Insect Art and The Gilding Process

Martin Pierce is currently creating 18 gilded panels which will be used as decorative door panels for the front door of his home. Similar framed panels will be available for sale thereafter and we hope to announce those details soon.

Martin is currently at the gilding stage of the process which is what we show in this post. The raised panels are all beetles and the 5 distinct shapes are all from the gymnetis family of beetle. The beetles were chosen for their different body and wing shapes as well as color and will be applied to the door to create an artistic pattern.

The gilding process is used by Martin to create a bright iridescent surface which roughly simulates the iridescence that in beetles is created by the cell structure of their exoskeletons and the way it reflects light. Color will subsequently be added through translucent pigmented glazes.

Gilding brush used to pick-up with gold leaf Brush used to position leaf over wondersize

Once a smooth surface has been created by applying and then sanding a layer of casein (see earlier post) the panel is then painted with a layer of semi-clear wondersize which acts like glue to fix the leaf in place. As a practical matter Martin paints the entire panel and water spots most of the outer area  before he begins gilding, this way he does not have to paint around small legs and antennae and the water spots that fall on the insect body can be easily removed with a cloth.

Martin’s fondness of beetles and insects can be seen in his cabinet pulls.

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Insect Art - Next Stage For Beetle Panels

Martin Pierce begins his scarab panels by using the sketch shown in the last blog which he traces onto the surface of a paint primed plywood panel.
Using the same sketch Martin traces the body of the beetle onto a 1/8” thick of basswood which is then cut out using a scroll saw. Martin then rounds the edges of the beetle outline using a chisel which he also uses to add lines and indentations to the wing casings which gives the beetle a more 3-dimensional appearance. The beetle is then finely sanded and glued onto the primed panel and clamped in place to form a secure bond. After the beetle is firmly attached any excess glue is scraped away with small chisels.
Using his finger Martin smooths gesso onto the surface and into the pores of the basswood and working with a damp cloth removes any unwanted gesso as he goes.

For the legs and antenna Martin has made a small tool using a short piece of 1/8” round dowel with a chamfered end. The tool is similar in function to a pen quill and fine enough to be used to spread very small beads of thin gesso onto the primed panel to simulate the sections of the beetle’s legs and antennae. Once set any excess gesso is removed with a chisel and then the completed beetle and panel are sanded with very fine 400 grit sandpaper. The panel is then sealed with sanding sealer and is ready to be gilt and glazed.
Insect themes are also used by Martin as cabinet pulls and thumb latches and are central to many of his hardware designs.

Spring Has Sprung the Ladybirds have arrived

We recently visited Idyllwild, a small town with impressive mountains, forests and a prolific ladybird population. On first sight my mind was confused by the sheer number of ladybirds which conservatively numbered into the thousands and which were all huddled together on rocks, tree branches and fence posts.

I have wondered about the curious name of this beetle and visiting www.wikipedia.com discovered that the name originated in Britain where the insect came to be called “Our Lady’s bird”. The beetle it seems is part of the Coccinellidae family of beetle, a name that is derived from the Latin word for scarlet which was a color often used in early paintings of Our Lady’s cloak. In the United States the name was adapted to Ladybug.

Whatever the exact origins of this beetles name it is still a colorful and beneficial addition to any garden as it preys on herbivorous aphids and so helps keep our plants free from foragers.

We are keen fans of most insects and have been inspired to use them as cabinet pulls, turn pieces and as decorative medallions to cover dowelled joints in our furniture pieces. The cluster of bronze beetles shown here are ones that are used in our Rickshaw lounge chair and they decorate the dowel that joints the chair arm and leg. These small beetles can also be used to decorate holes when a door pull is secured with a through screw or bolts.