A dragonfly with four long marbled wingsTeal, blue. Use a ghost print so the wings look sheer. Four thin ovals on a body drawn in pen.
Tulips: three marbled petals each, on green paper stemsRed, pink, yellow. Cut pointed ovals from the print, overlap three for each flower and add one leaf.
Earth: a blue and green marbled circle on dark paperBlue, green. Swirl loosely, find a patch that looks like land and sea, and cut a circle round it.
A checkerboard of squares cut from a warm sheet and a cool sheetRed and yellow on one, blue and green on the other. Print both, cut squares and glue them in turn.
A feathered sheet: stripes of color combed one way, then backRed, yellow, blue. Drip three stripes, pull a toothpick across them, then back between the first lines.
A ghost print: a second sheet pressed on foam that has already printedWhatever is left on the foam. Add no drops and press a fresh sheet. Pale enough to write a letter on.
A one-color sheet for lining a drawer or covering a boxGreen. Drip sparsely and swirl wide loops. One color cannot go muddy, so stir as long as you like.
A rainbow sheet combed with a forkRed, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. Drip stripes in order and drag a fork across them once.
A sheet of hearts: a toothpick pulled once through each dotPink, red. Drip separate dots and drag the stick through the middle of each one. No stirring.
A sheet of rosettes: the stick stirred in a small ring inside every dotOrange, pink. Drip dots well apart and stir one tight ring in each. Lift the stick between dots.
A spiral sheet: one line wound outward from the middle of the trayBlue, purple. Scatter drops, start at the center and wind the stick out to the edge in one go.
A stone sheet, barely stirred, with most of the paper left whiteBrown, a little blue. A few drops, three slow figure eights, then stop. It reads as veined marble.
A sunset sheet in bands from yellow at the bottom to purple at the topYellow, orange, pink, purple. Drip in bands and pull the stick side to side only, never up and down.
A wave sheet: one long S pulled through rows of dotsTeal, blue. Drip dots in rows and draw a slow S down the tray. The dots stretch into ripples.
A zigzag sheet in two neighbors on the color wheelBlue, green. Drip lines side by side and zigzag across them once. Neighbors blend and stay clean.
Cards and tags 12
A birthday card with a bunch of balloons cut from marbled offcutsThree different prints. Cut an oval from each, overlap them and draw the strings down to one knot.
A Christmas card: three marbled triangles stacked into a treeGreen, blue. Cut three triangles from one print, overlap them point up and add a paper star.
A heart-window card: a heart cut out of the front, a print taped behind itPink, red, purple. Cut the hole first, then slide the print about behind it to find the best swirl.
A marbled lining for an envelope, cut to the shape of the flapPink, orange. Trace the open envelope on the print, trim a little off each edge and glue it inside.
A notebook cover wrapped in a marbled sheetBlue, green. Print on thin paper so it folds, wrap the cover like a parcel and glue the flaps inside.
A thank-you card: a marbled front with a white label across the middleBlue, purple. Press the folded card itself on the foam, front down, then glue on a strip to write on.
An initial card: one fat marbled letter on plain cardAny colors. Draw the letter back to front on the plain side of a print, cut it out and glue it down.
Bunting: marbled triangles folded over a length of stringA different print for each flag. Cut tall triangles, fold the top edge over the string and glue.
Gift tags cut from one marbled sheet, a punched hole and string in eachAny two brights. Print a full sheet, cut it into luggage-label shapes and write on the plain back.
Marbled bookmarks in strips, a ribbon through the top of eachTeal, green. Cut a print into strips as wide as two fingers, round the corners and punch one hole.
Marbled confetti punched from offcuts, to fall out of a cardEvery leftover scrap. A hole punch turns them into dots. Tip a pinch inside the card before sealing.
Place cards with a marbled band along the bottom edgeColors to match the table. Press only the lower third of each folded card on the foam, then scrape.
Eggs and planets 12
A basket card with three marbled eggs showing over the rimPink, green, purple. Cut the eggs from offcuts and tuck them behind a brown paper basket.
A cracked egg: a marbled egg cut in a zigzag, a chick between the halvesBlue, teal. Cut across the middle in zigzags, glue the halves apart and draw the chick in the gap.
A giant striped egg built from strips of five different printsOne print for each stripe. Glue the strips side by side on card, then cut the whole into one egg.
A marbled sun with rays snipped into its edgeYellow, orange, red. Cut a big circle from the print and snip a fringe all round. Bend every other ray up.
A night sky card: small marbled planets on black, stars dotted in white penCircles from every offcut. Trace coins and lids for the sizes and glue them in a drifting line.
A ringed planet: a marbled circle with a card ring slipped round itYellow, orange. Cut the circle, cut a thin oval ring from plain card and slip it over at a tilt.
A solar system mobile: eight marbled circles hung from a hoopA different mix for each of the eight planets. Cut circles of different sizes and hang them on thread.
An egg garland: six marbled paper eggs taped along a stringTwo colors for each egg, no two eggs the same. Print, dry, then tape the string across the backs.
Earth: a blue and green marbled circle on dark paperBlue, green. Swirl loosely, find a patch that looks like land and sea, and cut a circle round it.
Jupiter: bands pulled side to side, one red drop left as the stormOrange, brown, red. Drag the stick across only. Leave one red drop unstirred for the Great Red Spot.
Mars: a red and orange circle with almost no swirlRed, orange, a little brown. Two strokes of the stick are enough. Glue it on black beside Earth.
Paper eggs cut first, then pressed on the foam one at a timePink, yellow, blue. Cutting first gives every egg a swirl of its own. Scrape each from the wide end.
Sky and sea 12
A jellyfish: a marbled half circle with yarn hanging belowPink, purple. Cut the half circle, tape lengths of yarn behind the flat edge and let them dangle.
A lighthouse at night: a dark marbled sky and a yellow paper beamBlue, purple, dripped thickly so little white is left. Glue on a white tower and a wedge of yellow.
A marbled sunset behind a cut-paper palm treeYellow, orange, pink. Stir side to side only so the bands stay level. The palm is one black shape.
A mermaid tail cut from a teal and purple printTeal, purple, green. Stir in small arcs so the print looks scaly. Cut one long tail with a forked fin.
A rain puddle: a marbled oval with a drawn pair of boots beside itBlue, green, a drop of purple. Cut a wobbly oval. The swirl reads as ripples on the water.
A stormy marbled sea with a folded paper boat riding on topBlue, teal, green. Pull the stick in tall waves. Tear the top edge of the print and glue the boat on it.
A summer sky: blue marbling with the white gaps left as cloudsBlue. Drip only near the edges of the tray so the middle prints white, then swirl gently.
A whale cut from a blue marbled print, with a drawn spoutBlue, a little purple. Draw the whale on the plain side, cut it out and glue it on pale paper.
An underwater scene: a blue print with fish cut from a warm oneBlue and green for the water; red, orange and yellow for the fish. Two trays, or two turns at one.
Hot air balloons cut from bright prints, on a pale marbled skyA ghost print for the sky. Cut balloon shapes from the brightest sheets and draw a basket under each.
Layered waves: scalloped strips cut from three blue printsBlue, teal, blue with green. Cut a wavy top edge on each strip and overlap them up the page.
Northern lights over a black line of treesGreen, purple. Pull every stroke upward from the bottom of the tray. Cut the treeline from black paper.
Wings, shells and petals 12
A bird with a marbled wing and tail on a plain bodyBlue, purple. Cut one teardrop wing and three tail strips from the print. The body is plain card.
A butterfly cut on the fold so both marbled wings matchOrange, yellow, blue. Fold a dry print, draw one wing against the crease, cut and open it out.
A chameleon cut from a marbled sheet of every colorRed, yellow, green, blue, barely stirred. Draw the curled tail on the plain side and cut slowly.
A dragonfly with four long marbled wingsTeal, blue. Use a ghost print so the wings look sheer. Four thin ovals on a body drawn in pen.
A fish with scales cut from marbled offcuts in three colorsAny three prints. Punch or cut small circles and overlap them in rows from the tail to the head.
A flower bed: marbled circles with snipped edges on drawn stemsA different print for each flower. Cut circles, snip petals into the rims and glue a paper center on.
A peacock: marbled feathers fanned out behind a plain blue bodyBlue, green, teal. Cut long teardrops from one print, fan them out and draw an eye near each tip.
A scallop shell: a marbled half circle pleated like a fanPink, orange. Cut a half circle, fold it in narrow pleats from the straight edge and pinch the base.
A snail with a marbled spiral for a shellBrown, orange. Take a spiral print, cut a circle with the middle of the swirl at its center.
A turtle with a marbled shell divided into plates with a penGreen, brown. Cut an oval, draw the plates over the swirl and glue on a head, four feet and a tail.
Autumn leaves cut from red, orange and yellow printsRed, orange, yellow, a little brown. Trace real leaves on the plain side of the print and cut them out.
Tulips: three marbled petals each, on green paper stemsRed, pink, yellow. Cut pointed ovals from the print, overlap three for each flower and add one leaf.
How it works
Shaving cream art is marbling without the tank: the swirl of color on a tray of foam ends up on paper.
Read the full guide
How to make a shaving cream print
Spread shaving foam, not gel, in a tray and smooth it flat. Drip on liquid food coloring. Pull a toothpick through the drops a few times and stop before the colors blend. Press paper face down, lift it, and scrape the foam off with a ruler. Leave the print flat to dry.
What a dry print turns into
It is patterned paper. Punch tags from it, fold it into cards, cut circles for planets and ovals for eggs. Keep the offcuts: small pieces become fish scales, petals and bunches of balloons.
An adult squirts the foam. It is soap: keep it off faces and out of mouths, and wash hands afterwards.
Neighbors on the color wheel stay clean when swirled. Opposites, such as orange and blue, cancel each other and go muddy.
Scrape once, in one direction, with a firm edge. Going back over the print smears it.
Questions and answers
What do you need for shaving cream art?
A can of white shaving foam, not gel; liquid food coloring; a tray or two plates; a toothpick; paper or card; and a ruler or craft stick for scraping. Cover the table, because food coloring is a dye and stains.
Why does shaving cream marbling work?
Shaving foam is soap and water puffed up with gas. Watery food coloring does not soak into it, so the color sits on top even after stirring. Paper is plant fiber that takes up the dye, and the pattern moves across.
What paper is best for shaving cream art?
Card stock stays flattest and folds into cards and tags. Ordinary white paper prints as well but may wrinkle as it dries, which matters less for wrapping a notebook or lining an envelope.
Can you reuse the shaving cream?
For a few prints. The second sheet from one swirl comes out paler. After that, drip on fresh color and stir again. When the foam has turned one muddy shade, scrape it into the bin and start a clean layer.