Studio Insights - September 2026
My focus for September was putting the finishing touches on this commission I’ve been working on over the last couple months. The painting deserved a special frame, and so we landed on the idea of a gold edge to give a more luxurious feel. Working with gold leaf has been on my bucket list for a while, so I was quite excited that my client trusted me to give it a go.
Gold Leaf Experiments
I started with a test on a spare frame, using different base colours behind the gold (red and black). I put down an acrylic ‘size’ which dries clear and becomes tacky after 15 minutes. Then the gold leaf was cut to size, laid down and then brushed off with a soft paintbrush.I started with a test on a spare frame, using different base colours behind the gold (red and black). I put down an acrylic ‘size’ which dries clear and becomes tacky after 15 minutes. Then the gold leaf was cut to size, laid down and then brushed off with a soft paintbrush.
I learnt a lot in this first piece. The line wasn’t very clean, and I didn’t see any difference with the base colour personally. And I had an issue with the foil cracking on the edge as I put it on.
Also nobody told me about the mess! Oh my god, it’s like working with glitter… I got flecks everywhere. It’s so thin it just sticks to anything. I tried wiping my desk with water, and it just laughed at me and stuck harder.
For the final frame, I made some changes. First I put down paper on my desk and the frame to prevent mess. I masked the whole thing and then cut a clean line with a knife. The rest of the process was the same. I missed some areas and just applied more later - it's actually quite a forgiving process. And this time I cleaned with a dry cloth, tape and blu tack.
Once it was done I rubbed it with a cloth to reveal some black underneath, giving an imperfect aged look. The final result turned out so much better than I imagined! I had so much fun with the process, even though I ended up looking a bit sparkly…
