Gilding, Polychromy, and Estofado Courses

General Conditions:
  • The minimum number of students required for each course is 5 participants.
  • The maximum number of students per course is 10 participants, in order to ensure personalized attention and the proper practical development of the sessions.
  • At the end of the course, a certificate of completion will be issued, certifying the knowledge and skills acquired during the training.
Materials to be provided by each student:
  • Rasp set (files/rasps)
  • Scrapers for plaster
  • Bristle brushes of different thicknesses
  • Synthetic flat brushes
  • Set of paintbrushes
  • Sandpaper of different grits: 80, 120, 240
  • Oil paints
  • Glass containers of various sizes
  • Kitchen cloth
  • Scouring pad
  • Chicken egg (when required)
  • Syringe
  • Metal tweezers

NOTE: Students must purchase their own individual tools and supplies before the start of the course, according to the list provided by the school. For the Gilding course, these materials may optionally be offered by the school for an additional fee.

Basic Course: Introduction to Gilding

Aimed at anyone, with no prior experience, who is interested in discovering and learning one of Spain’s most traditional artistic techniques—gilding—used for centuries to enrich some of the most prestigious works of our cultural heritage.

Objectives:

  • 1. Become familiar with the fundamentals of gilding: tools and different gilding techniques.
  • 2. Discover oil gilding (mixtion) on fired clay.
  • 3. Learn and practice the preparation of wooden supports, including wetting, gesso application, and sanding.
  • 4. Understand bole (embolar): what it is, what it is used for, and how it is applied.
  • 5. Study mixtion (adhesive): its types and drying times.
  • 6. Handle gold leaf: you will learn to use one of the simplest methods to decorate surfaces or objects using the oil gilding technique.
  • 7. Protection of the support.

Program:

Price: €500 (VAT included)

To confirm enrollment, a €250 deposit is required, which will be deducted from the total course fee.

If full payment is made at the time of registration, an early payment discount will be applied, reducing the total cost to €450 (VAT included).

The full amount must be paid before the start of the course.

Intermediate Course: Water Gilding. Gold Leaf

Aimed at students who have completed the basic course and wish to deepen their knowledge, learning the technique of water gilding with imitation gold. You will become familiar with the full process of water gilding using metal leaf, as well as the expressive possibilities of stucco and different egg tempera estofado techniques.

Students will learn how to prepare wooden supports using animal glues and gesso, achieving a smooth, level surface ready for the application of bole. The surface will be enriched with relief work through the use of stucco.

One of the most refined and traditional artistic techniques—water gilding followed by burnishing—will be practiced using metal leaf.

The course also explores different types of polychromy associated with wooden works, such as estofado using egg tempera.

Objectives:

  • 1. Become familiar with the fundamentals of water gilding.
  • 2. Learn and practice the preparation of wooden supports.
  • 3. Apply stucco.
  • 4. Create relief and texture using different stucco finishes.
  • 5. Apply bole (embolar).
  • 6. Carry out water gilding using metal leaf.
  • 7. Burnish the gilded surface.
  • 8. Learn how to protect the support.
  • 9. Practice estofado techniques using egg tempera.
  • 10. Acquire a broad, specialized vocabulary related to the techniques and tools used.

Program:

Price: €700 (VAT included)

A €250 deposit is required to reserve a place, which will be deducted from the final course fee.

If the full amount is paid at the time of registration, the total price will be €650 (VAT included).

Full payment must be completed before the start of the course.

Advanced Course – Professional Level: Water Gilding with Fine Gold Leaf

Aimed at students who have completed the intermediate course or have demonstrable experience in gilding—such as workshop practice, prior studies in an art school specializing in gilding, or a degree in Fine Arts or Restoration. The course focuses on learning the process of water gilding using fine gold leaf (gold leaf).

Objectives:

  1. Get in contact with the dynamics of water gilding using fine gold.
  2. Acquire a broad technical vocabulary related to all techniques and tools.
  3. Practice the preparation of wooden supports.
  4. Apply stucco.
  5. Repair missing volumes and create volumetric modelling.
  6. Sand and level surfaces.
  7. Apply bole.
  8. Perform water gilding using fine gold leaf.
  9. Burnish.
  10. Combine glossy and matte finishes.
  11. Treat matte surfaces.
  12. Protect the support if estofado techniques will be applied.
  13. Perform estofado.
  14. Apply highlights and decorative accents.
  15. Perform maintenance and cleaning.

Program:

Price: €900 (VAT included)

A €250 deposit is required to reserve a place, which will be deducted from the final course fee.

If full payment is made at the time of registration, the total price will be €850 (VAT included).

The full amount must be paid before the start of the course.