Welcome to Watergild Studios!


The Internet’s premier online gilding tuition workshop. This site has been specifically created to teach and encourage the fine art of gilding, for participants of all levels. With the art of gilding entering an international decline, there has never been a better time to develop this prestigious skill, whether as a hobby, occasional side-line or a full-fledged business.

So, let me introduce myself. My name is Richard and I live and work near the historic City of Portsmouth, situated on the south coast of England. I studied gilding at the University of Portsmouth and have now been gilding for nearly twenty years. It was whilst studying this ancient craft that I discovered that there wasn’t a lot of easy to follow information or guides on the process of gilding found on the internet and so it is now my passion to bring gilding to everyone! Oh, and virtually all pictures can be enlarged for detail. Just click on them!

So lets start at the beginning, because that’s always a great place to start. The aim of this website is to give you the full gilding experience and provide you with the resources needed to start with some basic gilding tasks and then lead you into the full gilding experience. However, a note of caution. Gilding can be a very tricky business to learn from a book or website, so I am keeping it as simple and easy to follow as possible.

Above, you will find the main menu. This will take you to all the main areas found within this site. This menu is always available so you don’t get lost. If you are new here, I suggest you start at GILDING BASICS.

THE BASICS

If you are new to gilding, take a look at what gilding is about. Here you will find the history of gilding, how gold-leaf is produced and what it means today. Here you will also find an overview of what types of tools are needed and tips on handling the gold-leaf and other metals.

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OIL GILDING

Here I give an overview of the oil-based method of gold application. It covers areas such as preparation, oil-sizing, patterning, transfer and other interesting areas. This section has a few small projects gilding a small metal object in gold-leaf and a wooden horse head that’s gilded in copper and aged to Verdi-Gris.

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GLASS GILDING

Known as Verre Eglomise, this area will teach you the basics of how to apply leaf to glass. Used in sign-writing and artistic quarters, this is a tricky yet very fun skill to master. Skillwise, this is in between oil gilding and water gilding and so is also a great stepping stone to the next level.

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WATER GILDING

Undoubtably the king of gilding, here you will learn about the finest style of gilding. How to make up the various recipes needed, and instruction on applying gesso, bole and the gold-leaf to a variety of surfaces. This section covers the basics of producing water gilded objects.

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CLASSES

If you are new to gilding, take a look at what gilding is about. Here you will find the history of gilding, how gold-leaf is produced and what it means today. Here you will also find an overview of what types of tools are needed and tips on handling the gold-leaf and other metals.

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GILDING SUPPLIES

One of the main things I am asked by fellow enthusiasts is where I buy my supplies from. I've purchased from several places and without a doubt the best place, with the finest customer service are these guys. Deliveries are usually received the next day and the pricing is excellent.

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NEXT: Gilding Basics