Blank Borders Then And Now
Blank borders - the illumination only scroll part - are used when Their Majesties give a spontaneous award. But did you know there's a historical precedent for them?
Pointed Metal Pen Nibs: Not As Old As You Think
I’ve been searching all over the web for a metal pen picture I know is out there. It seems to have gone the way of some other historic metal pen pictures. If you’re like me you’re another scribe wanting to know metal pens and nibs are pre-17th Century. While metal pens and nibs have roots in ancient Egypt where they were made […]
Happy April Fools Easter
April Fools’ Day is a legend according to Snopes. It began in the 1500s when the Julian calendar changed to the Gregorian. Those who forgot the change and celebrated New Year’s Day as usual, then on April 1st, were teased as “April fools.” That’s a little like being picked on when you forget the time change after we monkey with […]
History Rewritten On The Book Of Kells
Mary And Her Baby in The Book of Kells ICYMI. New information has come to light on the Book of Kells. Specifically, it was created by more than one person and where they lived. Even a bit on how old the “new” scribe was. This is interesting to SCA scribes who strive to create in a medieval manner. It shows that manuscripts were created by more than one scribe early in history. This one possibly completed 50 years after it was started in a different location. Anyway, you can learn about it in Britian’s The Independent‘s article about the Book of Kells new research.
Is Tracing Period?
Years ago I entered my first competition with an illumination. In my documentation, I wrote about using tracing paper to transfer the image. One judge commented on my lack. I still remember how down it made me feel. The way I handled that, as I often did, was to go to the library and research. In June 1997 I wrote […]
Is Gouache Period?
My rocks for paint collection. Every year this question pops up in the scribes guild, “Is gouache period?” I use it because it is more convenient than making paint from rocks and plants. I get favorable results, too. But, how Medieval is it? I have a tangled answer. Unfortunately, it is a lengthy story. To begin, the all-knowing Wikipedia reports […]
An Itinerant Scribe 