Art on water: how ebru became a puzzle game

What is ebru?

Ebru is the traditional Turkish art of paper marbling: a pattern is created on the surface of water and then transferred onto paper. The water in the tray is thickened with kitre, a plant gum known in English as gum tragacanth. This keeps the paints floating on the surface instead of sinking. The earth pigments are mixed with ox gall, which helps each drop open up and spread. The artist sprinkles the colours with a brush, drop by drop, then lays a sheet of paper on the surface and lifts it carefully.

One of the most fascinating things about ebru is that every print is unique. When the paper is lifted, the paint goes with it, so the same pattern can never be made twice in exactly the same way. The traditional Turkish art of ebru was added to UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2014. In Europe, these papers were long known simply as “Turkish paper”.

Drops, stylus and comb

Each basic move shifts the paint on the water in its own way:

• Battal: the most basic pattern, made only by sprinkling paint, with a stone-like look.
• Gelgit (come and go): made by pulling a thin, pointed stylus back and forth across the surface.
• Taraklı (combed): a comb is drawn across the surface to create even bands.
• Bülbül yuvası (nightingale's nest): the paint is turned into small spirals.

There is one detail that matters a lot here: order. A drop added later pushes the earlier ones aside and stays in the middle. Dropping first and pulling later gives a completely different result from pulling first and dropping later.

From art to puzzle

The Ebru game on CetinsGame grew out of exactly this detail. Each level shows you a target pattern. You drop paint on the water, pull it with the stylus, comb and swirl, then press the paper. The same drops in a different order make a different pattern; the puzzle is finding the right order. The closer your print is to the target, the more stars you earn.

The game has 50 levels split into five regions: Battal, Gelgit, Taraklı, Bülbül Yuvası and Şal (shawl). If you get stuck, you can use a hint or undo a move. The patterns you finish are collected in your Book, and every day a new Daily Tray opens with the same pattern for everyone.

Master Nakşe's workshop

A story unfolds between the levels. You join Master Nakşe as an apprentice in a small workshop on a back street of Üsküdar, in Istanbul. First you learn to drop paint, then you inherit her old stylus and comb. Customers come to you, from a bookseller and a calligrapher to a merchant at the harbour and, finally, the palace.

The game runs in your browser with no download, on phone or computer. To let your first drop fall on the water, open the Ebru game.