Every art form has its tools, and the tools of Ebru are as distinctive and carefully considered as the art itself. Unlike painting, where a single brush can serve many purposes, Ebru requires a specific set of instruments — each designed for a precise role in manipulating pigment on water. Understanding these tools is the first step toward understanding the craft.
Here is a complete guide to every Ebru tool you need, what it does, and how to choose the right one as a beginner.
The Tray (Tekne)
Everything begins with the tray. The tekne (Turkish for "trough" or "basin") is a shallow rectangular container that holds the sizing solution — the thickened water on which the pigments float. Traditional trays are made from zinc or tinned copper and are sized to match the paper you intend to use, typically a few centimeters larger on each side to allow for even pigment distribution.
For beginners, a food-grade plastic tray of appropriate dimensions works perfectly well. The depth matters: around 4–6 cm of sizing is ideal. Too shallow and you risk disturbing the bottom when you work; too deep and you waste sizing material. The tray should be perfectly level — even a slight tilt will cause pigments to drift and patterns to skew.
The Sizing Solution (Aharlı Su)
Strictly speaking, the sizing is not a tool but a medium — and it is the most important medium in Ebru. The sizing solution (aharlı su, "sized water") is a viscous liquid that allows pigments to float without sinking. Traditionally prepared from kitre (gum tragacanth) or carrageenan (dried Irish moss), the sizing must be the right consistency: thick enough to support the pigments, but not so thick that they cannot spread.
Preparing the sizing is an art in itself, covered in detail in our dedicated article on sizing. For beginners, pre-mixed carrageenan powder dissolved in water is the most reliable starting point.
Ebru Brushes (Ebrü Fırçaları)
Traditional Ebru brushes are handmade from horse hair tied around a short wooden or reed handle. The bristles are kept loose and full, not trimmed to a point — the goal is to hold a significant amount of pigment and release it in controlled drops onto the surface rather than to paint in the traditional sense.
To use an Ebru brush, you hold it horizontally over the tray and tap it against another brush or your finger — this causes the pigment to fall as drops rather than being applied by stroke. The size of the drops, their concentration, and the height from which you drop them all affect how the pigment spreads on the surface.
Brushes come in various sizes for different purposes:
- Large brushes: for creating the initial base layer (Battal pattern) — dropping many pigment spots quickly across the full tray
- Medium brushes: the workhorse of Ebru — for most pigment application
- Fine brushes: for detailed work and flower petal pigment application
The Stylus (Biz)
The biz is a thin, pointed tool — essentially a needle or skewer mounted in a wooden handle. It is used to draw fine lines through the pigment on the water surface, to pull colors into points (creating petal tips), and to create the delicate tracery of stems and leaf veins in flower patterns.
The stylus must glide smoothly through the surface without disturbing it too aggressively. When working on flower patterns, the biz is pulled through the edge of a pigment drop to draw it into an elongated petal shape. The speed, angle, and depth of the stroke all matter.
Combs (Tarak)
Ebru combs are among the most recognizable tools in the craft. They consist of a row of evenly spaced pins or needles mounted on a straight bar — typically made from wood, metal, or reed. When drawn across the surface of the tray, they transform the free-floating Battal pattern into wave, chevron, and feather patterns.
Combs come in several varieties:
- Wide-spaced combs (iri tarak): for large wave patterns (Gel Ebru)
- Fine combs (ince tarak): for Hatip Ebru and intricate herringbone patterns
- Double-pass combs: when used in alternating directions (left-to-right, then right-to-left), they create the classic feathered marbling patterns
Ox Gall (Sığır Safrası)
Ox gall is not a tool in the traditional sense, but it is so integral to Ebru that it deserves detailed treatment. A natural surfactant derived from cattle bile, ox gall is added to each pigment mixture in small quantities. It reduces the surface tension of the pigment, allowing it to spread outward when dropped onto the sizing rather than forming a tight blob.
The amount of ox gall in each color determines how far it spreads — and since colors applied later must spread less (to avoid covering earlier colors), the ox gall concentration is adjusted throughout the session. This management of spreading behavior is one of the most sophisticated aspects of Ebru, and mastering it is a hallmark of an advanced practitioner. Read our full article on ox gall in Ebru art.
Alum Solution (Şap Suyu)
To receive the pigments properly, Ebru paper must be pre-treated with an alum (potassium aluminum sulfate) solution. The alum acts as a mordant — it helps the pigments adhere to the paper fibers during the transfer process. Paper that has not been alum-treated will reject much of the pigment, resulting in a pale, blurry print.
The alum solution is applied to one side of the paper, which is then left to dry before use. When purchasing Ebru paper commercially, it typically comes pre-treated.
The Paper
Traditional Ebru is done on ebru kâğıdı — marbling paper. This is a slightly absorbent, medium-weight paper, typically 90–120 gsm, that has been treated with alum. Turkish handmade papers have historically been prized for Ebru because of their texture and absorbency. Today, a range of papers are available from specialist suppliers, including machine-made papers designed specifically for marbling.
Building Your Starter Kit
For a functional beginner's Ebru kit, you need:
- A shallow tray (sized to your paper)
- Carrageenan powder for sizing
- 3–4 Ebru brushes (small, medium, large)
- One stylus (biz)
- A basic wide comb
- A set of 5–8 natural Ebru pigments
- Ox gall
- Alum-treated paper (or plain paper + alum solution)
With these tools, you can create Battal Ebru, simple wave patterns, and with patience, your first flower. The craft rewards steady hands and patient practice — but the tools themselves are simple, time-tested, and beautiful in their own right.
