Painting a Humming Bird using Gold Leaf
Working with Gold Leaf is amazing, it has such a WOW Factor!
Come and take a look at this tutorial on how to paint a Humming Bird using Gold Leaf. You can download the free template below and use it to create a perfect drawing. You will need the Light Pad to trace the template on to your watercolour paper. It’s so easy! Follow our tutorial video here below to see how you paint the bird and how to apply the Gold Leaf.
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Materials used in this project
These are the art materials that we used to create this art project. Purchase what you need and create your own Humming Bird using Gold Leaf…
Acrylic paint
Amsterdam Acrylic Standard Series Paint Set 5x120ml Mixing
Light Pad
We used this Light Pad to transfer the template of the drawing of the robin to the watercolour paper.
Watercolour paper
Canson 100510941 XL Series Watercolor Pad, 1 Pack, Multicolor
masking tape
Scotch General Purpose Masking Tape, 0.94 inches by 60 yards, 2050, 1 roll
fine liner
STAEDTLER Pigment Liner Bonus Sketch Set of 6 Liners for the Regular Price of 4(2 free), 308 SB6P
varnish
Winsor & Newton 3040801 Galeria Acrylic Medium Gloss Varnish, 250ml
Paint Brushes
Transon Artist Paint Brush Set of 12 for Watercolor Acrylic Gouache Oil and Tempera Painting
Other bits and pieces
– hb pencil
– eraser
– water
– kitchen roll
Now let’s get started. Follow these steps and watch the video to create your own robin using Gold Leaf.
Step 1
Print out the template of the Humming Bird on an A4 white piece of paper.
Step 2
Place your printed template on the Light Pad and lay a piece of watercolour paper over the top. In this video we have used a slightly smaller sized piece of watercolour paper.
Step 3
Trace over the image of the bird using an HB pencil.
Step 4
Remove the Light Pad and tape the paper on to a hard surface with masking tape. Make sure you tape down all the sides and cover about a centimeter of the paper so that you get a nice white edge when you remove the tape.
Step 5
Paint the background with one layer of paint and wait for it to dry. When it’s dry add another layer over the top to make sure that the paint is nice and opaque.
Step 6
Add a yellow colour to the circle in the background. This will give a nice glow when you add the Gold Leaf.
Step 7
Fill the Humming Bird with it’s blues, greens and purples as shown in the video.
You can also add a shade of brown on the branch that the bird is perched on.
Step 7
Use a black fineliner to accentuate the outlines and details in the bird and the branch.
Step 8
When everything is nice and dry, add the glue to the yellow circle with a ridged piece plastic in the shape of a small spatula. Be patient, do a little piece at a time. Lay the Gold Leaf over the top of the glued area and pat it down gently with a very soft paint brush. Use an old brush as you might get a little glue on it.
Step 9
When the patch of glue and Gold Leaf is dry you can carefully wipe away the excess Gold Leaf with and old hard brush.
Step 10
Add more glue to the next patch and work your way around the circle until it is all covered with Gold Leaf.
Step 11
When all the Gold Leaf is firmly stuck down and dried up, you can varnish your painting. Use a soft wide brush to spread the varnish over your art work. This varnish protects your Gold Leaf and your painting.
Step 12
Leave your work flat in a dust free are while it dries.
We are always interested to see what your art work looks like! If you would like to send an image of your finised piece to us mail@dutchartbox.com we can take a look. We will be very pleased and we always give an answer.
If you enjoyed this art project, come and take a look at our other Gold Leaf bird projects and download the free templates.
Painting a Toucan using Gold Leaf
Painting a Robin using Gold Leaf
Painting a Kingfisher using Gold Leaf
