Gold leaf is one of the easiest (and one of my favourite) ways to make your textured art look more premium.
Even a simple design can feel much more finished with a few gold details.
In this post, I'll show you
- what materials you need
- how to apply gold leaf step-by-step
- how to create a textured art painting with gold leaf from start to finish
What You'll Need
In addition to the basic textured art materials, you'll need
- gold leaf sheets (imitation gold works)
- adhesive
- a soft brush
- your textured art painting
Special adhesives for gold leaf are sold separately, but I prefer using matte gel medium.
Gel medium works just as well for this, and you can use it for many other things in textured art too. That way you don't need to buy another single-purpose product.
If you are completely new to textured art, I explain all the basic materials in my Textured Art Material Guide for Beginners.
How to Use Gold Leaf
Here's how I use gold leaf in my textured artwork.
1. Apply a thin layer of matte gel medium
Use a brush to apply a thin, even layer where you want the gold leaf.
2. Let it get slightly tacky
Wait a few minutes for it to dry a little. It should be sticky but not completely wet.
3. Place the gold leaf
Carefully place the sheet, or a piece of it, on top of the adhesive. Tap it or gently press so it sticks.
Gold leaf sticks to your fingers easily. Using something like a palette knife to place it might help.
4. Wait for it to dry
Wait for the gel medium to dry and for the gold to stick to the surface.
5. Remove excess gold leaf
Using the soft brush, remove the excess pieces of gold. If there are big chunks, I collect them for later use.
Watch the Full Process
In this video I explain how I applied the gold leaf to a recent custom commissioned painting I created.
Creating Textured Art with Gold Leaf
The materials I used to create this painting:
- textuuri texture paste
- Raw Umber acrylic paint
- a palette knife
- 100x81 cm cotton canvas
- matte gel medium
- paintbrush
- gold leaf
Continue Learning
If you are interested in learning more textured art, I've put together a series of guides and tutorials. You can find all my textured art guides and tutorials from here.
If you want to recreate this style (or any of my other paintings), you can use the same materials I use.
Try the texture paste I use in my own artwork.
Ps. Make sure to leave your email below. I'm sending out free tips and practical tutorials when I have something interesting to share (so no spam).