Harapan the golden Avatar of Ganesh

[Metalchaos]

Hello everyone! Not a painted miniature today, but still a Reaper Miniatures and a technique that might interest some of you. I gilded a Harapan model with 24 carat gold leaves. This technique can be applied to an entire figurine as I did, or only to a part of the model, on a section of armor for example. I used gilding paste, a paint brush and gold leaves.

 

Harapan was sculpted by Jason Wiebe in 2005. It was produced in a limited edition to raise funds after the tsunami disasters that hit Southeast Asia in December 2004. As you can see I modified the original model. I removed his weapon and folded his finger. He now looks as if he was posing for a bodybuilding contest.

 

Have a nice weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 28 by Metalchaos

[Glitterwolf]

Original idea!

Very cool.

[Metalchaos]

36 minutes ago, Glitterwolf said:

Original idea!

Very cool.

Thank you @Glitterwolf, I'm glad you like that. 🙂

[Glitterwolf]

It can also function as a great game objective.  The quest for the golden statue.

 

[Chaoswolf]

That's really cool!

[strawhat]

 

[Serenity]

Is this technique difficult and/or time consuming?  I've never seen it done, but I like the results.

[Grand Slam]

That is one gold elephant! It looks very cool...incredibly smooth work with a technique that can be prone to unwanted texturing. I'm super-impressed!

 

I'd also be interested in hearing how long it took (and more importantly, how fiddly/frustrating you found the process). I've only had one experience doing this sort of thing (decades ago, when I was a much less patient man). I'd be interested in giving it another go, though. 

 

Also, how strong does the final product seem to be? I'd imagine that doing any kind of clear coating to protect it would sacrifice the shine. Do you foresee it holding up pretty well as-is?

 

Super interesting and eye-catching piece.

[Magic Lantern]

Impressive result - I adore alternative thinking like this for minis. Do you know if the gold leaf ( or the varnish over it) takes shading from inks if you wanted to add depth?

 

[Metalchaos]

5 hours ago, Serenity said:

Is this technique difficult and/or time consuming?  I've never seen it done, but I like the results.

@Serenity, it's easier than it looks.

I made an explanatory video to show all the steps. You can find the video on Youtute.

Look for: How to gild Harapan a Reaper Miniatures metal model with 24 carat golden leaves.

[Metalchaos]

4 hours ago, Grand Slam said:

That is one gold elephant! It looks very cool...incredibly smooth work with a technique that can be prone to unwanted texturing. I'm super-impressed!

 

I'd also be interested in hearing how long it took (and more importantly, how fiddly/frustrating you found the process). I've only had one experience doing this sort of thing (decades ago, when I was a much less patient man). I'd be interested in giving it another go, though. 

 

Also, how strong does the final product seem to be? I'd imagine that doing any kind of clear coating to protect it would sacrifice the shine. Do you foresee it holding up pretty well as-is?

 

Super interesting and eye-catching piece.

@Grand Slam, thanks for the kind words.

 

It took me about four hours because I gilded it in small sections and the dough takes fifteen minutes to be ready to receive the gold leaf. It was a challenge, but I enjoyed the exercise. I will gild other models for sure.

 

The leaves are very delicate, they fly away and tear easily. I invite you to watch the video I made on Youtube for more details. The surface remains fragile and must be sealed with varnish so as not to risk damaging the gilding. I'm going to use gloss spray varnish when I'm going to seal it. I will give you my impressions on the result obtained.

 

I saw that it is not recommended to use an ammonia-based varnish on copper because it would tarnish in a few hours. I don't think the gold would tarnish, but I will still use an acrylic based polish.

 

Thanks for your comments and questions. It helped my share more information with everyone.

 

 

1 hour ago, Magic Lantern said:

Impressive result - I adore alternative thinking like this for minis. Do you know if the gold leaf ( or the varnish over it) takes shading from inks if you wanted to add depth?

 

Thank you @Magic Lantern, I'm glad you like that.

 

I haven't tried applying any ink or shade directly to the gold. I think it would be best to apply a coat of varnish first to help another medium adhere to the surface. I also think spray varnish would be better to avoid the gold leaf peeling off. Brush-on sealer are sticky and could cause the leaves to tear off the surface.

Edited January 31 by Metalchaos