Gilding FAQ’s

As questions come in or are asked during class I will try to add them here as we all tend to think of the same things when learning this ancient art. This section is now only beginning but it’ll grow and hopefully this will help you as you discover the beauty and magic of the Gilding Arts. ~

Questions Concerning the Gilding Classes

Q. I have never gilded before and I have no idea where to start. Can you suggest which gilding class or course I should take?

A. Realizing that we all need to start somewhere there is a brand new class designed with beginning students in mind called Gilding…for Absolute Beginners! It starts students off with a simple water based adhesive gilding project with brass leaf (aka imitation gold, Dutch metal, or composition gold) and ending with gilding with 23k gold leaf. It’s a good class that will introduce students to the various gilding methods and techniques to develop a solid foundation without being overwhelming.

Q. Is experience necessary to take a gold leafing class?

A. No, all levels are welcome and we start from the beginning in each of the classes. Many students who take the gilding classes are new to gilding. But you will still be challenged so even if you have experience there is always something new to learn.

Q. What is the concept of the Sacred Gilding Buddha classes?

A.The Sacred Gilding…Gilding the Buddha classes are meant to allow students to gain an understanding of some of the ancient Sacred roots of gilding which includes the early Egyptian’s worship of Ra , the Sun God. Gilding and Gold have always played a role in many Spiritual beliefs spanning thousands of years and so the Sacred Gilding class is in honor of that and focuses on the mordant gilding of a Tibetan Buddha statue.

We work with a water-based acrylic emulsion as it sets up quickly and remains gild-able for many hours making it the perfect Size, or adhesive, for the 90 minute gilding Masterclass. Students will work with 24k gold leaf and will be shown how to quickly gild a Buddha in a relaxing way in respect of the Sacred path that gilding occupies in history.

Q. Are the Online Zoom gilding courses recorded?

A.Yes, every Online gilding class is both Live on Zoom and recorded which is helpful when there are different time zones or if students miss a class. Plus the recordings remain on Zoom for six (6) months after the class series ends.

Q. I am in the UK. Can I still take on Online gilding course? I am very interested in knowing how to gold leaf.

A.Yes, you are very welcome to join us! Students can take any of the Online gilding courses and gilding Masterclasses where Zoom is available which includes most countries. Since the classes are recorded as well as being Live it helps with the timezone difference (there are some dedicated night owls too!:)) since the Fall of 2019 Charles Douglas Gilding Studio has taught gilding Online to over 500 students from 22 countries. It’s an exciting way to gather as an international gilding community!

Q. Will the Online Zoom gilding courses continue after the pandemic?

A. Yes, the Online Zoom format has proven to be a very successful method of teaching gilding, partly because students who ordinarily couldn’t make it to a distant location to study gilding in-person can now learn from a wide variety of gilding methods that are offered. The classes are also designed to take a step at a time so students can absorb the material without being overwhelmed. In-person classes will always continue in such cities as New York and in the Seattle area in the US (and hopefully in Europe and the UK when possible!).

Q. Is water gilding different from using water based adhesive?

A.Yes, it’s very different. Traditional Water Gilding uses rabbit skin glue as a binder and is a complex but beautiful form of gilding wood as well as plaster. It requires making and applying many layers of gesso made from rsg, water, and either calcium carbonate or sulphate. A preparation of Clay bole is then applied over the gesso as a cushion for the gold leaf and to provide color that informs the tonal quality of the somewhat transparent gold or silver leaf. Water and a little alcohol is used to rehydrate the glue in the bole to adhere the gold leaf which can then be burnished to a brilliant lustre once the clay bole has dried.

The water based adhesive is an acrylic emulsion sold under a variety of brand names and considered a form of Mordant Gilding. It’s applied to a prepared non-porous ground and once it’s dried to a tack the leaf is applied, sticking to the slightly tacky surface. It’s similar to Oil Gilding which is also a form of mordant gilding although with different working properties. For a detailed summary of traditional water gilding and mordant gilding you can refer to the Gilding Narrative section of this website.

Q. I would like to learn how to gild wood. Which gilding class or method of gilding do I need to learn?

A. Great question! Wood can be gilded using either the traditional water gilding or mordant gilding methods. If you visit the Gilding Narrative section of this website as mentioned above it will walk you through the differences between the two methods. Essentially, water gilding will give you a beautiful and very bright gild which can also be rubbed, toned, and antiqued which can greatly reduce the brilliancy if you wish. Mordant gilding, also beautiful in its own way is less complex and cannot be burnished with an agate burnisher but it’s suitable for both interior and exterior work. Both water gilding and mordant gilding can be used to gild wood. They can also be used to gild plaster as well.

Q. I am new to Zoom and Online classes, how does it all work?

A. The Online gilding classes are held on the Zoom platform. When you sign up for a gilding course on the gildingstudio.com website you’ll receive a Confirmation of your class with a link for a gilding materials list. A few days before your class you’ll receive a link by email which when clicked will take you directly to your Zoom class. You’ll first enter a ‘Waiting Room’ until verified as a student (a security measure for everyone so only students attend your gilding class) and that’s it!

You will also recive a link within a week after each class which will provide you access to the recording of your Live class which you can watch for six months after your gilding course or Masterclass series ends. If you would like to read more about the Online gilding classes and the step-by-step Zoom process you can read about it on my external Blog A Gilder’s Journal.

…To be Continued!

General Gilding Questions

Q. What is the difference between Gilding and Gold Leafing?
A. These terms are often used interchangeably although gold leafing relates specifically to gold. Gilding is the application of a metal to another surface which we refer to as gilded wood or gilded glass, also known as verre églomisé. Although we often equate gilding with gold leaf you can also gild with many different metals such as silver, copper, palladium, aluminum, brass.

There are many leafs made today that are an amalgamation of some of these, such as Moon Gold, a combination of gold, palladium, and silver. So gold leafing is gilding with gold leaf while the singular term gilding can include using gold or any of the other available metals in leaf form.

Q. Can Plaster be gilded?

A. Yes, it can! Plaster can be either mordant gilded with oil size or acrylic emulsion (aka water based adhesive) or gilded using the Traditional Water Gilding method. I suggest the use of Hydrocal which is a plaster-containing gypsum material and a little stronger than contemporary Plaster of Paris although either can be used.

There is a new class currently offered through Charles Douglas Gilding Studio called The Art of Traditional Water Gilding: Gilding Plaster Casts which takes students through each step of the process from creating a mould and cast through preparing the water gilded ground and gilding in 23k gold leaf. It’s an eight week class where students meet Online for eight weeks specifically to learn how to water gild plaster. Classes are all Live and Recorded for later viewing.

Q. How do you gild with Copper Leaf?

A. Gilding with Copper Leaf involves the same methods of gilding as Brass leaf (imitation/composition gold, Dutch metal leaf) or Aluminum leaf: mordant gilding with oil size or acrylic emulsion which is sold as water based adhesive) or a gelatin solution an an additional option for glass gilding. A detailed explanation on Mordant Gilding can be found in the Gilding Narrative section of this website.

Q. What is Ilinocopia?

A.Ilinocopia is garlic juice which was used in the gilding of Romanian Iconography, manuscript illumination and objects where a stationary mordant was needed to adhere gold leaf. The bulbs of garlic are crushed with a mortar and pestle and then strained through a nylon stocking. It can be applied to a surface, two layers if the surface is absorbent, and then the leaf is either applied while the garlic is still slightly moist or it may be left to dry and then reactivated by breathing on it. Diaphragmatic breath through a bamboo reed works very well as as the bamboo absorbs the some of the moisture of your breath during the process keeping the surface clean. The gold leaf is then applied to the garlic made slightly tacky from this breathing technique.

Garlic juice is very hygroscopic, meaning it attracts moisture in the air easily making it a good mordant to consider where gilding an area without the gold sticking to surrounding areas is important. Certain recipes call for the addition of a little bole for added color and a small amount of gum ammoniac, another plant-based water-soluble resin, can be added to the garlic juice to enhance its adhesive strength.

A three-day Masterclass is occasionally offered through this website for those interested in the fascinating realm of ancient mordants.

Q. What is the diffference between water gilding wood and water gilding glass?

A.Traditional Water Gilding is the term used for applying gold leaf to wood and burnishing the gold leaf with an agate stone Burnisher to make the gold shine. While some people do refer to the process of gilding class water gilding, an aqueous form of gilding which uses a dissolved solution of gelatin in water, I prefer to call it simply Glass Gilding or Verre Églomisé, named afte the 18thc French Deaigner Jean Baptiste-Glomy, to avoid confusion with the very complex form of Water Gilding for wood.

Q. To be continued…