At Lonely Tower’s scribes gathering recently Ly. Kristin asked what the basic illumination skills were that she should learn. Kristin is an accomplished preprint painter with wonderful skills, but she wants to take it a step further. How does she know what skills she should learn? Where would you look?

A great starting place is this archived article “A Guide For The Beginning Scribe“. I found it on the humongous Atlantian Arts & Sciences Links webpage. Then go to Scribal Arts and finally Beginners’ Guides to Scribal Arts.

Since it was written in 1998 it doesn’t give the author. That seems weird today, but I still have an early class handout from M. Agnes de Lanvallei that does not show who taught the class. I know because I took it. That’s what happened then.

If you are wondering what calligraphy or illumination skills to pursue this article gives you their concise descriptions. It’s like a scout badge requirement’s list giving you their step-by-step descriptions and their purpose. It even gives you tips.

While the article is not any Kingdom’s detailed handbook or a Patricia Lovette practical guide, it is a well-begun overview. And it’s said, well-begun is half done.

Me teaching my “Playing With Pigments” Class

After creating original medieval art for a few years, if you’re searching for skills to teach this article lists ideas from which you can choose. Become proficient in them then write in-depth handouts for your students. Be able to knowledgeably and easily talk about how you do each step. Experiment and develop your own tips as this guide gives. And consider the most interesting way to present your topic.

Developing students and teachers can both benefit from the descriptions in this anonymous C and I “Basic Guide”. That is a lot from one old archived article. 

Prior Related Post: 
The Beginning And The Evolving Scribe