Simulated marble is not an easy technique to master so be prepared to practise. Take a look at some 'real' examples of marble: black, white and grey are not the only colours. There is a huge range of marble - Sienna, Carrara, Serpentine, Egyptian green, to name just a few. When you create a 'faux marble' effect, you will be working with a limited colour range - perhaps just three different colours - but you can create an infinite range of subtle tones and shades. Artists' oil paints create the best marbling effect: they take a while to dry so allow time to work on the whole effect while still wet. These can be expensive, so use them for smaller objects; for larger surfaces, you could use oil-based interior paints in a satin finish.
1 Mottling
Over a light basecoat colour, start with the darkest of your three colours and gently stipple it onto the surface. Then move to the mid-tone colour, blending the two colours where they meet by dabbing the brush gently while the two are still wet. Repeat with the lightest tone of the three colours.
2 Veining
The veins in marble are the most outstanding feature. With a fine artists' paintbrush, draw the veins using colour mixed from your three pigments. Paint veins in varying thicknesses and directions. Use a piece or photograph of real marble as a guide.
3 Blotting and blending
Any thick lines of paint can be blotted with a tissue or clean rag to reduce them. 'Feather' the veins by brushing gently backwards and forwards over the surface with a soft paintbrush. Let the paint dry and then seal the surface with a semi-gloss polyurethane varnish and buff to a sheen with a soft cloth.
