Step 1 -

The first step is pretty easy. I applied a plain basecoat color of Black. This matte Ral
Partha paint will assist the next step too, since it acts as a primer for the sponed paint
that!s to follow.
Step " -
The next step is to spone on the marble text#rin. $ere, I!ll take a small sea spone
%a&ailable at hobby or craft stores' and #se it to lihtly apply paint to the black
#ndercoat. ( sea spone has a nat#ral )rain) that makes a belie&able marble text#re.
*on+t #se a synthetic spone for this step, the rain is too e&en. $owe&er, since e&en the
smallest spone is pretty bi compared to a miniat#re, I c#t off a smaller piece to
act#ally work with.
-orkin from my reference photo, I #sed two reen colors, Storm .iant .reen and
Troll /lesh .reen, to best mimic the nat#ral shades in the stone. (ain, yo#r color
choice will &ary with the type of marble yo# decide to paint0 there are a &ariety of
shades and colors to choose from.
I mix #p some of each color with some acrylic loss medi#m %one to one proportion',
which make the paints semi-transparent, as well as helpin them adhere better to the
black #ndercoatin. 1nlike the ranite techni2#e, yo# can work dark to liht here, since
the transparency of the loss medi#m makes each layer of color show thro#h the one
on top of it a little. This also mimics the way the minerals and colors seem to intermix in
real marble.
3ake s#re not to co&er all of the black #ndercoat with the reen paint, tho#h. The
black needs to show thro#h a little, since it+s a nat#ral part of the reen marble.
I take the spone and dab it ently into the Troll /lesh. 4xcess paint is dabbed off on a
paper towel, before I press the spone onto the black paint. I try to ne&er dra it, b#t
p#sh lihtly to apply the reen paint. %*rain the spone makes the paint smear,
which doesn+t look too realistic...'(fter the first layer is applied and allowed to dry, I
repeat the process with the Storm .iant .reen,
Sometimes it may take some work to et the riht look, after I finish with the Storm
.iant, I decide the effect!s still a little spotty lookin, so I add another layer of Troll
/lesh on top of the Storm .iant. /inally, I!m satisfied with the effect,
Step 5 -
6ext I need to add the characteristic marble )&einin). 3arble #s#ally has these threads
of colored rock r#nnin tro#h it0 to sim#late this on miniat#res, I!ll mix #p the
appropriate color of paint %in this case white', with the same amo#nt of loss medi#m as
I #sed in the reen paints. (ain, the medi#m helps create a transparency to the color
that makes the reen show thro#h a little, as it wo#ld in tr#e marble.
(pplyin the &eins is the diffic#lt bit of the marble techni2#e, when yo#!re finished, the
lines of paint sho#ld look like the threads r#nnin #nder the s#rface of the marble. To
apply the paint, yo# can #se a paintbr#sh, or the traditional implement, a feather. 1sin
a br#sh yields decent res#lts, b#t for some reason I ha&en!t had too m#ch l#ck with it.
Br#shes tend to lay too e&en a line of paint to look like tr#e &einin.
( feather lea&es a more nat#ral seam of color, since yo# can easily &ary the thickness of
the line it lays down. 7o#pled with the transparency of the paint, this res#lts in pretty
nat#ral-lookin &eins.
( normal feather was a bit to bi to work on my col#mn, so I c#t it down to a smaller
tool before I bean the process. -hen paintin &eins with the feather, it!s best to #se a
liht hand0 yo#!re not so m#ch p#shin as yo# wo#ld with a paint-br#sh, b#t lettin the
feather lide ently o&er the s#rface. (s yo# p#ll the feather, t#rn it randomly %e&en to
the point of lettin the feather flatten aainst the col#mn before tiltin it back'.
These &eins enerally r#n parallel to each other in marble, so try to keep them mo&in
in the same direction. 3akin some branches in the &einin as yo# add it will also help
make it look like tr#e marble. It!s best not to co&er more than a third of the marble
s#rface with the &eins or paint them too close toether, tho#h, or the piece beins to
look too )b#sy) and #nnat#ral.
Step 8 -
To finish #p the col#mn, I painted the top and base in old. /inally, a marble detail item
like this sho#ld be coated with a hea&y loss coatin to i&e it that look of polished
marble. I #sed some of the same loss medi#m I!d been mixin the paint with, b#t e&en
that didn!t seem lossy eno#h. I finally #sed some of my wife!s oil-based craft coatin
%specifically, )Treas#re 7rystal 7oat)', which a&e the col#mn that nice, polished-
marble sheen to it
If yo#!re #sin any oil-based coatin like this o&er acrylics, 9#st be s#re the acrylics are
completely dry before applyin it. I recommend #sin an old br#sh that yo# can throw
away, too, #nless yo# #se oil paints re#larly at home, and ha&e some t#rpentine handy
to clean the br#sh with.