbul bucket list -and has the crowds to prove it. But Caferağa Medresesi  proved to the be perfect calm in the travel storm for us, offering up some much needed quiet time and a true glimpse inside Turkish culture. Creating our ebru paintings was such a fun and interesting experience and I would put it at the top of my list of things to do again for a return trip to Istanbul.


Have you ever gotten in touch with your artistic side during your travels?


If you enjoyed this article, you'll also like:

Day 7 of our Round the World Trip: Istanbul

From the Bosphorous to Bangkok

Holy Wisdom in Trabzon, Turkey


Stacey
16/5/2015 07:33:28 am

Those turned out lovely! They were your first paintings?

Vanessa
16/5/2015 07:42:44 am

They were! Not bad for a first attempt I think.

Wandering Educators link
16/5/2015 08:00:40 am

How gorgeous! And what fun to learn. love!

Vanessa
16/5/2015 08:08:58 am

We fully expect to be known as world famous ebru painters one day.

Lesley link
23/5/2015 06:23:01 am

That is amazing! I want to do it. Great job.

Vanessa
24/5/2015 03:09:59 am

It's so much fun!

Carol Colborn
23/5/2015 06:35:01 am

Didn't know about this kind of painting! Thanks.

Vanessa
24/5/2015 03:10:23 am

It has a really interesting history.

Laura Lynch link
23/5/2015 08:06:32 am

That looks like a really cool activity to do in Istanbul and you got to learn about the painting technique, which is really interesting.

Vanessa
24/5/2015 03:11:04 am

I liked that it was a bit forgiving - you don't have to be perfect to make something pretty.

Meg Jerrard link
23/5/2015 02:11:19 pm

This looks like amazing fun! And you guys did great - your tulips came out amazingly!!! Noted for when we're in Istanbul :)

Vanessa
24/5/2015 03:11:31 am

Who knew we had so much hidden artistic talent?

Lieurene Tran link
23/5/2015 06:45:41 pm

Beautiful paintings! What an interesting technique! It's too bad that you didn't get your painting back :( but it looks like you had a great time though.

Vanessa
24/5/2015 03:12:09 am

I know - I'm a bit sad about that. But we still have great memories.

Gemma Two Scots Abroad link
24/5/2015 10:43:50 am

Bar a cooking class in Thailand I don't think I have found my inner creativity but will give it a whirl next time the chance comes up! Stick me count yeah?

Vanessa
25/5/2015 05:55:43 am

I would love to do a cooking class one day and Thailand would be the perfect place for it!

Jessica link
24/5/2015 10:47:03 am

So lovely! Have been wanting to get there for awhile now!

Vanessa
25/5/2015 06:00:22 am

Istanbul is a great city.

Serendipity Tess link
24/5/2015 07:33:13 pm

I like the look of this!! :)

Vanessa
25/5/2015 06:00:45 am

Thanks!

David Briggs link
24/5/2015 07:37:41 pm

Those works of art turned out great! Shame you never got them back though,

Vanessa
25/5/2015 06:01:23 am

I know :-( We miss them.

Alli link
25/5/2015 02:13:42 am

This is lovely! So something I wish I had looked into when I was in Istanbul! Love it.

Vanessa
25/5/2015 06:01:52 am

Put it on your list for your next visit ;-)


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