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Exploring the Art of Virtual Soap Marbling Techniques

As an artist who’s always been captivated by the fluid beauty of traditional paper marbling, I’ve been fascinated by the possibilities of recreating and expanding on this ancient craft digitally. The way inks dance and swirl on the surface of water, creating intricate patterns, has captivated artists for centuries. In my exploration to bridge the gap between traditional techniques and digital innovation, I’ve been developing a physics-based marbling simulation. This endeavor has been a journey of discovery, pushing the boundaries of how we perceive and create marbled art.

A Digital Dive into a Centuries-Old Craft

Paper marbling, with its roots tracing back to 12th century Japan, has a rich and diverse history. Known as “suminagashi,” the technique involved delicately floating inks on water and manipulating them into flowing designs using breath, fans, and other tools. As the craft traveled across the globe, traditions evolved. The Middle East and Europe saw the emergence of combed marbling, utilizing thicker mediums and fine-toothed combs to craft intricate, repeating patterns with enhanced precision.

My fascination with this art form led me to develop an early prototype of a marbling-inspired fluid simulation back in 2017, utilizing WebGL to experiment with physics simulations. This exploration was just the beginning, sparking a passion to delve deeper into the intricacies of digital marbling.

Marbling Simulation: Where Art Meets Physics

The heart of a marbling simulation lies in accurately modeling the fluid’s motion. This typically involves employing a physics-based fluid solver, which iteratively guides virtual inks along the flow. Combing actions are then represented as forces impacting the fluid’s velocity field.

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One of the captivating aspects of marbling lies in the unique behavior of the inks. Due to the high viscosity of the size, the inks tend to stretch and warp rather than diffusing and mixing turbulently. This characteristic sets marbling simulations apart from other fluid simulations, such as those used to depict smoke. Moreover, the incompressible nature of the fluids ensures that the inks move in a way that preserves their surface area.

My initial research led me to the work of Aubrey Jaffer, particularly his paper “Mathematical Marbling” (Lu, Jaffer et al. 2012). Jaffer’s work proposes that the combing actions in marbling can be represented through closed-form mathematical transformations, eliminating the need for a full-blown fluid solver. While this method offers impressive speed, I opted for a hybrid approach, incorporating some of Jaffer’s transformations while still leveraging a fluid solver to introduce a more dynamic and lifelike quality to the simulations. This approach allowed me to experiment with freeform patterns, merging combing techniques with curl-noise (Bridson et al. 2007) to mimic the effect of air currents gently disturbing the surface.

Unveiling New Patterns: A Digital Renaissance

Despite centuries of marbling, digital tools unlock a realm of possibilities for pattern generation. My simulations enable precise comb placement and the application of multiple combs simultaneously, paving the way for experimentation with designs that would be challenging to replicate traditionally. This exploration has led to the creation of novel combing patterns, including variations of bouquet, birdwing, and thistle, some of which were featured in my collaboration with Nervous System on a series of marbling infinity puzzles.

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One of the most intriguing discoveries has been the “two-way” pattern variations, such as the two-way bouquet. Unlike traditional bouquet patterns, these designs lack a defined “up” direction, resulting in a sense of balanced intricacy. Similarly, the two-way birdwing pattern features scalloped edges in both directions, creating a mesmerizing visual effect.

Beyond the Comb: Expanding the Digital Palette

The beauty of digital marbling extends beyond traditional limitations. The ability to create seamlessly tiling patterns has opened doors to unique artistic applications, as showcased in the infinity puzzles. These puzzles, devoid of edges and offering a multitude of configurations, highlight the boundless creative potential of digital marbling.

Ink Drop Simulation: Capturing Ephemeral Beauty

Beyond combing, simulating the behavior of individual ink drops offers another avenue for exploration. Aubrey Jaffer’s work again provided valuable insights into the mathematics governing how ink drops interact with the water’s surface and influence surrounding patterns.

This technique formed the basis for my suminagashi simulations, replicating the delicate art of Japanese marbling. By dropping multiple ink drops simultaneously, I was able to simulate “stone” patterns, often used as a foundation for combed designs.

Navigating Challenges and Embracing the Unexpected

Developing this marbling simulation came with its share of technical hurdles. One challenge involved maintaining sharp boundaries between colors in combed patterns, a hallmark of traditional marbling. The Stable Fluids method I initially employed introduced excessive blurring over time. To overcome this, I developed a new fluid solver based on BiMocq2: Efficient and Conservative Fluids Using Bidirectional Mapping (Qu et al. 2019). This method significantly reduced blurring with minimal computational overhead, preserving the crisp lines crucial to marbling aesthetics.

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Throughout the development, unexpected errors sometimes resulted in surprisingly beautiful outcomes. A glitch causing a sloshing motion within the simulation generated captivating, organic forms. These happy accidents underscore the exciting and unpredictable nature of working with digital mediums.

The Future of Digital Marbling: A Canvas of Possibilities

Looking ahead, I’m excited to see how digital marbling can push artistic boundaries and unlock novel aesthetics that embrace the ephemeral beauty of fluids. Imagine designs inspired by the swirling clouds of Jupiter or the mesmerizing patterns of von Kármán vortex streets.

While the current iteration of the marbling simulation remains in its early stages, I’m eager to continue refining and sharing this project with fellow artists and enthusiasts. My goal is to create a platform that empowers others to explore the magic of digital marbling, pushing the boundaries of this ancient craft and discovering new artistic possibilities.

This endeavor has been about more than just recreating a physical process in a digital environment. It’s about bridging the gap between tradition and innovation, demonstrating how technology can breathe new life into ancient art forms and inspire a new generation of digital artisans. I encourage you to explore the world of digital marbling and discover the endless creative possibilities it holds. Who knows what mesmerizing patterns and captivating designs you’ll bring to life?

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