One gloomy February day, I got a call. A nice English-speaking lady from Lithuania asked if Õrreke also offered ebru workshops. “Of course!” I shouted enthusiastically into the phone, while clicking my fingers on the computer keyboard. Within half a minute I knew what I was doing. It was very reminiscent of the dripping technique I used as a child. I used YouTube tutorial videos to get the hang of it, and I even did some training, but something still stuck. I would have liked to go a bit deeper into this ebrus. As ebru is a Turkish art of ‘marbling’, I approached the Turkish Embassy to find direct sources to learn the technique. The nice people at the embassy put me in touch with ebru artist Tüzin Tirakli and on a hot July week, which was many times hotter in Istanbul than in Estonia, we set off with instructor Hanna. Istanbul welcomed us with the noise of a metropolis. The streets were crowded with people and cats (there are thousands of the latter, all well fed and cared for by the people of the city), my handicraft soul was delighted by the stained glass windows and the glass mosaic vases-lampshades. As there are also sweets workshops in Õrrekees, we delved into the secrets of making marzipan and baklava at the markets. But of course, above all, we spent our days in the ebru studio. Mrs. Tüzin didn’t speak a word of English, and the first day we just spoke in “art language”. Fortunately, in the following days, her daughter helped with the translation. For several hours a day we learned to draw on the “thick” water: tulips, lilies, moons, stars, moons and hearts. With the help of special tools, we made comb patterns or simple dripping techniques, birds and animals on the water. Drawing must be done quite quickly so that the colours do not break and sink to the bottom. Once the image is finished on the water, it is usually drawn on paper, but it can also be drawn on silk, wood, leather, stone or any hard surface. It was a fascinating 5-day journey, during which I also realised that I would have to simplify the skills I had learned for the workshops in the workshop. After all, our classes last 45-90 minutes and then you should have a result. As a rule, people with a background in art don’t come to the workshops, we still have to make the lessons interesting for those who are not really into painting. At the same time, drawing on the head of water is so easy and safe that even babies can manage the workshop. What’s wrong with little ones splashing their fingers in the water and colouring with mum? It’s actually not even the first time a client has given me some good ideas to implement in a workshop. Sometimes it’s a tiny detail or an update to an already existing class, but thanks to a call from Mrs Lithuania six months ago, as you can imagine, the workshops in the Õrrekes now include drawing on the head of an ebrus in water. You are welcome!