Betsy Porter
Art and Iconography
MAKING AND USING SHELL GOLD
Art and Iconography
MAKING AND USING SHELL GOLD
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SHELL GOLD ASSISTE; FINE GOLD LINES APPLIED OVER PAINT
There are several methods of applying gold leaf lines, known as "assist" or "assiste," over egg tempera paint.
Some artists use concentrated dark beer or dried garlic juice to apply a sticky coating in small areas, then adhere
gold leaf sheet or tiny pieces of gold leaf over that. I have not tried this technique, but it appears to result in a
"flaky" effect and relatively coarse lines. With shell gold assiste, you can make your lines and edges noticeably
thinner and more precise.
Shell gold, so named because it was historically made and stored in a shallow shell such as a clamshell, consists
of finely powdered gold leaf mixed with gum Arabic. It is mixed with a bit of water and applied over paint in fine
gold lines. After drying an hour or so, it can be burnished to a high sheen, using an agate stone or burnishing
tool.
It is applied in fine parallel lines, rays, and small highlights. The base color to which it is applied (usually orange or
red-orange) must be dark enough to set off the brilliance of the gold. No other highlights are used on that color.
This technique requires experience with highlighting, and is not recommended for beginners.
Shell gold was used in many historic icons, often quite extensively, and especially for the golden garments of the
Christ Child and for the gold trim on Mary’s garments. It also appears in many contemporary icons.
Although you can buy shell gold, I have not heard favorable reports of the ready-made product. You can make
your own from gold leaf and gum Arabic, although it’s a lot of work. Use 4 or 5 sheets of real gold leaf, 22K or
higher – including the leftovers from gilding. Liquid or powdered gum Arabic, commonly used with watercolors, is
available from art supply stores. You will need a shallow sauce dish with smooth rounded interior, 5 inches
diameter or smaller, preferably heavy white porcelain. Do not use a plastic dish.
Prepare yourself, because both of your hands will be covered with sticky goop for an hour. Drink your coffee,
wash up, make your phone calls, whatever you might plan for the coming hour. Assemble sauce dish, gold leaf,
gum Arabic, distilled water, and an eye dropper. Thoroughly wash and dry your hands.
Pour liquid gum Arabic the size of a dime into the sauce dish.
Add a sheet of gold leaf to the dish. Strike the gold leaf with your finger, a series of quick decisive pats, to shatter
it into tiny pieces and gradually pound it into a powder. Pat pat PAT pat pat pat pat. Do not rub the gold leaf,
which would cause it to roll up and become hard to break. Work quickly, before gum Arabic starts to dry.
When the first round of gold leaf is no longer shiny, add another sheet of gold leaf, and repeat. Repeat again, for
a total of 4-5 sheets of gold leaf. Then add leftover scraps of gold leaf. By this time, the mix will be extremely
thick, sticky, and infuriatingly hard to handle, like dry peanut butter. You may add a very small amount of liquid
gum Arabic as you work. When all gold leaf is broken up, add one drop water.
Roll and grind the mix with your finger, for at least 45 minutes. When the mix gets really dry, add a drop of
water. When adequately ground, the gold mix should develop a noticeable sheen.
Add distilled water, and wash the gold powder from your fingers and the dish into it – the gold will swirl beautifully
into the water. The gum Arabic dissolves, and the gold settles to the bottom of the dish. Cover the dish with
plastic wrap and let stand at least one hour, preferably overnight.
Next morning, carefully remove liquid, first by slow cautious pouring, then with an eye dropper. Let the remaining
liquid evaporate. There’s your shell gold! It does not look very impressive, but you have enough for one or more
icons. Store covered with plastic wrap, enclosed in a zip-lock sandwich bag.
On a copy of your drawing, plan the shapes and lines where shell gold will be applied. Paint them for practice and
to verify location. Shell gold cannot be removed without smearing.
To use shell gold, add just one drop of water, mix, and paint it on, repeating until the gold covers underlying paint.
When the gold paint gets dry, add another drop of water. Powdered metal is rough on paint brushes, so use a
dedicated brush, and rinse thoroughly.
There are several methods of applying gold leaf lines, known as "assist" or "assiste," over egg tempera paint.
Some artists use concentrated dark beer or dried garlic juice to apply a sticky coating in small areas, then adhere
gold leaf sheet or tiny pieces of gold leaf over that. I have not tried this technique, but it appears to result in a
"flaky" effect and relatively coarse lines. With shell gold assiste, you can make your lines and edges noticeably
thinner and more precise.
Shell gold, so named because it was historically made and stored in a shallow shell such as a clamshell, consists
of finely powdered gold leaf mixed with gum Arabic. It is mixed with a bit of water and applied over paint in fine
gold lines. After drying an hour or so, it can be burnished to a high sheen, using an agate stone or burnishing
tool.
It is applied in fine parallel lines, rays, and small highlights. The base color to which it is applied (usually orange or
red-orange) must be dark enough to set off the brilliance of the gold. No other highlights are used on that color.
This technique requires experience with highlighting, and is not recommended for beginners.
Shell gold was used in many historic icons, often quite extensively, and especially for the golden garments of the
Christ Child and for the gold trim on Mary’s garments. It also appears in many contemporary icons.
Although you can buy shell gold, I have not heard favorable reports of the ready-made product. You can make
your own from gold leaf and gum Arabic, although it’s a lot of work. Use 4 or 5 sheets of real gold leaf, 22K or
higher – including the leftovers from gilding. Liquid or powdered gum Arabic, commonly used with watercolors, is
available from art supply stores. You will need a shallow sauce dish with smooth rounded interior, 5 inches
diameter or smaller, preferably heavy white porcelain. Do not use a plastic dish.
Prepare yourself, because both of your hands will be covered with sticky goop for an hour. Drink your coffee,
wash up, make your phone calls, whatever you might plan for the coming hour. Assemble sauce dish, gold leaf,
gum Arabic, distilled water, and an eye dropper. Thoroughly wash and dry your hands.
Pour liquid gum Arabic the size of a dime into the sauce dish.
Add a sheet of gold leaf to the dish. Strike the gold leaf with your finger, a series of quick decisive pats, to shatter
it into tiny pieces and gradually pound it into a powder. Pat pat PAT pat pat pat pat. Do not rub the gold leaf,
which would cause it to roll up and become hard to break. Work quickly, before gum Arabic starts to dry.
When the first round of gold leaf is no longer shiny, add another sheet of gold leaf, and repeat. Repeat again, for
a total of 4-5 sheets of gold leaf. Then add leftover scraps of gold leaf. By this time, the mix will be extremely
thick, sticky, and infuriatingly hard to handle, like dry peanut butter. You may add a very small amount of liquid
gum Arabic as you work. When all gold leaf is broken up, add one drop water.
Roll and grind the mix with your finger, for at least 45 minutes. When the mix gets really dry, add a drop of
water. When adequately ground, the gold mix should develop a noticeable sheen.
Add distilled water, and wash the gold powder from your fingers and the dish into it – the gold will swirl beautifully
into the water. The gum Arabic dissolves, and the gold settles to the bottom of the dish. Cover the dish with
plastic wrap and let stand at least one hour, preferably overnight.
Next morning, carefully remove liquid, first by slow cautious pouring, then with an eye dropper. Let the remaining
liquid evaporate. There’s your shell gold! It does not look very impressive, but you have enough for one or more
icons. Store covered with plastic wrap, enclosed in a zip-lock sandwich bag.
On a copy of your drawing, plan the shapes and lines where shell gold will be applied. Paint them for practice and
to verify location. Shell gold cannot be removed without smearing.
To use shell gold, add just one drop of water, mix, and paint it on, repeating until the gold covers underlying paint.
When the gold paint gets dry, add another drop of water. Powdered metal is rough on paint brushes, so use a
dedicated brush, and rinse thoroughly.
For a particularly radiant and glowing effect, SHELL GOLD highlights
the robes of Christ Emmanuel.
Left, by Betsy Porter; Right, by Loretta Hoffmann
the robes of Christ Emmanuel.
Left, by Betsy Porter; Right, by Loretta Hoffmann
For practice or an easy non-traditional substitute assiste, use a mica pigment such as Jacquard Pearl Ex
657 Sparkle Gold, mixed with yellow ochre and egg tempera base. This is less luminous than shell gold and
cannot be burnished, but it’s still very pretty, especially for thin borders. Work carefully, because mica pigment
will smear if you try to remove it.
You can also paint radiating lines as part of the second or third highlight, using the pigment mix
recommended for that highlight, to attain some of the stylistic effect of shell gold assiste.
657 Sparkle Gold, mixed with yellow ochre and egg tempera base. This is less luminous than shell gold and
cannot be burnished, but it’s still very pretty, especially for thin borders. Work carefully, because mica pigment
will smear if you try to remove it.
You can also paint radiating lines as part of the second or third highlight, using the pigment mix
recommended for that highlight, to attain some of the stylistic effect of shell gold assiste.