23k.5k Shell Gold and Frame  

The Gilding Arts Newsletter   

...an educational resource  

for Gold Leaf Gilding





CHARLES DOUGLAS

GILDING STUDIO
Seattle, WA
In This Issue
Workshop Schedule
Gold Leaf Gilding...Q&A
Recommended Reading
Newsletter Archive
Quick Links
Bookmark and Share
 Quick Links

2012 Gilding Workshops   
                                            This Saturday!

Special 1-Day Introductory
Oil Gilding & Glass Gilding Workshop
June 9
~

3-Day Traditional Water Gilding Workshop

(includes Frame, Gold, & Field Trip to Seattle Art Museum)
June 22, 23, 24 

 ~  

Register Below

 

Greetings from Charles Douglas Gilding Studio
Dear Friends,

Gilding Fingernails Every Quarter throughout the year Gasworks Gallery, home to Charles Douglas Gilding Studio and many other Seattle artists,
hosts gala parties as both a charitable event and as an open studio gathering between artists and the community. The Gilding Studio was open once again to answer questions and to display a variety of gilded frames and yacht mouldings in the works as well as two completed carved wood bird cages from India, gilded in 24kt gold leaf to be placed atop the Hare Krishna altar gilded last Summer (visit www.gildingstudio.com for photos of the temple!).

The gallery's June event was especially vibrant with several hundred people attending from around Seattle. As an additional way to discover the magic of gilding, many chose to offer their hands to gild their fingernails in 23k and 6k gold leaf - a great way to experience leafing upclose!

Mark your calendars for the next event as a guest of the gilding studio: September 7, 2012 from 8pm til...
Sonya's Nails GildedAshley's 6k Gilded Nails
Each nail in genuine gold leaf from Italy  (23k top, 6kt right)   





Gasworks Party Painting
Collaborative
Party Painting
 


Peace, Health, and Clarity

~ Charles

You can only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. 
~ Paulo Coelho, Author (The Alchemist)     
Gold Leaf Gilding...A Conversation

gilded venetian frame

Questions Submitted by our Members and Others from around the (Art)World.

~  

During this past year a series of two-hour introductory gilding classes have been held at the Gilding Studio in Seattle, an offer through Groupon which resulted in 240 students! These students come from all walks of life but each have the same goal in mind - to hopefully discover what's behind some of the elusive mystery of the beautiful art and craft of gold leaf gilding. In this issue we visit some of the recurring questions from these inquisitive students!


 

Q. What is the purpose for the use of fabric on the corners of your frames?

 

A. One thing to note when gilding a frame, especially when water gilding, is that the mitre where the frame comes together at the corners, or even the join seam between the frame and the build up (additional wood applied to the back of a frame to add depth for a canvas) will cause the gesso to crack when hydrated during the water gilding process. Therefore, for prevention, either a high quality Japanese paper like Sekishu or strips of very fine linen are adhered over the seam or mitre with the use of rabbit skin glue. This is done before the gesso is applied and can help keep the gesso from cracking when it's eventually gilded.  

 

This is a similar method used in the gilding of icons and panels where large flat areas can acquire crack mechanisms in the gesso layer if not first protected with an application of fabric to the surface before gessoing. These thin strips of fabric, or Sekishu paper, are therefore sometimes used over frame corners to help protect against the typical cracking of the gesso at the mitres, creating a true closed corner frame.

 

Q. How do you know when it's time to burnish a frame thats just been water gilded?

 

A. Burnishing, which is polishing the gold leaf with an agate stone, brings the leaf to a brilliant lustre while also compressing the leaf into the gessoed surface and therefore providing greater durability. Once the surface has been made wet and the gold applied, a certain amount of time must pass to allow it to dry and is contingent partly upon the weather and how warm the gilding room is. Generally 2-3 hours should pass.  

 

I prefer to burnish when there is a small amount of moisture remaining in the gilding but burnishing at this stage needs to be done carefully. Tapping the agate burnisher against the gilding will produce a tone; a sharp click is a good indication that the leaf is ready to be burnished. A dull tone, however, means the surface is still too wet to burnish. If burnishing is done too soon it's possible to break all the way through the gilding to the underlying wood. It would be best for a beginner to wait until the next day to burnish.

Q. What would be the reason to choose either oil size or acrylic emulsion when using a method of gilding other than traditional water gilding?

 

A. Oil size and acrylic emulsion, sold under such names as Water Based Gilding Size, Aquasize, or Wunda Size, are a form of mordant gilding. Mordant gilding employs the use of an adhesive to adhere gold, silver, or imitation leafs to a prepared surface. Other mordants include gum tragacanth, gum ammoniac, gum arabic, garlic, and glair (beaten egg white).  

 

The use of oil size, a form of mordant gilding, is commonly referred to simply as oil gilding. It's a specially formulated varnish which produces a satin to semi-gloss tone in the leaf. It does not produce the high luster of traditional water gilding but it has an attractive appearance of its own. It offers a durable finish and is used for both interior and exterior gilding projects.  

 

Oil size is self-leveling whereby the oil tends to smooth out after it's brushed on thinly. It cleans up with mineral spirits and so is somewhat messy to work with so be prepared to use rubber gloves, spirits, and perhaps some acetone in the cleaning of your brushes.

 

Oil size comes in different drying times ranging from 3 hour to 24 hour. In practice however, once a can has been opened the drying time becomes shorter and shorter. It's best to open the can, stir the size to bring the driers to the surface, and pour some into another container for use on your project. This way you can close the can of oil size and preserve its life.

 

The water-based sizes are much cleaner to work with as they only need soap and water for cleanup; just make sure you clean your brush once you're done as the size will harden and will require acetone to remove the dried adhesive. One of the benefits of the acrylic emulsions is that once it's applied to a surface it will come to the proper tack in about 15 minutes and remain properly open to gild for about 36 hours. The drawback is that it never seems to quite dry. A clearcoat after 24 hours can help protect the gilding from this effect.

 

Acrylic emulsions have a brighter appearance than oil size but do not have the brilliancy that you can only get from traditional water gilding nor does it share its almost magical tone and glow. As for which size to use, oil or water based, it's important to know that most any high quality project which is not water gilded uses an oil size. That said, acrylic emulsions can provide a gilding option that is both quick and much easier for the beginner.

 

Q. Can oil gilding be given two layers of gold leaf?

A. Yes, oil gilding can be double gilded. The initial oil size should be allowed to dry 24 hours before re-sizing and re-gilding. However, this shouldn't be necessary if the first gilded layer was done properly. If spots were missed or the size was painted on too thinly in spots, then a certain amount of spot gilding can be done, applying size only to those areas where leaf is missing, and then when it dries to a tack, apply small amounts of leaf to fill the holidays (breaks in the gold).

 

Conversely, traditional water gilding may be double-gilded for a more solid gild and stronger depth of gold tonal quality or to simply efficiently cover areas that may have been missed in the initial gilding.


 Back to Top 

Recommended Reading
(Still on the recommended list!)

Seven Days in the Art World 

~ Sarah Thornton 

Take a peek on Amazon.com 

 

In her captivating 2008 book (W.W. Norton & Co., New York) Ms. Thornton takes us on a behind-the-scenes journey of the art world in ways that many of us may never get to experience.

 

Each day represents a sojourn from different vantage points of the artistry and industry of the art world, from Christie's auction house in New York and Art Basel in Switzerland to Murakami's studios in Tokyo and the Venice Biennale. An intriguing counterpoint to the medieval practice and study of the Gilder's life. (Murakami's Oval Buddah, however, an eighteen - foot-tall-self-portrait sculpture, was gilded in platinum leaf!) 

   

Back to Top 

Water_Gilding_Workshop
This Saturday!
Special 1-Day Introductory 
Glass Gilding & Oil Gilding Workshop

Saturday, June 9

6kt Verre Eglomise
 
Explore two distinct methods of gold leaf gilding: Glass Gilding, the basis for the art of Verre �glomis� as used on mirrors and decorative glass art elements, and Oil Gilding for wood, glass, metal, and stone.

This is a special hands-on workshop that will introduce you to various approaches of applying genuine 23k gold leaf to a variety of objects. All materials are provided. Come prepared to enjoy a day of experimentation and discovery!

Class Fee: 
 $125.00

The focus will be on shared class projects to learn and experiment. Includes printouts for recipes, tools, and materials   

Register for
June 9
 
Buy Now 

Class Size limited to 8 Students
~
 
   Coming...
June 22, 23, 24 
Traditional Water Gilding
3-Day Intensive
   
Weekend Workshop
Students from early Gasworks Studio II

Friday, Saturday, Sunday 

June 22, 23, 24
10 am - 5 pm 

 ~

Traditional water gilding is an ancient craft
that dates back over 4,000 years to the early Egyptians. Since then, very little about the process has changed.

This popular, three-day water gilding workshop is an intensive, hands-on class that will take you through each step of the traditional water gilding method, from preparing gesso and clay bole grounds to laying and burnishing
genuine 23k gold leaf.

A field trip to the Seattle Art Museum takes place on the third day to view the early Italian and American gilded frame collections.  
 
~
Class Fee:
 $650.00

Includes one book of gold leaf, a frame to gild and take home, all materials, recipe printouts,  use of all gilding tools, and entry to the museum. 

  Register for
June 22, 23, 24

Buy Now

Class Size limited to 8 Students

~

Location:
Charles Douglas Gilding Studio
Gasworks Gallery Building
3815 4th Avenue NE (off N. Northlake)
Seattle, WA 98105



To Register by Mail:  Click Here to download the Registration Form (PDF).   
Need to download Adobe Reader? (Click Here)


For more information visit   www.gildingstudio.com


Back Issues of
The Gilding Arts Newsletter

Available in an Online Archive 
Gilder's Pad and Tools New Member? Missed an Issue?

The Gilding Arts Newsletter periodically publishes technical information concerning the various methods of gold leaf gilding. Some of these topics are in series formats such as the current series on Traditional Water Gilding. 
As a new benefit to Newsletter Members, all Newsletters are now available online in an Archived format. Simply go to the
www.gildingstudio.com website. The Gilding Arts Newsletter can be found on the left-hand side navigation bar. The ARCHIVE Link can be found at the top of the page.  

Or, go to this Easy Link:
Gilding Arts Newsletter Archive

 Back to Top