Everybody knows, gold on handmade paper is stunning! There are a few ways to do this. In this tutorial we will explore using gold leaf sheets and glue.
I always use the Glim metal sheets and glue (not advertorial) it just works really well with our handmade paper. These are the materials you need. Handmade paper :-), Metal leaf glue and metal leave in the color of your choice. a pencil and eraser. You will need a dish to put the glue in. A slim brush to apply the glue and a thick brush to get rid of the extra gold metal when applied. Optional: a glass of wine on the side.
There are a few ways to go about it.
1 freestyle
Just pick up your sheet of paper and start, I thought I would make a nice and swirly abstract form. I've put the glue in the dish and dip the small paintbrush in it and start painting a swirl. Remember, wherever you put glue the gold will stick too.
Then cover it with (rose) gold leaf and make sure the gold leaf presses down on the paper in the right way.
Now just set it away for about 10 minutes before you take the gold off so it can dry. After 10 minutes, take the large brush and brush the extra leaf away
Not bad for my first time free styling gold leaf on handmade paper!
2 Draw or print lines
One thing that can be helpful is drawing or printing the lines you want to be gold leaf on your final piece. In this case, I drew an eye on the paper, traced it with glue on the brush and then repeated the steps written above. In this case I noticed that when you apply the glue too thick it will push to the side when you apply the gold leaf. Next time I would apply much thinner!
Not completely satisfied, as you can see I applied the glue too thick where the lashes touches the eye.
3 fill-in complete shapes
Again, it can be useful to print or draw the shape that you would like on the paper and then trace it with glue. In this case I used the base of my wine glass to create a round shape.
When you trace the shape, make sure you glue just over the edge of the drawn or printed shape so it does not appear just outside of the gold foil when you are done.
Then apply the gold
Let it sit for about 10 min and then brush the extra gold leaf away, lovely!
I hope this was useful, let me know in the comments. Also post any further questions in the comments or share your creating with us!
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