Gilding Class Schedule and Information

Furthering Education in the Gilding Arts

Gilding In New York City 2022/2023. Book a Class!

Gilding Class Schedule 2023

Zoom! Online, In-Person, and Archive Recordings

Online Classes (Live and Recorded)

Registration is Now Open for All 2023 Classes.

Click the Links below to Sign Up or View all of the Online, In-Person, and available Archive Recordings on the Registration Page to Reserve your Space!

In-Person Gilding Classes:

New York City, 2023

Owen Sound, Ontario, 2023

Interested in Signing Up for one of the Online or In-Person Gilding Classes? Registration is Now Open for All 2023 Classes. Visit the Registration Page and Reserve your Space!

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About The Gilding Classes: What You’ll Find in This Section

Throughout this page you’ll learn some of the background of how it all began with the development of the comprehensive Gilding Classes that ar offered, how to find the gilding tools and materials you’ll need to get started, and helpful links to more indepth information about the various gilding methods, techniques, and classes to help guide you on your path of study. If you ever have any questions the best way to reach the studio is through the Contact section and I’ll get back to you usually within 24 hours and I’ll be happy to help!

At Charles Douglas Gilding Studio you’ll find both Online and In-Person classes offered with anywhere from 90 Minute Online Masterclasses on Sacred Gilding and Egg Tempera Sgraffito to 8 and 12 week courses gathering weekly for major online studies in such methods as Traditional Water Gilding for Panels for Fine Artists, Gilding for Works of Art, and Glass Gilding…An Introduction to Verre Églomisé.

Comprehensive Gilding Courses and Masterclasses

Ever wonder “How do I learn to gild?”. The Gold Leaf Gilding Classes offered through Charles Douglas Gilding Studio are designed to meet the needs of the student gilder whether you’re new to this ancient art and seeking a career in gilding or a more seasoned artisan looking for advanced training or new techniques. Or perhaps as a Fine Artist you’re looking to incorporate gilding into your own works of art or are simply interested in what has often been considered a mysterious ancient artform, generally due to closely-held secrets.

Traditional Water Gilding Class this Fall! Oct. 25-27, 2022

In-Person Gilding Classes Return to NYC and Owen Sound, Ontario for 2023!

www.gildingstudio.com

Unraveling the Mystery of Gold Leaf Gilding

This sense of secrecy is still the cultural norm in certain circles although these walls have begun to break down, at least in the United States due in large part to the Founding of The Society of Gilders in the late 1980’s by Frame Historian and Gilder William Adair of Gold Leaf Studios in Washington, D.C. and Peter Sepp at Sepp Leaf Products, Inc. in New York. In subsequent years the proliferation of the Internet has had a profound effect on the sharing of information in all areas including the ancient art of gold leaf gilding.

In-Person Gilding Classes

Many of the In-Person Workshops are held at the studio showroom at Sepp Leaf Products in New York who have been my main gold leaf supplier throughout my forty-year career as a gilder and teacher. New York City being the cultural Hub that it is ofen sells out, drawing students from across the Mainland US as well as Hawaii, Hong Kong, South Africa, Canada, and the Phillipines. It’s a wonderful place to teach and to take a class so plan ahead and register early!

Students can expect to attend the core in-person classes of the gilding methods: Traditional Water Gilding for Frames or Panels, Glass Gilding/Verre Églomisé, Gilding for Works of Art, an excellent class for Fine artists as well as those seeking to learn mordant gilding in both oil and water based sizes.

There is a certain unmistakable energy when attending an in-person art class and the gilding world is no different. We move from one step to the next but the class is organized where everyone gets a chance to take part in all of the exercises. It’s intense but manageable and students always leave with a smile. And when you’re there with your gold leaf in your pad I’m there to help when the leaf wants to blow away. So that immediate hands-on help is one of the main attractions that draw students to an in-person class. And when it’s in New York City - that’s hard to beat!

Some of those in the Decorative Arts field may recognize the name Isabel O’Neil who established a school for arts and crafts including gilding in New York City in 1955. The school continues to maintain a flow of students and classes today as The Isabel O’Neil Studio Workshop, located on the Upper Eastside of Manhattan. After meeting Beth, the studio Director, I have been teaching occasional all-day Saturday Gilding Workshops at the school since 2019 under a special studio rental agreement whenever I’m in New York. The classes often alternate between the Introduction to Glass Gilding and Verre Églomisé class and Gilding for Works of Art…A Study for Fine Artists, a class which helps pave the way for artists looking to incorporate gilding into their own works of art on canvas, paper, or panels.

While most of the published gilding classes are Online, the selection of In-Person classes have included various venues in such places as Owen Sound, Ontario at Georgian Bay Art Conservation, Artist and Craftsman in New York and San Francisco, Whidbey Island Fine Art Studio alongside friend and Egg Tempera Artist Fred Wessel, and numerous solo arrangements in Louisville, Kentucky, Seattle, and the little seaside village of Coupeville on Whidbey Island, my new studio location along the Western Coast of Washington State.

Explore a Gilding Class on Ancient Mordants: Garlic Juice, Gum Ammoniac, Propolis, Glair www.gildingstudio.com

Gilding Tools and Ancient Mordants…

Burnishers and Gum Ammoniac

Find helpful Links for hard to find specialty gilding tools on the Resources Tab!

Gilding Tools and Supplies

Sepp Leaf, wholesale supplier and importer of Fine gold leaf and supplies joins me as a Sponsor of The Gilding Arts Newsletter, dedicated in furthering education in the Gilding Arts with a newsletter reaching over a thousand members from around the world sharing in the same passion and appreciation of this beautiful ancient arform. Gilded Planet, one of the largest online suppliers of gold leaf, gilding materials, and tools also plays a large role in providing most of the items I recommend for students in their gilding practice and studies from professional gilding kits for each of the major gilding methods customized for my students to individual items from fine-tipped agate burnishers for incising water gilded panels to Kölcaustico Venetian Plaster.

Gilded Planet also distributes the Sepp Leaf Gilding Workshop brand for certain specialty items and smaller gilding kits that can be very useful for students just beginning with a limited budget.

For further information on gilding kits, specialty gilding and hard-to-find items such as Gum Ammoniac, Propolis, Gum Arabic Crystals, and Dragon’s Blood visit the website page Gilding Kits, Tools, and Resources for various links to simplfy your life.

Table Of Contents: Read the Blog Posts for More On Each Gilding Class

Black Frame: Creating The Antique Dutch Black Finish

Sgraffito

Book Edge Gilding

Gold Leaf Restoration: Ingilding, Toning, Casting

Gilding Fridays! Online

Gilding For Works Of Art

Traditional Water Gilding for Panels…Pastiglia to Sgraffito

Verre Églomisé

Mordant Gilding

Gesso

Gilding For Absolute Beginners

Gilding In Owen Sound

Antique Dutch Black Finish with Gilded 6k Edge for Picture Frames (Blog Article in Progress!)

(See the Complete listing of Gilding Classes on the Website page Book A Gilding Class ).

The Online Zoom! Gilding Class Program

The Online Zoom format for the gilding classes was developed in the Fall of 2020 in response to the Covid Pandemic. Since many aspects of our lives were put on hold and educational pursuits needed to change and adapt it seemed worthwhile to offer this method to reach those seeking help in learning gilding. Although unsure at the time of how well gilding classes would fit with this method of teaching I developed several classes that were comprised of 90 minute sessions which students would attend once a week spread out over anywhere from one to eight weeks depending on the subject.

The format of teaching gilding online proved very successful as it allows students to take the learning process at a comfortable pace, being challenged but not overwhelmed. The week between each class lesson is designed to allow the student time to practice the lesson taught in class, whether making gesso for traditional water gilding, preparing gelatin size for verre églomisé, or gilding a canvas in 23k gold leaf.

An International Online Gilding Community

In less than two years over 600 students from 23 countries have attended the online gilding classes which has now expanded to include course instruction in a wide variety of gilding methods and techniques such as Gilding…for Absolute Beginners, Pastiglia: The Art of Gilding Raised Gesso, a longer version Gilding for Works of Art, Gesso for Traditional Water Gilding, Water Gilding for Frames and Panels, Egg Tempera Sgraffito, and many others. Needless to say, the Online gilding courses are here to stay to help serve an international body of students who may otherwise be unable to study.

Oil Gilded Side Table 23k Gold Leaf

23k Gold Leafed Oil Gilded Side Table

Students who take the Gilding For Works Of Art can become acquainted with this Method of Gilding.

Online Gilding Masterclass: The Short Form

One of the truly amazing capabilities of teaching gilding online through Zoom is that I can offer a very specific, short but powerful 90 minute Masterclass on a topic such as Making Gesso Putty, an important element of gold leaf restoration, and reach students in any country around the world which has Zoom capability which includes most countries. Previously it wouldn’t be feasible to offer such a short class out of state for 90 minutes but offering such short and specific Online Masterclasses are very cost effective for everyone while Streaming directly from my island studio on Whidbey Island, WA, helping at the same time to strengthen education in the gilding arts for students throughout the United States and those in such wonderful places as Sweden, Brazil, France, and Singapore.

The Short Form Masterclasses are a good way to be introduced to gilding or to learn very specific areas of gilding that a practicing gilder can use to further his or her skills. One particular class Sacred Gilding…Gilding the Buddha allows the student to experience the Sacred history of gold leaf rooted in certain practices such as the Early Egyptian’s worship of the Sun God Ra and the highly adorned altars of the Hare Krishna Vedic community to the gilded Spires of the Tibetan Stupa and early Byzantine Iconography. I developed this class some years ago in response to the stories shared with me by people who had visited India and Indonesia where they experienced applying small pieces of gold leaf on Buddha statues. Often their first exposure to both the art and sacred practice of gilding the Gilding the Buddha class is in honor of their meaningful experiences and as a simple and meditaive way of learning to gild.

During the Sacred Gilding Masterclass students learn to gild a small Thai Buddha using a contemporary water-based acrylic emulsion as an adhesive, a form of mordant gilding, and genuine 23k gold leaf. The drying time of this emulsion is quick but retains a strong tack allowing the student sufficient time to focus on learning to handle the delicate gold leaf. The emulsion also cleans up with soap and water without the need for harsh chemicals.

Live Online Gilding Classes Are Also Recorded!

Although students are welcome to gild while watching the Live gilding demonstrations many choose to watch the recordings of the classes at a time convenient for their schedule and set that rime aside to practice, especially for those in different time zones. Each student has access to the class recordings for six months after the end of the series which can provide some welcome flexibility (12 months for the extended Traditional Water Gilded Panels…From Pastiglia to Sgraffito!)

Prospective students sometimes ask if the recordings of the classes are a good way to learn especially when they aren’t able to attend the Live class sessions due to differences in time zones or schedule conflicts. And my answer is always absolutely, yes!

First, the recordings are an exact recording of the Live class and each recording includes both the Live Gilding Instruction as well as the Question and Answer period where students are invited to participate in asking questions concerning the subject matter along with anything they wish to add related to the class topic. Secondly, the recordings can be viewed anytime and as often as the students like every day of the week for the six month period after the series ends. Each recording takes a few days to edit after each weekly class and then the links are sent to all the students. From there they remain on the Zoom platform for the duration of the six month period. If a student loses their link to the recording I easily replace it with a quick email.

The only true difference between attending the Live Online class and watch the Recordings is the participation of students in the Question and Answer periods at the end of each weekly gilding lesson. The questions that students ask, however, are often questions that many of us have when we’re learning to gild so these discussions tend to cover a lot of material that many students are curiousablut. And if there is still a question that a student who needs to fely solely on the recordings has, everyone is welcome to submit the question to me by email and I will either answer the student directly or incorporate the question into the next lesson so everyone benefits.

Online Gilding Courses: Quarterly Classes Held Weekly

The indepth long term format for the Online gilding classes comprise the majority of classes offered. Currently these include studies in the two forms of gilding: Mordant Gilding and Water Gilding. The method of gilding glass which is also used in Verre Églomisé uses either an oil size or a water-borne mordant of gelatin in water and therefore I consider it a technique of mordant gilding. Other gilding techniques such as Manuscript Illumination still use elements of Traditional Water Gilding or more recently, the use of acrylic mordants to create raised gilding which again would be a form of mordant gilding.

Recipes for preparing a gelatin Size solution for glass gilding as well as recipes for Traditional Water Gilding such as making Gesso and Clay Bole can be downloaded from the Class Materials and Recipes page for free.

Traditional Water Gilding classes held throughout the year.

Traditional Water Gilding

In-Person and Online Classes Now Available for Registration!

Traditional Water Gilding Classes

Traditional Water Gilding is the most ancient of gilding methods. It is used to create a brilliant appearance on frames, furniture, architectural objects, statuary, and any other object in raw wood or plaster. The class titled simply Traditional Water Gilding provides the student with a solid foundation in learning this technique. There is also a separate focused class in water gilding for Fine artists called Traditional Water Gilding for Panels. It is designed for students interested in the style of gilded and egg tempera painted panels as done in 13th - 18thc Florentine panel paintings as well as the student of Iconography.

Each of the water gilding classes takes the student through an 8 week program meeting online once a week as we go through each step of the traditional water gilding method. The water gilded panels class is different from the water gilding class for frames and furniture in a few ways. One is that we use fabric in water gilding applied directly over the entire panel to reinforce gesso and use pointed burnishers and a compass for incising lines in the finished gilding while also adding punchwork to the panel, both processes known as Granito. The essential process, however, of making gesso and clay bole are the same. We also explore Spot Gilding as well as the concepts and methods of single and double gilding in both classes to address any unwanted imperfections in the initial gilding of an object.

Traditional Water Gilding For Panels…From Pastiglia To Sgraffito

Two other techniques used in gilding known as Pastiglia (Raised Gesso) and Sgraffito (traditional egg tempera over burnished gilding with designs etched through the tempera paint revealing the gold) are offered both as separate 2-3 session Masterclasses for students already familiar with water gilding and also included as part of a new 12-week course for those who wish to learn it all: Traditional Water Gilding for Panels…From Pastiglia to Sgraffito!

Gilding For Works Of Art…A Study For Fine Artists

The popular Gilding For Works Of Art class is designed specifically for the Fine artist working on canvas, paper, and panels with 23k gold leaf and other precious and non-precious metal leafs. Classes are held both In-Person and Online where students focus on the Mordant Gilding method using water-based acrylic emulsion, oil size, and modern and ancient mordants from Kölner’s Miniatum Ink to Gum Ammoniac, a plant-based resin used for centuries found in Iran and Northern Africa.

Read more about this exciting class at A Gilder’s Journal: Gilding For Works Of Art Blog.

OF SPECIAL NOTE: For those who work in oils the concept of protecting gilded leaf with MSA Varnish is a sound premise. However, as it’s a removeable varnish it too needs to be protected from future removing during cleaning and therefore GAC 200 or 200/500 has been a recommendation from Golden until recently due to some evidence pointing towards cracking in the oil paints. Golden has recommended recently the addition of 5-10% addition of linseed oil to counter this possibility. Read more about this important discovery in their excellent Blog Justpaint.org

How To Make Gesso!

Gesso…an Available Archive Recording

Traditional Gesso is the Foundation for so many aspects of art, from Traditional Water Gilding of Frames, Furniture, and Architectural Detail to Egg Tempera Gilded Panel Paintings, Pastiglia, and Iconography.

…Continue Reading How To Make Gesso

Glass Gilding…an Introduction to Verre Églomisé

The art of glass gilding, sometimes referred to as Reverse Glass Gilding, an approach to gilding associated with Verre Églomisé is another beautiful form of applying thin sheets, or leaves of gold, or genuine silver to glass by way of a gelatin in a cold water solution which produces a mirror-like brilliancy in the leaf. An oil size mordant can also be used resulting in a satin toned gilding, allowing a nice contrast between the two methods when used together in alternating aspects of a design.

Any metal leaf or karat can be used in gilding glass. These include Brass or Aluminum, Genuine Silver, or any of the distinctive shades which contain genuine gold ranging from 6kt all the way through the purest Fine 24k leaf. The variances of karat between 6kt to 23.75kt contain pure gold along with any combination of other metals including Silver, Palladium, Platinum, or Copper.

The term Karat is derived from the Greek keration which was derived from the Arabic Qirat, carob pod seeds used in the Middle East and later Roman times as a measurement of gold and gemstones and the purity of gold.

Each Carob Seed equals 1 karat represented as 1/24. Therefore, Pure Gold is 24k (99.9%). 12k white gold leaf is 50% gold and 50% Silver, approximately. 6k white gold leaf is 6 parts gold (25%) and 18 parts silver (75%). 22k Gold Leaf is 22 parts gold and 2 parts other metals, often silver or copper.

Often today these additional metals are mixed with gold so a leaf containing 25% gold may have 75% of various metals used in gilding such as Palladium, Platinum, Silver, and Copper resulting in exotic shades of gold leaf sold as Moon Gold, Caplain, Rose Gold, or other alluring Trade names.

Brass Leaf, also known as Imitation Gold is sold in three different colors: #2, 2.5, and 3, each containing varying amounts of Copper, Zinc, and perhaps a little Nickel, but no genuine gold.

Read the Blog: Verre Églomisé

Gold Leaf Restoration: Mould Casting, Ingilding, Toning

Learn How To Restore Gilded Frames and Furniture!

An Introductory Course to Gold Leaf Restoration

The focus of this Gold Leaf Restoration Series: Ingilding, Toning, and Casting is the repair of the gilded surface with new water gilded gold leaf inserted into areas of gilding loss and applied Toning to blend with the existing Finish. Additional attention is paid to mould casting for missing ornamentation and other areas of Restoration.

Read the Blog: Gold Leaf Restoration: Ingilding, Casting, Toning



Sgraffito

Traditional Water Gilded Panels…from Pastiglia to Sgraffito!

There are many different treatments that can be added to gilding. Sgraffito is one of my many favorites. It’s a technique that like much of gilding has a very long history. It is also used on pottery to reveal an underlying painted surface but with traditional gilding it’s the application of Egg Tempera paint over the burnished water gilded gold leaf where a design is then etched through the paint to reveal the bright gold ground.

Continue Reading

How To Gild

Book Edges

An Online Gilding Class in Four Parts.

An Introduction to the Art of Book Edge Gilding

There’s something about the simplicity of gilding book edges which draws me, the beating of the egg white to make glair, lining the book up in the Finishing Press, laying the glair along the edges, padding on the bole, polishing and burnishing, laying the gold…

Continue Reading the Blog: Book Edge Gilding

Learning Traditional Water Gilding for Plaster Casts

As hydrocal plaster can be used to create casts for replacing missing ornaments, this casting material which works in a similar manner as typical plaster though somewhat stronger can also be used in an intriguing artistic approach to learning water gilding: any object that a mould can be used to create a copy can therefore be used to create a hydrocal cast, essentially any stable solid object. And if a hydrocal cast copy can be created it can also be water gilded, therefore students may choose to learn water gilding through this method in the 8 week Course: Traditional Water Gilding for Plaster Casts. I have used this method myself for creating small water gilded ornaments that simply sit on my work desk as decorative objects. They’re lightweight, beautiful to handle, and shine in 23k gold leaf.

Antique Dutch Black Finish Online Classes Available

Antique Dutch Black Finish

A Mordant Gilded 23K Gold Leaf Gilded Inner Edge with Raw Umber Toning to blend with the Vermeer Print ‘Mistress and Maid’.

Antique Dutch Black Finish With Gilded Inner Edge

Details on this beautiful picture frame Finish popular in 17thc Holland coming soon!

Interested in learning how to create this very special Finish in its understated elegance? Sign up for this 8 session Online class Creating the Antique Dutch Black Finish beginning November 9, 2022! Live on Zoom and Recorded, Q and A during each lesson!

Gilding Kits Available for All Gilding Classes

For students looking for a gilding kit that carries all of the essential items, online retailer Gilded Planet offers the necessary gilding tools and various materials and supplies that I have helped hand-select for each of the individual gilding classes. More information is available on my website page: Gilding Tools, Kits, and Resources) which lists the various Kits available for each method of gilding and class. There is also a direct link that will take you to the proper Kit on the Gilded Planet website.

When you take a class it’s helpful for you to read the section on Kits to make sure you’re getting the right one for the type of gilding you want to do. If you’re unsure then just send me a note through the Contact section and I’ll be happy to help you.

Private Gilding Consultation

Learning to gild takes time and dedication, especially with the more labor intensive practices such as Traditional Water Gilding and Gold Leaf Restoration. But they are pursuits that can be fulfilling and an art worthy of our time.

Private one-on-one online discussions by Phone or Zoom Online are available beginning at a 1/2 hour increment for Gilding Consultation. Designed as an avenue that allows students to receive very specific guidance in addressing their questions, the program can be thought of as having one’s own Private Gilding Tutor at their disposal where I can be of help whether it’s troubleshooting handling gold leaf, making gesso, or design help in planning out a strategy for applying gold leaf on a work of art on canvas.

For those interested in Private Online Gilding Classes there is a limited number of spots available for weekly lessons at Monthly, Quarterly, and Annual rates. Visit the Private Online Tutoring page for more information and to Register for this very special program. ~