Materials
- Yellow/Gold Cardstock Marker (for base drawing)
- Using a brush (recommended size will vary depending on your design)
- Size of Acrylic or Water-Based Gilding (Oil-based ink will bleed into the paper and will not work on porous surfaces.)
- Gold Leaf Metallic
- Makeup Brush (Large) (or other soft-bristle brush)
- Brush that is stiff (a ordinary brush that has been stiffened with glue works excellent!)
Steps
1. Begin by creating the design you want on cardstock using a yellow or gold marker. Essentially, you want to make sure that the marker colour does not show through the gold leaf. You can also download the "Stay Golden" design that we're using in this lesson by clicking the button below.
2. Apply acrylic or water-based gilding size to your drawing. Take your time here: the size needs to'set,' which normally takes approximately 15-20 minutes. You don't have to race against the time! Take your time to ensure that you are painting over your original pattern precisely so that the gold leaf looks lovely and clean.
3. Allow the gilding size to dry. Although it may appear counter-intuitive, gold leaf adheres best on a somewhat sticky surface, which occurs naturally with the gilding size after approximately 15-20 minutes.
4. Once the gilding size is tacky (but not wet), put a piece of gold leaf over the top of the pattern with care. If your design is complex, you may need to print several sheets. It's a good idea to overlap them slightly so that the seams are hidden in the finished item (the gold leaf blends together fairly well). At this point, use the makeup brush to 'pat down' the gold leaf and regulate where the sheets fall.
5. Once the design has been entirely coated with flattened gold leaf, use a stiff-bristled brush to rub across the gold leaf. You may need to massage the surface for a few seconds or make several passes, but soon just the regions painted with gilding size will remain.
