Okay, this one maybe should have been a multi post blog, but I'm just going to put it all here. This was a scroll that was assigned to me the week of Coronation. A Court Baroness scroll for Lady (now Baroness) Aine ingen Comyn. Since there was no way I was going to get a scroll done in two days, I decided to seize this opportunity to allow her to determine the elements of her scroll. To say she was determined to challenge me was an understatement. The Requirements: 1. Black Hours. But not just any black hours... the Black Hours of Charles the Rash, Duke of Burgundy. 2. Real gold. 3. Real silver. 4. As much period pigment as I could manage. After looking at the few pages I could get access to, I also determined to add some of her past awards, and her three cats. My original design. I did a transfer, at the recommendation of two mentors, using a fake Armenian bole (sienna chalk stick) so that I could trace it onto the black Arches cover paper. (I'd never worked with black substrate before). I watered down instacoll (the mustard color on the letters) as the size for a flat gilding (something else I had never done). Then I applied 23k yellow gold leaf on the names and white gold on the rest of the letters, then burnished. Next was the real shell silver and real shell gold (also two more firsts as I've never worked with either). Next was applying all the pigment, most of it period, some of it I mixed myself. The green and the red I mixed from dry pigment. The white and the green on the device were gouache. In order to finish the shell gold shading, I had to actually make more myself. And then it was given to her whereupon it was at the framer's in less than an hour.
Things I learned: need to get the proportion on the letters a little better, they were too big. Next time go ahead and try the poisonous red and white for accuracy. And be a little more delicate on my accents.
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Sadly I'm missing good pictures of these two. The definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone but I tackled them. This was a Coral Branch done during Logan and Esa's reign for a Persian persona. The design is not mine, it came from a site recommended by one of my mentors. The calligraphy was courtesy of Lady Iosobail from the Middle Kingdom. She made it so I could copy it onto the scroll. Imitation gold leaf, gouache, and ink on Bristol board. This one was awarded at Highland River Melee to a Mongolian persona. I couldn't get a decent translation so I just transliterated the letters. What you see is English words written in Mongolian letters. Gouache and ink on Bristol board.
Holiday Faire rolled around again! In addition to running the A&S competition and display, I was honored to do four scrolls for the event. Two were for my Barony and included a premier award and the other two were for the Kingdom. This is the premier awarding of the Stierbach Order of the Silver Stirrup. It was issued to Lady Alienor de Bathe and was taken from the Codex Manesse. The script is also from Codex Manesse, the wordsmith was me. This was done on Bristol board with gouache, imitation shell silver, and ink. I told my husband that I had a super secret assignment from the Baroness that no one was to know about. Little did he realize it was a Saint Roche for him. At the event he was startled when his name was called and even more surprised when Her Excellency Esperanza told him it was the secret scroll I was working on.... Finetec gold, gouache, and ink on Bristol board. I was asked to do two Kingdom level service awards, the Opal for two ladies who are friends of mine. This one was for Lady Arnbjorg and the inspiration came from the Lindesfarne gospels. Finetec gold, gouache, and ink on Bristol board. This was the Opal I did for Lady Wanda. It was based on Vita beatae Hedwigis, Silesian, 1353, including the script, and I very cheekily removed the rosary and put in a camera for her.
These were the last two of a four scroll trade that I did. They are for a practice tourney held in a neighboring Barony. This one was from one of my favorite manuscripts, the Codex Manesse. Done with imitation shell gold, gouache, and ink on Bristol board. This one was drawn from a photo of a chalice found in the period. The Chalice of Dona Urraca from Real Colegiata San Isidoro in Leon. Done in finetec gold, gouache, and ink on Bristol board.
I was given a backlog assignment of five hippocampus awards. All were done on Bristol Board with gouache and ink. The ones for the three young ladies came from the Hours of Catherine of Cleves, both illumination and calligraphy. For the boys, one was taken from a book by John Scottowe in roughly 1592, the S came from that book. They other was simply the award badge, drawn large.
This was a Queen's Order of Courtesy done for Her Grace Esa to be awarded to Lady Caitlilin inghean Fheichin. There is a long inside joke about roosters so I found one in a period manuscript. The exemplar for the image was Ms. book of hours for the use of Rome (Hours of the Virgin, Office of the Dead); written and illuminated in Belgium, perhaps in Mons, ca. 1450-1460.elgium, perhaps in Mons, ca. 1450-1460. The script is Textura Quadrata from Droghin's
Imitation shell gold with gouache and ink on Bristol board. This was an Undine, which is an award given by the Queen of Atlantia. This was from Her Grace Esa for Lady Rosza who is a member of the household I was traveling with at the time. The inspiration for the illumination and the script came from The Missal of Matthias Corvinus, 1488-1489. It was my first time painting gems!
Gouche and ink on pergamenta. When it came time for me to step down as Scrivener Royal of Atlantia, I had to make a scroll to pass on to my successor. Since Their incoming Majesties loved beasties, I selected this theme for my scroll. The inspiration for both the images and the calligraphy came from Bibliothèque Nationale de France, fr. 216, Livre des Propriétés des Choses. Produced: Paris, 14th-15th c. Language: French Original scribe: Bartholomeus Anglicus.
This was pergamenta with period pigments, 23k leaf gold and oak gall ink. I used as little gouache as I could get away with. It was also a couple of firsts for me as it was the first time I had actually used oak gall ink and a quill. And yes, it was one I had cut myself. This was my first augmentation of arms, awarded to Lord Symon de Ipswich. The inspiration came from Harley 1498 - Quadripartite Indenture for Henry VII's Chapel, as did the Gothic script I used.
Gouache, acrylic, and ink on Bristol board. I received this assignment for and Award of Arms for Lord Akiyama Hiroaki I believe the week before it was due. I had to call upon Baron Foro to provide the Japanese text for me to copy, and he designed the chop for me as well! I really like the cranes in Japanese culture because they are beautiful, graceful and so elegant while being simple at the same time. This one was taken from a picture of a real life crane.
Done in gouache, Chinese red, and black Chinese ink since that is what I had, on Bristol board. |
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February 2021
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