Fun with Gold Leaf

This is a little portrait of Amber. She's pretty special. Also, gold leaf is a bear to work with. I've wanted to experiment with the stuff since learning how the old masters used it. I even went through the trouble of using birch board and applying copious layers of gesso to (try to) conceal the woodgrain. I even applied a coat of bright cadmium red to produce as authentic a substrate as possible to simulate the traditional gold technique.

Applying the leaf was a dual practice in patience and not needing to breath. But most of my readers who are experts in reattaching sun-burned skin flakes to the tender shoulder with a slow-drying glue and brush-on sealer would have little trouble mastering the art.

The unframed piece is 17x30cm oil and gold leaf on board and resides upon my desk at work. Poor-quality image was produced with uncontrolled natural light and a Casio Exilim EX-Z200.