Using my regular mixture of bole and rabbit hide glue, I’ve applied the clay undercoat for the gold. Again, because of their small size I had to rethink how to prep with these diminished shapes.
After the bole has dried, I do a fine sanding to make sure that everything is perfectly smooth. But, because the pieces are so small I put the sandpaper flat on the table and then brushed the tiny panels over the surface. The first time I tried this, I must not have had the panel level because I took off an entire side of bole! I reapplied the clay-bole and, once it was ready, I gentle glided the miniature panels over the 600 grit paper. This worked well, but I didn’t go any further with the sandpaper, instead I used steel wool to finish the work.
Now I’ll let them completely dry over night and tommorow I can gild – Deo volente.
