Calligraphy

Easy Does It SCA Scroll Creation From 2018

Leave a Comment

Last year about this time I gathered together my prior posts I’d written about scroll creation. The post was Easy Does It: SCA Scroll Creation. Though I didn’t plan it, the posted links round-up made a scroll creation how-to table of contents. And it’s been a very popular blog post.   Since then I’ve added more, In case you missed any, you can see them below.  Beginning SCA AoA Award Painting   Tracing Uses Illuminated Diapering   Guide To Blank Border Scroll Creation The Secrets Of Black And White Gouache  Testing – Which Gouache Brand Rewets Best?   Why Are Vellum And Parchment So Expensive?   Secrets Of Artist Brush Repair Tips To Preventing Rusty Dip Pen Nibs   How To Sharpen Your Broad-Edge Calligraphy Nib  Tips To Drawing More Period People The Best Beginner’s Paint Making Post   Tips And Tricks To Making A Neat Scroll   Tips For Saving Money As An SCA Scribe  Between last year’s list and this one, there’s a lot to take in. Please realize my offerings are not the only way you can do things. Create your art with your style and skill while striving to make it appear as a long lost page from a medieval illuminated manuscript. And take joy in what you create.   Related Prior Post: Easy Does It: SCA Scroll Creation Post Round-Up

Read More →

How-to

Tracing Uses

Leave a Comment

Tracing is not cheating. Well, it is if you are passing something off as your own work. But meticulously copying a medieval manuscript you admire is excellent practice. It works well for copying illumination motifs and is a period practice.  This image of the manual is from the Public Domain Review Tracing is even better for calligraphy. It helps you learn the best tools and strokes to use to achieve a manuscript’s same result. It’s also a good exercise warming up your hand-eye-brain connection before a lettering session. To better understand your favorite manuscript’s letter formation select a page with mostly script. Download and print all or part of it in a size that suits your premium printer paper and nib sizes. (Any printer paper less than premium bleeds ink for sure.) Adjust the page size and density through your photo editor. Select your nib size to approximate the printout. Then go over the letters your print out. If you go to the British Library’s Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts advanced search on the right there is a box where you can enter a script’s name. Their terms are rather specific so you might have to try more than once with different script names. Or select a manuscript by location and era. You might also practice letters from this 1510  pattern book from Swabia, Germany made by Gregorius Bock that I’ve pictured. Once you have your printed page you can trace the script and form the letters like […]

Read More →

Tips

Outwitting Scribal Dirty Slips And Missteps

Leave a Comment

I’ve created many award scrolls over the years. Along the way, I messed up or dirtied my share. From them, I learned a few tricks. These may help you too. Neatness is a primary criterion for a quality scroll. I love working with pergamenata, but it doesn’t do well with oils. To help that you start with a simple prep. Go over the perg with a large non-latex white vinyl eraser. This removes oils and unwanted marks. You may also do this after the scroll is done and very dry. As I work I use a guard sheet under my working hand. This prevents adding hand-oil or marks. You could wear cotton gloves for this, but I find them cumbersome. They alter my sense of touch especially for fine paint strokes and lettering. I use an etch scratch nib in a holder to remove unwanted ink or paint marks. You might also use an Xacto knife for this. I prefer the curved scratch nib except when working between letter parts. Then I use the pointed nib. Luttrell Psalter Illumination Example Period effect. The more an award scroll looks like a period work the better. When I use modern gouache I select colors similar to those in my medieval inspirations. Some medieval manuscripts are known for their unique color palette such as the Luttrell Psalter. If your scroll emulates it your paint colors should also. You also want to apply them in a similar style.  Newer scribes […]

Read More →

Projects

Issabell St. Charles’ Duchy Scroll

Leave a Comment

Enlarged upper right miniature Project Title: Duchy Scroll for Issabell St. Charles Project Date: January 13, 2018/Coronation Text by: D. Magdalena vander Meere Inspiration for Text: Translation by: Calligrapher: Jehanne Bening Illuminator: Jehanne Bening Measurements: Support: Pergamenata, C and I area 12″ x 16″ Notable Techniques: Flat gilding using Tresser’s gilding size adhesive. Love it. Script: Early Gothic Pens: Mitchell 5 dip pen […]

Read More →

Projects

Size Matters: Giraude Benet’s Laurel Scroll

Leave a Comment

Project Title: Giraude Benet’s Laurel Scroll Project Date: December 9, 2017 Text by: Malachi von Uri Inspiration for Text: Translation by: Calligrapher: Jehanne Bening Illuminator: Jehanne Bening Measurements: 16 x 20 inches  Support: Pergamenata heavyweight natural  Notable Techniques: Gilding and interlinear lining. Script: Early/Proto- Gothic Pens: Mitchell 1 mm dip nib and Hunt 512 pointed dip nib Inks: Zig Cartoonist Sumi […]

Read More →

Tips

Nurturing Your Scribal Visual Awareness

Leave a Comment

As an SCA scribe, I’m both scroll designer and producer. Without a knack for each and both together the scrolls I do fall short. Luminous scribal creations are best handled by frequent practice, exploration, and experiment. Each scroll is unique for the accumulated knowledge and skills expressed at the time you produce it. Your entire scribal experiences flow into each work you […]

Read More →

Tips

Calligraphy And Illumination Holiday Gift-making Ideas

Leave a Comment

Illuminated Angel Pictures  In My Home  Our gift-giving season is fast approaching. It’s a busy time of the year for everyone. Often I’ve created gifts with calligraphy and illumination, especially 12th Night gifts.  Calligraphy and illumination are useful for gifts within and without the Society. I’ve made gifts of bookmarks, small illuminations, and a birth certificate for my grandson. He are others you […]

Read More →

Projects

HL Zaneta’s Calon Cross Scroll

Leave a Comment

Project Title: Calon Cross Scroll for Zaneta Baseggio Project Date: October 14, 2017/Crown Tournament Text by: HL Saito Takauji Inspiration for Text: ‘The Prince’ by Machiavelli, James 3:13, and the structures of the Venetian government.  La Serenissima Regina means ‘most serene Queen’. The mazor consegio was a self-nominating legislative body, and that works as an analogue for the self nominating […]

Read More →

Musings

Size Matters

Leave a Comment

Medieval illuminated manuscripts came in all sizes. There are the giant church tomes, like the Codex Gigas in the National Library of Sweden. It is probably the largest, weighing over 165 pounds.  Photo by Michal Maňas (User:snek01) (Own work) [CC BY 2.5  (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons And the minuscule, palm size personal portable books, like the Stowe MS 956 psalm-book at the British Library. Manuscript with miniature portrait of King Henry VIII, I’ve seen […]

Read More →

Musings

5 Reasons Doing C & I Is Better Than Cooking

Leave a Comment

HL Nikolai Kolpachnik Spinachev’s Baronial Arts and Sciences Championship Competition Entry. I’m not that great a cook. Mostly cooking doesn’t interest me. I’m also not a foodie or gourmet. High-quality or exotic ingredients don’t interest me. And I can’t be bothered with food skills that don’t involve a microwave or Keurig. Attending a scribal gathering or making an SCA scroll […]

Read More →

How-to

How-to Do Simple Puzzle Versals

1 Comment

British Library’s Arundel 11, f. 9 Detail I find designing and painting puzzle versal initials refreshing. They are uncomplicated, decorated capital letters that don’t take long to make. They may be created on most any size versal, whether average or impressive.  And they can be used with any script from Caroline to Gothic–except Fraktur. At least I haven’t seen any. Puzzle versals are more flexible than you might expect. Besides the zig-zaggy shape within the letter, their patterning may also extend to other parts of the page. I’ve seen its design repeated to frame the page or extend along the page’s side.  They’re a great start for calligraphers that are illumination shy. Their decoration is simple and effective. Their creation easy, especially when done without any filigree.  Select the space to be filled and a suitable capital letter for your script. Outline your capital in pencil and then go over it with a black, fine permanent liner. Break the letter up in half, with a simple zig-zig lightly marked,  4H pencil line.  Paint one side red, the other blue. The most common color combination, although other combos are found. If you like, paint a fine white line over the join. Prior Related Post: How To Design Calligraphy Versals External Resources: Puzzle initial index found using the British Library’s Simple keyword search. Puzzle Calligraphy Versals found by searching Google. Of course, there’s extraneous stuff too.

Read More →

Musings

10 Murphy’s Laws for Scribes

Leave a Comment

Nothing to go wrong here. Murphy’s law is a popular adage commonly stating “whatever can go wrong, will …” Variants and corollaries exist for assorted skills and daily activities.  Over the years from experience I’ve developed my own Murphy’s laws for scribes. 1. If you quickly add something to an illumination when you are nicely dressed to go out, you […]

Read More →

Uncategorized

10 Top Calligraphy And Illumination Artists

1 Comment

Have you thought about becoming a C and I artist? I have. Calligraphy and illumination arts aren’t dusty ancient skills Medieval monks used to make religious tomes. They are used by many today to create art.  Here are ten people who modernly use calligraphy and illumination to create art and make a living. People who prove it is possible to do something you love and be paid for it.  Marie Angel was a calligrapher, illuminator and book illustrator. My first how-to book was her Painting For Calligraphers, although she has others. Check out this Pinterest board of her work. Randy Asplund recreates medieval books and illustrates science fiction and fantasy books. In the SCA he is known as Sir RanthulfR AsparlundR.  Kathryn Finter studies and reproduces 15th-century panel and illuminated works from the National Gallery of Canada and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Nancy Hulan sells her award winning book arts at Renaissance Faires and her Etsy shop. Her work inspires me and give me courage to expand my interests. Donald Jackson‘s modern handwritten St. John’s Bible team project. Jackson has authored several related books. Patricia Lovett creates, teaches and lectures on subjects and topics related to calligraphy and manuscripts. She has several related books. Marie Lynskey is an English traditional scribe, heraldic artist, and author. Her excellent book, Illumination For Calligraphers, was the second how-to book I bought.  Timothy Noad is an English calligrapher, illuminator, heraldic artist and author. Although he’s written several books, I particularly like his Illuminated Alphabet how-to-book. Illumination […]

Read More →

Tips

Calligraphy Mistakes, Making And Managing Them

Leave a Comment

If there’s a way to make a scribal mistake I’ve probably made it. Especially in calligraphy.  I’ve miscopied words and lines, skipped lines, repeated words, misspelled words, and been misinformed. I’ve spilled ink, changed hand style, and misjudged line spacing.  Being tired, too caffeinated, stressed, or rushed adds to my shakiness.  There are things I do to limit Titivilus reach, […]

Read More →

Barony

Scribal Class

Leave a Comment

I’m so excited. We have more eager scribes attending our classes. We had three come from the Mag Mor, Lincoln group. This time, I scheduled space at my local library. Even with hauling supplies, I felt better about the space we used. Most people don’t like their picture taken, but I was able to catch M. Rolf (also from Lonely Tower) […]

Read More →