Giles
de Laval
Nothing says "medieval
manuscript" quite like the gleam of gold shining on
the page. Gilding is the highwire act of the
scribe's art, the skill that can boost a scroll
from "not bad" to "wow!"
Gilding can be an
intimidating skill, and all too many scribes give
up after a few hesitant experiments. Gilding is not
as difficult as it first appears, and the results
are well worth the effort. This article is the
result of several years' experimentation with
gilding, so you'll be able to pick up in a few
minutes the tricks it took me years to
learn.
What Not To
Use
Although there are a
lot of gilding products available, not all of them
are suitable to gilding on scrolls. Avoid gold inks
and metallic textas, as they are oil based and will
damage the paper in a matter of weeks (I teamed
that the hard way). Gold paints such as Jo Sonja
are formulated primarily for use in folk art, and
aren't much good for illumination. Rub-on gold
finishes and the "Renaissance" gold foil kits are
intended for use on wood, plaster and metal, and I
really wouldn't like to chance them on
paper.
Gilding
Techniques
The products
recommended for use on SCA scrolls, on the grounds
of authenticity and durability, are gold gouache,
powdered or shell gold, and gold leaf.
There are several varieties of metallic gouache
available. For my money, Pelikan Rich Gold is best.
Windsor & Newton is rather lifeless and
difficult to apply evenly. Pelikan Pale Gold is a
bit anaemic, and Pelikan Dark Gold is too coppery
in tone. This is only a personal recommendation,
please use whatever you like best. The paint should
be diluted to a creamy consistency, and stirred
constantly to keep the gold from settling out. For
the best results, paint the area to be covered with
a thin wash, and while this is still wet, flood on
a sizeable amount of gouache. The surface tension
of the water will distribute the gold evenly, but
you might have to tease it carefully into tight
corners. When completely dry, polish it with a
dog-tooth burnisher, using a circular motion and
very gentle pressure. This will smooth down the
gouache and give it a nice sheen.
Powdered gold is sold in small quantities, and must
be combined with gum arabic and diluted with
distilled water before use. It can also be bought
ready combined in small dried tablets, which is
called shell gold. Powdered / shell gold is applied
with a brush like ordinary paint, and when dry has
a finely grained, quite dull finish. It can be
brightened up quite a lot with burnishing, but is
can never quite equal the brilliance of
leaf.
Since well applied
gold gouache looks very like shell gold (at a
fraction of the cost and bother), I tend to stick
to that for scrolls, especially for illuminating AA
blanks.
There are two types of
gold leaf: transfer gold and loose gold. Loose gold
is sold in books of 25 loose leaves, each
sandwiched between sheets of backing paper. Loose
gold is extremely thin and requires the most
delicate handling. It can blow away very easily,
and it disintegrates at a careless touch. I prefer
to use transfer gold, which comes in single sheets
affixed to a backing sheet, just like a transfer.
It is cheaper than loose gold, much easier to
handle, and there is less wastage.
Both types of leaf
must be stuck down with an adhesive. Traditional
size is made with gum ammoniac crystals, which have
to be soaked in warm water overnight and strained
through nylon stockings. It can also be bought
ready made. I'm not very keen on gum ammoniac, as
it is relatively expensive, smelly and can only be
used for flat gilding.
The most commonly used adhesive in period was
gesso, a mixture of plaster, white lead, fish glue
and sugar. Gesso is sold ready made in liquid or
solid form Gesso forms a raised "cushion", which
lets the gold catch and reflect light from all
directions. Using gesso is an art in itself, and
one which can be tricky and laborious: nonetheless,
it is well worth pursuing. Gesso has to be handled
carefully at every stage, and although it the most
authentic technique and unquestionably gives the
most superior results, I find it's often too much
hard work for my taste.
Minimum Effort,
Maximum Effect
The most effective and
painless gilding technique I've found uses transfer
gold and PVA glue. That's right, good old-fashioned
Aquadhere, that you can get at any hardware store.
It is flexible, durable, chemically inert, and can
be used for flat or raised gilding with a minimum
of effort That's more like it.
To use PVA, place a
small amount in a saucer and add a couple of
brushfuls of water, enough to slightly reduce its
viscosity, but not enough to make it runny. The
more dilute the mixture is, the flatter the gold
will lie. You want it thick enough to form a
cushion, but just thin enough to get in to the
corners. You'll get a feel for this very quickly.
It's also a good idea to add a little gouache
(usually red) so you can see the glue on the page
when it dries. Mix water and colour in gently and
slowly, or else you'll get bubbles (if you do,
prick them with a pin to ensure a smooth surface on
the cushion). Flood the area to be gilded with the
glue, teasing it into the corners and glopping it
on until it forms a raised cushion.
Once this is
completely dry (there are no "cloudy" spots left),
you must "re-activate" the glue by breathing on it.
Put your mouth as close to the paper as you can
without actually touching it, and exhale deeply
several times on the glue. Try not to think about
how stupid this looks. Breathe from your belly and
keep your mouth wide, to get the maximum amount of
moisture from your lungs onto the glue. Then,
quickly place the transfer gold face down on the
area and press firmly. The gold will stick only
where the glue is, so there will be little or no
wastage.
If there is excess
flick it away with a soft, dry brush and polish the
gold either with a dog tooth burnisher, or rub
briskly with the pad of a clean, dry finger. This
will remove any excess and burnish the gold, and
the pad of a finger has enough give not to dent the
glue underneath. The gold has a smooth, brilliant
finish, as if it had been melted on to the
page.
With only a small
amount of practise, you should be able to lay gold
fairly quickly and easily. I find this method works
best for me, but please, experiment and practice
for yourself. You may well find a technique that
works better for you, and you should always strive
for better results and greater accuracy. Whichever
way, gilding will enhance the look of your work
immensely, and make the scrolls you create
treasures indeed.
Note from
Yseult: a haematite pebble from a New Age
shop works well as a burnisher, too. I also find
that having a cup of hot chocolate or coffee handy
helps keep my mouth moist if I'm doing a lot of
gilding in one go.
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