Sgraffito gilding.

Advent gilding day 22. Sgraffito is painting over burnished water gilding then scratching a pattern through the paint to reveal the gold underneath. Christmas tree decoration.
Casein paint. Gliding water, 4 parts water, 1 part isopropanol alcohol, a pinch of 12-1 rabbit skin glue.

#Sgraffito #ChristmasTreeDecoration #gilding #WaterGilding #goldleaf #Advent2025 #adventday22 #Christmas2025 #ruthtappin #goldinmycoffee

[saras]

I’m amazed by the complexity of all of these, as well as the wide range of techniques. They’re so fascinating to me I can’t help but watch them multiple times.

[morganv]

You can mix a little dishwashing soap into the kasein paint so it won't get flaky.

[LITTLEsquirrelz]

✨✨✨Thank you so much for these video gifts! ✨✨✨
I look forward to each one! Thanks for making my mornings more beautiful & fun!

[lizsposato]

Another beautiful piece! ❤
ps was wondering yesterday whether gesso may have to be warmed up before being used and you confirmed it today. Thank you!! 😊

[mcQ]

Excelents videos to take your time and make them seems so easy , great direct explanations I can imagine behind camera massive preparation , Thank You Ruth

[jimh]

Amazing work and beautiful. Thank you

[mikenative]

This came out really nicely. Your videos have got me tempted to try gilding.

Was debating trying on a small Möbius strip sculpture I 3D printed. Normally I just coat prints with a bit of wax (to hide the layer lines) and then use them to lost wax cast in bronze. Gilding seems like it might be an interesting little project so thanks for the inspirational videos.

[paulbouchard]

So great to see how this was done! The Frame Blog has a post about reframing National Gallery pictures and the second example has beautiful sgraffito lettering. I guess the paint eventually dried hard enough that they didn’t need a protective top coat?

[hilarywhite]

I've found a porcupine quill works wonderfully. There's a blunt end for larger bits and a fine point on the other end. The hardness is just right, since porcupine quills are made of the same stuff your fingernails are.

[paulmaryon]

That is beautiful, what was the paint you used? Particularly the colour, such a stunning blue. Thank you for all your hard work and time on posting these wonderful videos.

[charlottewalker]

My favourite piece ❤ I'm I dont have a I do work at a vet clinic & we do 10-20 dental surgeries a week....🤣

[Starlightv]

Beautiful work and a mirror finish on the gilding! Is there any way to seal or protect the finished work? I'm concerned that any future accidental scratches may affect the surface.

[adayapilo]

Dear Ruth I love your art
, I wonder if when you finish it, you cover it with wax or any other thing, that will protect it .
Is the milk color is not in any danger of easy scach ? or broken color with the passage of time ?
I see the gold rooster you made for the church. and I wonder if the gold don't nead somthing to protect him ?

[paintstorm]

Is the Italian color a mixture of yellow and red bole or is there more to it?

[scottjackson]

I know it's sacrilegious to ask, but can the base be imitation (metallic) leaf, or does it have to be real gold, so you can burnish it?

[NadineDaudet]

Hello Ruth, I have been gilding for nearly 15 years. A few months ago I discovered the sgraffito and since I've been trying and trying but the result is not conclusive. Can you tell me what kind of paint you put on your gold (I don't understand the name of it in your video)? I tried with orange bole, with black bole, but cannot remove it with a wood stick (the wood polishes the bole instead of removing it) and using a metal tool is worse, it removes the gold and it's awful ! I seems to work better with gouache, but it is not as nice as what you show here. That would help me a lot if you tell Thank you in advance and have a good day. Nadine (from France)

[michaelflint]

On the first application of leaf you had a lot of gold hanging over the edge of your tip?. Not how you normally work?

[SLF]

can egg tempra be used instead of casein paint and achieve the same result ?

[violent_world]

is there other paint you can use than Casein ? ...