How to apply gold leaf in watercolor - Tutorial

Hi people! Today I brought a tutorial pro blog that was in my head for a long time. At Instagram, I follow many gringo artists and realized that many of them use golden leaf in the illustrations . It caught my attention because I use a very mixed technique in my paintings.

I have researched YouTube on the technique of gold leafing and I have listed all the material needed to perform it. The gold foliage was used in sculptures (gilded carving) much used in the time of the baroque , where the sculptor carved the wood and later covered the piece with gold films. It was widely used inside churches in altars and ornamental pieces .

For this tutorial you will need: mordant varnish, gold leaves, and some other varnish to finish the illustration , as the gilding can oxidize with time and the varnish will preserve its work. In my case, I bought a varnish for the Talens watercolor. Another observation: I used imitation gold leaves because the originals are very expensive. The effect is basically the same. The 14 × 14 cm 25-note pad yields a lot since I use it only in detail in the paintings. The links where I bought the material are at the end of the post.

So I first completed my painting (it is an illustration for my constellation series, Cassiopeia) and left blank the space where I would like to apply the film. The mordant varnish, if applied over the paint, clears the watercolor, so it is important to leave unpainted spaces where you want to apply it .

Application

With a thin brush, apply the varnish to the desired area . To do this, separate a brush just to use with it , as the bristles stick together over time.The mordant varnish has a very liquid consistency, so I usually put a little of it in the cap to help the application.

For the application of the sheets, close the windows where you are, as a slight wind doubles the entire sheet. They are very thin and rip easily . As they stick to anything that has a trace of fat, apply talcum powder at your fingertips to make it easier to handle - but since there was no talc here at home and I was too lazy to go out and buy it, I was in the same race. I scraped the small pieces with the scissors and waited for the glue point of the varnish (while you cut the pieces you want to use, the varnish is sticky and ready to receive the sheet, which takes only a few minutes).

With a soft brush, attach the leaves to the varnish and then gently rub the brush across the area. The parts of the sheet that have not been glued detach, leaving only the shape of the drawing . Apply the varnish to the watercolor, thus finalizing the process. As with the handling of the mordant varnish, the watercolor varnish requires a brush only for the applique because the bristles become hard after use.

The final result of the application is this below. I hope you enjoyed the tutorial! Any questions leave in the comments that I will answer :)