Hello, dear readers! As the year draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on the journey of An Itinerant Scribe. It’s been an incredible year of growth, creativity, and—most importantly—connection with all of you. I can’t resist sharing a little milestone with you today: in 2023, this humble blog had 265 visitors. Not too…
Hey there, lovely readers! I’m super excited to kick off a new topic today. I want to reach out to all of you amazing scribes and ask you to share your personal experiences. We want to hear all about how you got started on this wonderful journey, what motivated you, and any other captivating details…
Illuminated manuscripts have the tiniest strokes details. They’re so intricate I don’t see how they were made without a visual aid. Unless….they were created by someone who could naturally see with precision. Even in the ancient world magnification was technically possible. Crystal or glass lenses were known. But no deliberately created lenses have been found…
 I’m not the Scribal-Answer-Lady, and I don’t care to be. However, discussing things scribal with others is important to build skills, knowledge, connections, and fun. Where do you go for that? As a 35-year SCAdian, it pains me to answer…Facebook. Facebook provides you comfort, hope, purpose, and validation as a member of a community….
If you’ve read about me you know I am a retired dental hygienist. Although I’m not a physical therapist or yoga instructor, as a hygienist for 35 years I learned a thing or two about hand and body pain reduction. Some tricks I learned apply directly to scribal practice. As a scribe concerned about pain control,…
“Is what I’m doing good enough to be accepted?” I hear this question often. Sometimes more than once from the same person. I’ve even asked it about my own work. It is one reason some scribes stick to AoA or baronial level scrolls. The scrolls are needed, but they’re also less intimidating because the…
Dollars to donuts the scribe is the least appreciated SCA artisan. That doesn’t mean the person receiving the award doesn’t appreciate receiving it and its kudos. But many recipients do not understand or appreciate the work done by the scribe. Award Scroll Presentation Sometimes when a scroll leaves the scribe’s hands and is given in court it’s…
Looking for ways to punch up my workshop presentation I discovered the tell-tale signs you have when you truly know you are an SCA scribe. I know I have shown several of these. You might be a rabid SCA scribe when… The highlights in your hair are from your gouache, not the Clairol bottle. You…
When Pope Gregory I (540-604 CE) defined the seven deadly sins, he also gave values to adopt, The Seven Virtues. Virtues may be both built-in talents and learned actions. They are both good deeds and their necessary training. Here, I describe the seven virtues relating to scribes. Traits that effuse every scribes’ calligraphy and illumination on…
I’m getting up to speed on making paint from pigments, again. Preparing to teach my paint making class in a few weeks. I found several on-line tutorials you may like. The first part of making paint is dispersing a powdered colorant in water. The second part is mixing in a binder. The binder in each…
I love books, which is why my favorite bookstore closing was such a big deal. I buy books or borrow them from everywhere. Books and research are part of the SCA‘s attraction to me. Bookstore Search When I first joined the SCA, 26 years ago, I spent hours at the library each week. Then took…
Scribe Song sung by the Barony of the Lonely Tower’s own Master Dolan. Unfortunately there is a lot of background noise in the video, but you can still hear the song and M. Dolan’s wonderful bardic voice. Words by HL Ingeborg bildsbriotr Ulfsdottir; music by Master Dolan Madoc of Harlech. YouTube Published on Feb 21, 2013