Sunday, January 8, 2017

And lo, there was gold

So the app I'm using to blog from my phone (where all the pictures are) ate the post I tried to upload earlier, probably because it had nine photos in it. Or possibly because i was trying to post while on restaurant WiFi during dinner. So I'm going to try again but with only two pics.

Gilding is easy.

1. Paint on sticky.
2. Lay gold onto sticky.
3. Brush away excess gold.

So step one for me involves painting white liquid onto white paper, which dries clear. (I'm using modern materials rather than period, because it's quicker and easier all around.) So there are no pics of that.

Step two, lay the gold onto the sticky.



Step three, use a soft brush reserved for the purpose (thou shalt never paint with this brush) to scrub away the excess gold.



Ends up looking gorgeous and it's like instant gratification for me. Gilding is a blast.

I said two pictures, but here's a third one, of the scroll so far. Tomorrow will be the left side and then the hard part, where I dip my pen in the adhesive and write with it, then gild the letters.



Enjoy!
posted from Bloggeroid

2 comments:

  1. What do you use as glue? I never get that solid coverage on my first go!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's called Mona Lisa gilding adhesive; it's used ordinarily for fake gold on, say, sculpture or furniture, like gilding picture frames or what-have-you. So it's REALLY strong. With period adhesives, burnishing is a must to help the gold stick. With this stuff, it's completely optional. You can literally stick the gold in place with your finger (although I don't recommend it.)

      I bought mine at Michael's, but they may not carry it for much longer. They are phasing in Martha Stewart gilding supplies, which are pricier and I don't know anything about whether they work as well or not.

      I'm not advertising or anything, but here's a link to the product page from Speedball:
      https://www.speedballart.com/our-products.php?cat=18

      Delete