Process description:
Hand-gilding photos into one-of-a-kind art work is not so much labor intensive as it is an exercise in patience.
The photo is first printed using inkjet on translucent vellum paper.
The vellum with the image is then stabilized with a coat of water-based acrylic lacquer on both sides and dried throughly.
I apply a special size (or glue) to the back of the image, which takes a long time to set up, ready for the next step. If I am doing a duo-tone or tri-tone, the size is applied separately for each metal.
I apply patent gold, copper, silver or pure palladium to the size by hand.
The final project is then spray varnished many times with a product that makes the vellum even more translucent and ensures the archival quality of the finished art.