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The Golden Marble – More Gold and Silver Leaf

Posted on September 17, 2023 | Comments Off

The Golden Marble, acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24. 23K gold leaf and sterling silver leaf. Kit Miracle

This is another painting in the gold and silver leaf series that I’ve been exploring. At 30 x 24, it’s the largest one so far. I also completed this one before Leo’s Muse which I posted last week.

The subject is a young boy who has been playing dress-up with his sister. In a spirit of silliness, she has adorned him with ribbons and hair clips. His smile engages the viewer as he shows off The Golden Marble which is a prized possession.

Although I usually plan my paintings very carefully, I’ll admit that I really wasn’t sure where I was going with this one. I liked the subject. I knew that I wanted some gold and silver. Other than that….well…

A preliminary sketch of the subject of The Golden Marble

As usual, I did some preliminary drawings of the child. These are just to familiarize myself with the subject. I then sketched him on the canvas, a straight-on shot. Then I began playing with background colors. I elected to use some very bright and warm colors, radiating out of the figure.

Initial lay-in of colors. I did the background warm/hot colors first. The began a grisaille of the figure.

I then painted the figure in grisaille, those greyish tones. Later working overall with adding some detail to the background. More paint on the primary figure. Although I had some reference photos to work from, this doesn’t really represent the situation. I painted very loosely, adding more to both the figure and the background until I was satisfied.

The figure is pretty complete. I decided to add a carpet to part of the floor, leaving the rest as hinting at wood flooring.

Because the canvas is so large, I had to place it on the floor of my studio to work on adding the gold leaf. Again, no fans or air conditioning blowing as the metal leaf is so fragile and blows everywhere. It was pretty challenging to decide where I wanted to place the metal leaf, plus I kept switching back and forth during the process. Sometimes the gold would be on top; other times the silver would be. The fixative is clear so I had to carefully judge where I wanted to place it, and estimate the right amount of tackiness for the metal leaf to stick. Overall, I’m pretty pleased with the result.

The Golden Marble, detail 1. I left plenty of the warm background colors show through. As you can see, I alternated placing the gold leaf on top of the silver, and the silver on top of the gold. Abstract shapes alternate with more organic circle or bubble shapes. No real planning, just in the flow.

The Golden Marble – detail 2 showing the texture of the canvas and close-ups of the hair decorations

The final steps were to go back and touch up the figure here and there. I have learned that it’s difficult to touch up or make changes in the gold and silver leaf as it just doesn’t look the same as when first applied. I may find some way to eventually meet this challenge, but haven’t yet.

The very final step is to spray a protective coat of clear acrylic over the entire painting. This keeps the silver leaf from tarnishing and the gold leaf from flaking off.

Overall, it’s a very striking piece. I want to explore my next subject in this medium.

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Posted in art, contemporary impressionism, painting instruction, portrait

Tagged acrylic, art, contemporary impressionist, gold leaf, kit miracle, painting instruction, silver leaf

Adding pizazz to a painting with gold and silver leaf

Posted on September 10, 2023 | 1 comment

Leo’s Muse, final, acrylic on canvas, 23K gold leaf, sterling silver leaf, 16 x 16, Kit Miracle

For the past several months, I’ve been experimenting with adding gold and silver leaf to some of my paintings. I don’t know why I decided that this was a path for me, but as with most artists, we get inspired with new ideas and techniques. I posted on here earlier about some glam cat paintings and some others, but the most recent sparkly paintings have been both challenging and rewarding.

Leo’s Muse, several sample preliminary sketches

In Leo’s Muse, I began with some ideas rolling around. I took a few dozen photos of my model in different lighting and poses. Then began the difficult part of winnowing down all my options to a few good poses. It may seem like an unnecessary step, but I have found that it helps to do a number of sketches even before I get to the final idea. This allows me to familiarize myself with the model and the lighting until I reach my final idea.

I then sketched the outline of the pose on a prepared canvas (gesso and a couple of coats of acrylic paint.) Then I basically start…somewhere. For a portrait, it will be with the head or body. Then I lay in some loose background colors. In this particular painting, I painted the flesh in grisaille (grey undertones) before I began adding color to the face. After I have the basic face laid in, I just keep working on the painting as I would a normal painting until I reach a point where I am satisfied.

Leo’s Muse, adding more color, grisaille grey under tones on canvas

Another challenge with this painting is the added wreath of flowers. That is entirely imaginary as I didn’t really think of it while I was planning the painting. That is often the way of the creative process. Surprises pop up.

Leo’s Muse, nearly finished. Last step before gold and silver leaf is added

The canvas is two inches deep so the painting is carried around the sides.

After letting the painting dry for awhile, I then began to add the gold and silver leaf. I was a bit conflicted about this step as I really liked the painting without the added touch. But the design in my head called for it so, what the heck? I took the leap.

If you have never used gold or silver leaf, let me tell you, it is challenging. This is not a paint but actual sheets of real 23K gold and real sterling silver which have to be applied to the painting. The sheets of precious metal are so thin (.003 microns, whatever that is), that I can’t have a breath of air in the studio. No fan. No air conditioner. Hold my own breath while I’m applying the metal. And the little flakes get everywhere! On me, my clothes, other parts of the painting, all around my studio.

A fixative must first be applied to the surface that you wish to apply the metal. Then you have to wait until it has the right amount of tackiness. Then gently apply the metal, transferring from the tissue paper leaves to the painting, then gently press it into the fixative, and then remove the tissue paper all the while praying that the gold will actually adhere to where you have placed it. The fixative is clear as it dries, so that’s another dimension of challenge. Where did you paint it? Ha!

After I’ve let it dry, then I can take a somewhat stiffer clean brush and brush it off the rest of the painting. More challenges with flying gold and silver flakes. If you’ve never tried this before, you might want to experiment with the fake gold until you get the hang of it. When possible, I collect the extra flakes and put them in labeled jars for use on backgrounds or other areas.

After the paintings have had time to “set”, I will spray them with a clear coat of acrylic. This prevents the sterling silver from tarnishing, and the gold from flaking more or rubbing off. Or so I am told. I haven’t used it enough to be absolutely certain but we’ll see.

By the way, the title of the painting, “Leo’s Muse” is actually short for Leonardo’s Muse. The model’s direct gaze and Mona Lisa smile of that other famous lady with the knowing look.