Get your Gold ON! Frame Gilding

Service Description

This course includes a precious materials bundle worth £120 we provide for you to keep, as well as a handmade frame worth £70 In this two day course you will have the opportunity to learn traditional water gilding skills. You will be taught how to make your own gesso and clay bole and most importantly, how to handle loose gold. Given time, students can also have a go at oil gilding samples before going home. You will be provided with a beautiful handmade frame, ready prepped for you to work on and take home. By the end of the course you will have gilded your own frame in 24ct gold and learn how to burnish and tone the gold. Jeni is a gilder and framer based in the East Neuk of Fife. Largely self taught, she has gilded everything from 16th and 19th Century frames, to console tables and home light fixings. All made to tone in with their surroundings. While she restores traditional frames, she also gilds bespoke frames for clients and enjoys experimenting with techniques to bring out the best in works. Day 1 9.30am – 12.30pm You will learn to prepare gesso and bole in order to prepare surfaces for watergilding. The class will prepare their own bole and to apply to each individual pre pre-gessoed frame. Meanwhile students will go through the process of making their own gesso to help with understanding the process. 1.30- 5/5.30pm After we come back from lunch students will be provided with some smaller ready prepared frames finished in red casein and sealed with shellac. Each student should apply 3hr oil size to these. For the next hour using fine grit sandpapers we will carefully sand the bole we applied to our frames before lunch, before polishing it to a shine. When we are quite happy with the finish we will set it aside ready for gilding tomorrow morning. Meanwhile everyone has the opportunity to test out oil gilding, using transfer gold leaf on our small frames these should be left to dry until tomorrow afternoon. Day 2 9.30am- 12.30pm After settling in and asking any questions from the day before, students will each prepare their own gilding water. When this is ready it is time to gild your frames. 1.30 – 5/ 5.30pm The frames have had 1 hour to dry. It is time to screw and burnish them. Students will have the opportunity to go round their frames again with more gold and fix any ‘misses’ or to practice some toning before the end of the day. Meanwhile we can take a damp cloth to the oil gilded pieces and seal them with shellac before finishing.