Red Fox, goldleaf and egg tempera

Red Fox, Egg tempera painting with goldleaf background.

5 x 7 on board

This painting of a red fox is done with techniques used in the creation of Italian Renaissance Altar pieces and Orthodox Icons. Trying to capture an accurate photo seems almost impossible, so I tried taking a number images but to me the beauty of the actual piece is still elusive. 

Scroll down to follow the ancient processes of creating this painting.

Red Fox

5x7 Egg tempera and goldleaf on panel

SOLD

Steps to create gold leaf and egg tempera painting

Starting with hardboard (Masonite) panels. These replace the wood panels used in the past. No problems with cracking. First they are sealed front and back with a hot gelatin size (really a thin glue)

After the sealer has thoroughly dried the panels are coated with layers of gesso. This is not the stuff that is sold in art stores, that is essentially an acrylic paint. True gesso is a mixture of chalk and glue. The glue, in this case the same gelatin mixture that was used to seal the panels is heated in a double boiler and the chalk carefully added and mixed to avoid forming lumps and air bubbles.

Multiple thin layers of warm gesso are brushed on.

These panels have seven layers built up.

After the gesso has hardened (these panels had dried for almost two weeks) the panels are polished with first a wet block of hardwood, then fine 2000grit sandpaper.

 

Using diluted India ink the image is drawn on the gessoed panel.

To prepare for the goldleaf, the areas to be gilded are covered with layers of bole, a mixture of very fine clay and yes, gelatin. It is brushed on warm and four or more layers are built up.

Once the bole has dried, the gilding can begin. An area of the bole is wetted using gilders liquor, a dilute alcohol mixture (in this case, 1/2 water and 1/2 Slivovitz brandy) The gold leaf is laid on the area of the wet bole which has be activited by the liquor.

Excess gold is carefully brushed off and the goldleaf is burnished to give it to a polished shine

Then the image is painted with egg tempera. The paint is mixed for each session using pure pigment powder, water and egg yolk. It is built up with layers of thin paint and tiny brush strokes. And next time I will take photos of the painting in progress. Here I am trying to show the look of the gold on the left hand side of the panel.