Step-by-step: From pencils to ink and then adding gold

1 Sketching and Pencils

I always try to work on an idea as a rough sketch first. This gives me the opportunity to play around with what’s in my head and start to flesh out my thoughts before committing to what would become the final artwork. Once I’m happy with the sketch – usually done in my sketchbook – I pick the surface I’m going to work on and create a fairly neat pencil version.

2 time to add Gold

Working with gold leaf is quite a tricky proposition. It sticks to the slightest bit of moisture and will tear if you so much as breathe on it. I use tweezers when adding gold sheets to my artwork and pat it down using a dry toilet roll to ensure that it’s stuck to the glue evenly. This part of the process has evolved over time, with me making a few mistakes along the way – as you can imagine!

3 Gold Brushing

It’s vital to allow the glue to dry properly. I usually wait about an hour before brushing off any gold because if the glue hasn’t dried the gold will tear and leave dull glue marks all over it. I use a fairly old brush for this, something with hard bristles to clean away any unwanted gold. At this point you can be quite rough with it. Anything that’s been glued down won’t be going anywhere.