Techniques in Painting by Marlin Brigid;

Author:Marlin, Brigid;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Published: 2022-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

‘The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb’ by Jan van Eyck – detail of Virgin with gold-leaf background

Using the back of a metal spoon, or your finger, smoothly transfer the gold on to the red board, checking that every part of the sheet has been pressed down firmly – otherwise there will be gaps where you forgot to press. If you have a large amount of gold to apply, make sure your gold edges slightly overlap, so you don’t have gaps.

Here are the steps to using gold leaf to create a background:

1. Make sure your gesso board is extra smooth by giving it an extra rub-down with fine-grade sandpaper.

2. Draw your picture in pencil on the board and ink the outlines in black waterproof ink in the usual way.

3. Decide where you want your gold leaf to go: don’t waste it on places that you will be painting over later with oil paint. Mark these areas so you can see the marks through the red ground coat.

4. Apply a ground coat over the whole board using a bright red shade of acrylic paint mixed with a little water. Bright red is the most flattering colour to put underneath gold, making it look warm and rich.

5. When the red ground coat is dry, apply your three-hour gold glue thinly over the surface that you want to cover. Then wait three hours.

6. Now carefully place your gold leaf, still on its transfer sheet, gold side down, to the glued areas.

7. Let it dry thoroughly. If you have bought sheets of real gold, there is no need to apply varnish, the gold will never tarnish. (If you went for copper or bronze sheets instead, a good metal varnish must be applied. Silver is particularly vulnerable to discolouring so I have stopped using it at all.)

8. Complete the rest of your painting following the usual steps.

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