Gold leaf and silver leaf art

Why is metal leaf art expensive?

Any artwork of mine which contains gold, silver, or copper leaf is very valuable.The technique I use to apply metal leaf onto canvas is a very difficult and time consuming process. It requires a lot of patience, determination, and a high level of craftsmanship. Like any other highly specialised skilled profession, the cost of the service or product is going to be expensive.The silver, the gold, or the copper leaf you see in my art may look simple, but the application technique requires a specialist skill, and this is why my art is very valuable. Remember metal leaf is not a paint substance it is pure metal which isbeaten down to paper thin sheets.

How do you apply metal leaf into your artwork?

It is not like painting where you select the area you want to paint and in a few brushstrokes it is completed. Applying metal leaf is a complicated affair, because you have to glue small pieces of metal leaf together, to construct the
whole design. Metal leaf normally comes in 14cm square paper thin sheets, and it looks abit like foil. With most of my art being quite large, I have to cut these metal leaf squares into shapes, and then glue all the metal leaf shapes
together onto the canvas to create the designs you see in my artwork. One layer is never enough so I have to apply another layer of metal leaf on top to ensure every tiny little area is covered. This process requires specialist tools and the technique is known as gilding.

Click on each photo below to reveal how your metal leaf art is created. This process applies to any of my art that consists of gold, silver, or copper leaf. Depending on the size of the artwork this process can take several days.

What is gilding?

The technique I use to apply metal leaf onto canvas is called gilding. Gilding is a skilled and labour intensive technique, and traditional gilding is the most difficult and highly regarded form of gold leafing. The process of
covering objects with thin gold leaf to replicate solid gold was used by the ancient Egyptians. It has remained virtually unchanged for hundreds of years, and is still done by hand.

Would it not be easier to paint the silver, the gold, or the copper?

That is true, but if you were to compare the finish of metallic acrylic paint to the finish of metal leaf then you would see a massive difference. The metal leaf gives you the finish of real metal whereas the metallic acrylic paint tries its best to mimic metal. Applying paint would take so much less time, but it wouldn’t give me the finish or the luxury of real metal.

Can you create art with real gold?

Yes! A pure 24 carat gold artwork can be created using any of my metal leaf designs that you see in my gallery. The price will be considerably high but you will have the luxury of genuine pure gold in your art.

What is metal leaf made from?

The metals used to create the metal leaf are an alloy of copper and zinc, and they are beaten to create very thin sheets of metal leaf. These metal sheets normally come in 3 forms of metal, and they are copper, silver, and gold.

What other things is Gold leaf used for?

Gold leaf is used for many other things like domes, statues, lettering, frames, lavish decorating, etc,. Please click on the small photos below to reveal items that have been covered with gold leaf.