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Rick Glawson Commemorative Reverse Glass Sign Creation By Larry White Step 1 - Artwork Creation / Step 2 - Glass Surface Alteration / Step 3 - Rendering the Main Copy / Step 4 - Colorizing Center Panel / Step 5 - Gilding Lower Sand Carving / Step 6 - Gilding “Keeper of the Craft” Ring / Step 7 - Gilding Lions / Step 8 - Gilding Glue Chipped Scroll Work and Borders / Step 9 - Gilding Carved Text / Step 10 - Rendering the Secondary Center Panel / Step 11 - Corner Ornaments / Step 12 - Smalt Box Step 3 – Rendering the Main Copy The first step in this process was to gild the embossed letter outlines. These were water gilded with Manetti Rouge Gold. A double gild was required to completely cover the indentation of the embossing. 
Photo 8 – Gilding Embossed Outlines The gild is then burnished and backed up with Fine Gold Ochre Backup.
Photo 9 – Backed Up Embossed Outlines The excess gold was cleaned off with a razor carefully run around all the edges to maintain a sharp edge on the embossing. This cleaned any gold off the surface of the glass only leaving the gold in the depression of the embossing.
Photo 10 – The Gilded Embossed Outlines (viewed from front) Next, the scroll ornamentation outlines were painted in black.
Photo 11 – Scroll Outlines The scroll centers were then water gilded with 23K gold.
Photo 12 – Water Gilded Scroll Centers After gilding, shading was added to the gilded scrolls. This was done by carefully scratching off the gold in the desired areas. Black vinyl was put on the face of the glass over these areas, which aids in visualizing the finished shading. A very fine sharp metal compass point was used to do the scratching.
Photo 13 – Shading Added to Gilded Scrolls Upon completion of the shading, the entire scroll areas are backed up with Fine Gold black back up enamel and the excess gold removed.
Photo 14 – Completed Scroll Work
Photo 15 - Completed Scroll Work from the Front Next, the upper portions of the letters are surface gilded with 18K gold. This gild was then burnished with a velvet pad in a diagonal direction from lower left to upper right. A crosshatch pattern was then painted over the gild. The gild was then re-burnished with the velvet pad in a diagonal direction of lower right to upper left. After which the entire area was backed up.
Photo 16 – Surface Gild Hatch Pattern
Photo 17 – Surface Gild with Hatch Pattern from the Front Using one of the reverse patterns, the lower letter shapes were cut out of mother of pearl green abalone sheet.
Photo 18 – Lower Letter Shapes Cut from Abalone
Photo 19 – Abalone Adhered to Lower Letter Centers The pieces were then adhered to the glass with Frog Juice, after which the backs were surface gilded with composition aluminum leaf.
Photo 19 – Abalone Backed up with Aluminum Leaf
Photo 20 – Abalone from the Front Next, the “stop” line for the blended shade was painted.
Photo 21 – Blended Shade Stop Line Using one of the reverse copies, I created a “road map” as to where to place the colors and the order of the areas to be painted on the blended shade. Colors were numbered 1 thru 4 and the sequence of application was figured to 4 sessions. (Anywhere you need to keep a hard line as the result of a corner in the design, it’ll need to dry before painting the adjacent color.) Using a separate quill for each color and a separate blending brush for each transition blend, the colors were laid into and blended on all #1 areas. Continual inspection from the front was required to ensure a complete blend. After the #1 areas were dry, the #2 areas were applied in the same manner. Subsequently, the #3 and #4 areas were also completed.
Photo 22 – Blended Shade Layout
Photo 23 – Completed Blended Shade The blended shade is then backed up with middle value color.
Photo 24 – Backed Up with Middle Value Color
Photo 25 – Completed Blended Shade from the Front
Step-by-Step Informational Outline by Larry White / Articles by Rick Glawson / More Articles |
