HOW TO USE GOLD LEAF ON WATERCOLOR
My Step-by-Step Guide
There’s something about adding a touch of gold to a watercolor painting that makes the whole piece come alive.
I love the contrast between the softness and transparency of watercolor and the shine of metallic gold. It can be subtle and delicate, or bold and dramatic and the best part is that it’s much easier to do than you might think.
For this painting, I used Mona Lisa Metal Leaf to add golden details to a colorful tropical Monstera. I’ll show you exactly how I do it, including a few little tips I’ve learned along the way.
A little tip before you start
Don't use your favorite watercolor brush for the adhesive!
I always use an old brush that I don't mind dedicating to this purpose. Even though the adhesive is water-based and cleans up with soap and water, I prefer not to risk my good watercolor brushes. At the end it the bristles stay sticky.
1. Finish your watercolor painting first
Start with your watercolor exactly as you normally would.
For my Monstera, I wanted to play with vibrant tropical colors—turquoise, blues, greens, and touches of pink and magenta. You can also keep your palette more traditional and paint the leaf entirely in different shades of green.
Want to paint my colorful Monstera? You can follow along with my September freebie, where I’ll take you through the painting step by step. 🌿
Or, if you'd like to watch the full process, you can follow my Tropical Botanicals class on Skillshare here
The important thing is to let the watercolor dry completely before adding the adhesive.
I like to decide where I want the gold to go before I start. You can use it to emphasize the veins of a leaf, create an outline, add small decorative details, or simply create a few unexpected golden accents.
2. Apply the adhesive
Once your painting is completely dry, use your old brush to apply a thin layer of the Leaf Adhesive to the areas where you want the gold.
You don't need a thick layer. In fact, I find that working with a small amount gives me much more control.
For this Monstera, I used the adhesive to follow some of the natural lines and shapes of the leaf. The adhesive goes on white, which makes it very easy to see where you've applied it.
3. Wait for the adhesive to become clear
This is the part where patience matters.
As the adhesive dries, it changes from white to transparent and tacky. That's when it's ready for the metal leaf.
My personal tip
The instructions recommend allowing the adhesive 30 minutes to become ready, but I've found that is often ready after around 10–15 minutes.
Watch the adhesive rather than the time. You want it to be clear and tacky—not wet.
Depending on how much adhesive you applied, the temperature, humidity and your environment, the drying time can vary.
4. Add the metal leaf
Now comes the fun part.
Carefully place the metal leaf over the areas where you've applied the adhesive. Try not to overthink it. Let the leaf fall naturally onto the surface and gently press it into place.
The metal leaf will stick to the areas where the adhesive is tacky, while the rest will remain loose.
5. Brush away the excess
Once the leaf has adhered, take a clean, soft brush and very gently brush away the excess.
This is my favorite part.
As you remove the loose pieces, the design starts to appear—and suddenly all those little golden lines and details become visible.
Don't worry if some small pieces remain around the edges. I actually love those tiny imperfections. They give the painting a more organic, handmade feeling.
6. Step back and see the magic ✨
And that's it!
What I love most about this technique is that you don't need to cover a whole painting in gold.
Sometimes just a few golden lines can completely change the feeling of a piece.
With watercolor, you already have so much transparency, movement and beautiful unpredictability. The metallic leaf adds a completely different quality—it catches the light and creates little moments of shine that you simply can't get with watercolor paint.
For this Monstera, I wanted the gold to almost become part of the structure of the leaf, following its natural shapes while contrasting with all those vibrant colors.
A few of my favorite tips
✨ Less is often more
You don't need to use gold everywhere. A few carefully placed details can have much more impact.
🖌️ Keep a separate old brush for the adhesive
Don't sacrifice your favorite watercolor brushes! Use an old brush dedicated to your gilding supplies.
⏳ Look at the adhesive, not the clock
Your environment will affect drying time. Wait until the adhesive has turned clear and feels tacky before applying the leaf.
🌿 Let some imperfections remain
I don't try to make every edge perfectly clean. Those little fragments and irregularities are part of what makes the finished piece feel handmade.
✨ Experiment!
Try gold on botanical illustrations, lettering, abstract shapes, flowers, leaves—or even just tiny accent
