Guillem Ramos-Poquí

STAGES OF PAINTING THE ICON OF CALVARY
London 2009

Stage 3:
THE PREPARATIN OF THE PANEL WITH RED BOLE
AND THE WATER-GILDING PROCESS



Starting to aply the first layer of bole, whilst the incising of drawing onto the panel continues

The panel, with the backgrown of the figures prepared with several layers of bole

The process of sanding down the red bole starts (and an extra layer of bole will be needed)
before the long-awaited and lenghtly water-gilding process can start, which needs to be
done to perfection, before painting can start

Water-gilding: Applying the first layer of gold leaf
Notice that the gold leaf is applied in small squares of gold, one by one

Water-gilding: Applying the first layer of gold leaf
A painstaking slow and lengthy process

Work in Progress: Unfinished first layer of gold leaf, still showing at the top
the background preparation of red bole. The layer will now be completed,
and a second layer of gold leaf will be applied over it.
20 books of gold leaf will be needed (with 25 square sheets, 8cm x 8cm, in each book)
Then the lengthy process of burnishing will proceed
This will provide the necessary gold background for painting to start

The gilding was now completed. Now, removing the gold
from the edges. First with cotton wool buds slightly
impregnated with alcohol, then with 1000 wet and dry paper,
finally very genltly with a stanley blade. This sharpens de otlines of the figures.

The gilding is now finish and the panel is ready for painting

NOW GO TO STAGE 5 -Part 1:

PAINTING STARTS Part 1: THE BACKGROUND COLOURS

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