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How To: Lettering with Gold Leaf

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, on purchases made after following an affiliate link. See my full disclosure here.

January 17, 2014 By Jackie

Do you love gold foil art as much as I do?

There is something so special about typography or images pressed onto paper with gold foil.  It just gives a simple piece extra dimension, like the gold foil glasses on my husband’s nightstand.

Unfortunately, gold foil printing isn’t really a do-it-yourself activity.  It involves big machines, and die cuts, and heat to stamp the foil onto the paper.  Here is a quick look at the foiling process.

The good news is, I have a DIY solution that is super easy and quick!

How to make custom gold leaf art prints | tealandlime.com

This post contains affiliate links to the products I use and recommend. I may receive a small commission on purchases made after following an affiliate link. See my full disclosure here.

To create gold foil-inspired prints at home all you need is gold leaf and a glue pen like this one.  For the gold leaf, I highly recommend getting the package that says “ready leaf”, which means the gold leaf is already applied to wax paper and easier to work with.  Any fine-tip glue pen should work.  I like my Martha Stewart glue pen.

How to make custom gold leaf art prints | tealandlime.com

Gold leaf has quickly become one of my favorite craft mediums to work with.  In this tutorial you will see why.  Once you get the hang of it, gold leaf is really fun and easy to work with. You can also use silver leaf or copper leaf.

5 Steps to Create Custom Gold Leaf Lettering

1.  Start by printing out your desired phrase.  With Valentine’s around the corner, I chose “Crazy for You”.

How to make custom gold leaf art prints | tealandlime.com

2.  Tape the paper to be gold leafed over the print out.  I used some paper from one of my kid’s sketch books.  Any art paper will work, but make sure you can see your printed letters through the paper.

How to make custom gold leaf art prints | tealandlime.com

3.  Working in small sections, trace the lettering with your glue pen.

4.  Apply a sheet of gold leaf to the glue.  Rub it onto the lettering with your fingers.  I like to go back and trace over each letter with my finger to make sure the gold leaf adheres well.  Remove the gold leaf sheet.

How to make custom gold leaf art prints | tealandlime.com

How to make custom gold leaf art prints | tealandlime.com

How to make custom gold leaf art prints | tealandlime.com

How to make custom gold leaf art prints | tealandlime.com

5.  After all the gold leaf is applied, gently rub off any loose gold leaf with your finger to reveal your phrase.  Try rubbing back and forth and in circular motions to get all the loose bits off.

How to make custom gold leaf art prints | tealandlime.com

How to make custom gold leaf art prints | tealandlime.com

Easy right?  I am not sure it is a process I would do on hundreds of wedding invitations, but it is perfect for making some instant art!

How to make custom gold leaf art prints | tealandlime.com

I taped mine to an old clip board with some hot pink striped wash tape.  I used glitter tape to make the arrows on the clipboard.  This is going to be a fun accent on my Valentine’s Day mantel this year!

How to make custom gold leaf art prints | tealandlime.com

Okay, tell me, what phrase would you gold leaf?  And would you make an art print or a card for a special someone?

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Comments

  1. Gwen says

    January 17, 2014 at 4:09 pm

    I like yours. Unexpected combo of my old clipboard that came from who knows where repurposed in such an elegant loving way. If I’d do this project, I’d want to combine the glam and the unexpected!

  2. Esther says

    May 1, 2014 at 6:12 pm

    Where did you buy your gold foil paper?

    • Jackie says

      May 2, 2014 at 2:40 pm

      Esther, I get mine at Micheals or Hobby Lobby. Any craft or art store should carry it.

  3. Melodie says

    May 16, 2014 at 1:59 am

    This is great! I was looking for a tutorial about this but couldn’t find it on Pinterest. Do you have any idea how to do this on canvas? does this mean I just won’t be able to trace it, but still doable?

    • Jackie says

      May 16, 2014 at 8:05 am

      Melodie, Totally doable. Try using transfer paper like I did for this project on canvas: http://www.tealandlime.com/2011/09/diy-word-art-tutorial/

  4. kristina says

    May 24, 2014 at 4:28 am

    What glue do you use?

    • Jackie says

      May 26, 2014 at 5:53 pm

      Kristina, I used a Martha Stewart glue pen. Any glue should work, but for lettering a glue pen will be the easiest.

  5. juliet says

    May 19, 2015 at 6:32 am

    I tried gold leaf lettering… I used a fine paintbrush to brush on the glue but the gold leaf still doesn’t seem give a clean edge on the lettering like yours! How can I get the gold to stick to the edges and give a sharp line??

    • Jackie says

      May 26, 2015 at 8:09 pm

      Juliet, You may want to try a different glue. Glue pens work well for precision. Gold leaf is finicky though, so you may just need a different type of glue.

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