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PAINTING WITH GOLD LEAF –
Lorna May Wadsworth
Reference Image
Materials
A wooden panel or canvas
Oil paints
Gold leaf (transfer type)
Gold size (adhesive)
Soft brush
Pastel or pencil
Turpentine
Palette and a variety of brushes
Cotton wool balls (optional)
Find these items at cassart.co.uk
Preparing your surface
To begin, prepare a wooden panel or canvas, ideally round to create a classic Tondo effect. Before applying gold, paint the surface with a base layer of colour. Traditionally, a warm red (bole) is used under gold, but a more modern, playful option is a fluorescent pink, which also provides a striking contrast beneath skin tones. Once the surface is fully dry, brush on a thin layer of gold size—the adhesive that will hold the leaf in place. It takes about 45 minutes to an hour to reach the perfect level of tackiness, at which point it will remain open for application for roughly three hours.
Top Tip: If you plan to do the portrait in oil paints, map out where your painting will go and leave that negative space free of adhesive. Alternatively, you could do the painting first however you would need to cover the painted areas with a protective stencil when applying the gold to stop it sticking to the oil paints.
Applying the gold leaf
For ease of use, opt for transfer gold leaf, which is attached to a tissue backing, making it easier to handle than loose leaf. Carefully place the sheet onto the tacky surface, gently pressing down with a finger to transfer the gold. When peeling away the backing, the gold should remain adhered, revealing a rich, shimmering layer. Save any small fragments to patch any missed spots later. To refine the surface, lightly brush over it with a soft brush to sweep away excess gold and soften any rough edges.
Painting the portrait
Once the gilding is complete, sketch the portrait over the gold. With the structure in place, begin blocking in shadows. Working instinctively, use broad, expressive strokes to establish form, letting the pink underpainting subtly influence the tones.
Top Tip: Use the pad of your finger to move the paint around.
Gradually build up midtones and highlights, paying attention to how the gold interacts with the surrounding colours. As the painting develops, refine key features such as the eyes, lips, and jawline, ensuring the shadows contain a balance of cool and warm tones—deep blues and greens rather than just darker variations of the skin tone.
Putting in final touches
For the final touches, save the brightest highlights for last, particularly the catchlights in the eyes, which bring the portrait to life. The beauty of gold leaf is its ever-changing quality—it shifts and glows as the light moves, adding a dynamic presence to the piece. Knowing when to stop is just as important as knowing how to start; preserving some of the freshness and looseness of brushstrokes often results in a more expressive and engaging portrait.
