Tutor Toni Watts
10am - 4pm
(Lunch 12.30 - 1.00pm)
This two-day workshop is designed for complete beginners and those with more experience
Workshop Details
Learn how to gild, creating a small design on paper with 23 carat gold leaf. Your finished pieces may include a single illuminated letter, a painted image with gold highlights or perhaps a delicate border created to enhance a piece of calligraphy. On the first day we will test three different ways of applying gold leaf flat on a page, looking at the advantages and disadvantages of each method. On the second day we’ll progress to raised gilding using traditional manuscript gesso and the modern alternative. There will be the opportunity to try both transfer and loose leaf gold. The emphasis in this course is on finding gilding methods that work best for you – everybody has different preferences. Each student will choose a design to work on each day, transferring them to watercolour paper, gilding using a method of their choice and painting in watercolour or gouache. No drawing skills are necessary as there will be a wide range of images to trace, but feel free to bring your own design to work on, no larger than A6.
Skills / Techniques Covered
Materials
Materials are not included in your booking fee. Some materials will be provided by the tutor. The approximate cost of these will be £5, payable to the tutor during the workshop. The items you will need to bring with you are listed below.
Students - please bring with you:
We advise that you do not buy any materials required for a course more than two weeks in advance, because occasionally a course is cancelled due to low enrolment.
10am - 4pm
(Lunch 12.30 - 1.00pm)
This two-day workshop is designed for complete beginners and those with more experience
Workshop Details
Learn how to gild, creating a small design on paper with 23 carat gold leaf. Your finished pieces may include a single illuminated letter, a painted image with gold highlights or perhaps a delicate border created to enhance a piece of calligraphy. On the first day we will test three different ways of applying gold leaf flat on a page, looking at the advantages and disadvantages of each method. On the second day we’ll progress to raised gilding using traditional manuscript gesso and the modern alternative. There will be the opportunity to try both transfer and loose leaf gold. The emphasis in this course is on finding gilding methods that work best for you – everybody has different preferences. Each student will choose a design to work on each day, transferring them to watercolour paper, gilding using a method of their choice and painting in watercolour or gouache. No drawing skills are necessary as there will be a wide range of images to trace, but feel free to bring your own design to work on, no larger than A6.
Skills / Techniques Covered
- Tracing and transferring an image on to paper
- Applying gums, glues and gesso for the gold
- Advantages and disadvantages of loose leaf vs transfer gold
- Burnishing gold to a high shine – how to get best results
- Mixing and applying colour
- Outlining shapes
Materials
Materials are not included in your booking fee. Some materials will be provided by the tutor. The approximate cost of these will be £5, payable to the tutor during the workshop. The items you will need to bring with you are listed below.
Students - please bring with you:
- Hot pressed watercolour paper, 140lb or heavier, 4 x A6 pieces
- Brushes with good points – ideally 3/0 and 1, but bring what you have
- A 2H pencil
- An A4 sheet of tracing paper
- A selection of watercolour or gouache paints
- Kitchen towel for wiping brushes
We advise that you do not buy any materials required for a course more than two weeks in advance, because occasionally a course is cancelled due to low enrolment.