Our backlog deputy put the call out for a couple awards that needed done. I accepted and was chosen to do Master Herveus' backlog AoA. I looked through different manuscripts and nothing seemed to really resonate, until I pulled out my Macclesfield Psalter facsimile. The Macclesfield is thought to have been created around 1330 and is of especial historical significance in manuscripts. More info on the exemplar here thanks to the Fitzwilliam Museum: https://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/gallery/macclesfield/about/index.html Sample page, but not the one I used specifically. I sketched out the design I wanted, adding some of the details, on a regular sketch pad, then transferred it to a transfer paper so I had a nice clean image to put on the perg, and used a light box to transfer it to the perg. (I sometimes have a heavy hand with pencil, so this prevents me from leaving ruts to capture paint.) The original was done on vellum or parchment and may have used such pigments as vermillion, terra verte, lapis lazuli, madder lake, lead red, lead yellow, lamp black, ochres of various hues, and lead white. The gold would have been laid on a size of gesso sottile, or leaded gesso and the ink would have been iron oak gall ink. Mine was done on pergamenta, with modern prepared gouache by Winsor Newton and M. Graham, mixing to get the shades I wanted. The 23K gold leaf was laid on a modern non lead gesso made by Baroness Aine ingen Chuimin, and the ink was Noodler's Bulletproof Black. These were used over period materials for a few reasons, mostly for archival, toxicity, and cost. The final image was done on an 8x10 piece of perg with 1" border all around, so illumination and calligraphy are in a 6x8" area. In progress and detail shots below.
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I received a special request from someone who it is rather hard to say no to, and for a project I was happy not to say no to! One year ago, this past weekend I combat scribed a Golden Dolphin (Order of High merit - Service - Atlantia.) for a friend who stepped up as Baron of Ponte Alto this weekend. The assignment was a Golden Dolphin for the lady who was stepping up with him as Baroness (and also another friend of mine). I kept tumbling over in my mind what would suit her and was bouncing ideas off one of my scribal mentors when she reminded me that there were heart-shaped books! I had completely forgotten about them and they went with the lady in question's heraldry. The Chansonnier Cordiforme (1470s) or Chansonnier de Jean de Montchenu is a cordiform (heart-shaped) music manuscript, Collection Henri de Rothschild MS 2973, held in the Bibliothèque Nationale, in Paris, France. I could not find a lot of images online, so I worked with what I had and hand drew various elements in a sketch pad, then inked what I liked, made a transfer sheet and transferred if over to Perg. While the original was likely done on vellum or parchment, with lapis from Afghanistan, terre verte, vermillion, lead red, lead yellow, and lead white as well as iron oak gall ink, I used more modern materials for archival reasons and cost effectiveness.
Materials I used: Substrate - pergamenta; modern acrylic gold size from Baroness Aine ingen Chuimin; 23k gold leaf, a touch of finetec gold, Noodler's Bulletproof black ink, and gouache from Winsor & Newton, as well as M. Graham. The finished piece was 11x14 with a two inch border around the drawn heart. In progress pics and detail shots below. |
AuthorMe, Faílenn Chu ingen ui Fháeláin. Archives
February 2021
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