This one truly took me out of my element a bit. A lot of people (I'm fine with the clothing, but faces and hands are a bit tricky for me), a new technique using an unfamiliar material.. but I really enjoyed doing this one. Before Twelfth Night, I was approached to do a Court Barony scroll for Her Excellency, Baroness Evelyn Merry Met. She has done so much for the Kingdom and her Barony, that I wanted to make her scroll as perfect as I could. I knew that she and her husband both love to dance, so I wanted something with dancing in it. The exemplar I found, Roman de la Rose (Harley 4425) contained a scene of the Carolle (round dance with music) in the garden of Sir Mirth. I fell in love with it and determined that was the one I wanted to use. Contacting a photographer I knew might have pictures or know someone who did, I asked for pictures of the two of them so I could tweak the two center figures to resemble the Baron and Baroness. The original is part of the Roman de la Rose (Harley 4425), a manuscript made for Engelbert II, count of Nassau and Vianden in Bruges (now known as the Netherlands) by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun with the illuminations being done by the Master of the Prayer Books of around 1500 (British Library). The manuscript is about 11.41 inches by 15.55 inches. Materials used to make the original would likely include parchment for the substrate with the following pigments in a mix of egg glair and water or gum arabic and water: yellow ochre (earth), sap green (plant), lamp black (soot), rose madder (plant), lapis (stone), lead red (lead), lead white (lead), burnt umber (hematite, stone), and burnt sienna (earth) (Cennini & Thompson, 1960; Clark, 1995). A point of interest was the auripigmentum also known as orpiment (arsenic and sulfur) which was used over the yellow ochre on the outside frame. The hand used in the original is listed as gothic cursive by the British Library with ink made of oak galls, iron shavings, gum arabic, soured wine (vinegar), and water (Cennini & Thompson, 1960). When recreating the pages of a manuscript I try to capture what I see using modern paints and modern substrates due to cost and safety reasons. Many period pigments were poisonous, using such ingredients as lead or mercury. While most might be framed, I prefer not to risk the chance of poisoning someone or their pets, so I use commercially produced gouache and mix my own colors. The scroll was done on 11x14 inch pergamenata with a border that left the illumination to an 8x10 inch window. This is slightly smaller than the original but it is in keeping with a standard size for SCA scrolls so that it is easier for a recipient to have it framed. First, I create what I call a pattern or a cartoon. This is often done by drawing a rough sketch on paper until I get it where I want it, then inking the lines I want to keep and erasing the ones I don’t. Then using a lightbox, I trace that to transfer paper for ease of transferring to the pergamenata. This means less chance of gouges in the substrate for paint to catch in. Once the basic design is on the paper, I practice the hand and the script I will be using. I try to use the hand from the exemplar or as close as I can come. When I am certain I have it to the right size for the scroll, I will line the scroll and add the calligraphy. For this scroll, I used Noodler’s Bullet Proof black with a size 5 nib in a dip pen. Normally at this point, if I were gilding, this is when I would do so. However, this scroll did not require actual gold, so I began painting. I used yellow ochre, ultramarine blue, alizarin crimson, chromium oxide, light purple, zinc white, lamp black, cadmium yellow pale, burnt umber, and burnt sienna by M.Graham and Winsor Newton. Using those colors I mixed everything to get as close to the original as I could get, though there is some margin for error as I do not have access to the original and had to work from digital uploads. After the yellow ochre was dry, I burnished it with a piece of hematite, taking care to only burnish the ochre. Next I started to fill in the base colors for some of the background while I waited for the auripigmentum substitute to arrive. I mixed the auripigmentum substitute according to the instructions from Mistress Livia and brushed it on. I used two layers to get good coverage and then continued the rest of the base colors, shading, and highlights. I did not get this project done in time for it to be handed out at Twelfth Night due to illness. This taught me that it is better to apologize for being late than to rush and ruin what I was working on. This scroll also reinforced the realization that the smaller the people the harder the face and hands. It was also the first time I had used any form of the auripigmentum, substitute or real, and it most definitely was a learning experience. The first thing I learned is that the powder goes everywhere so care is needed when opening and measuring and mixing and painting. I think in the future I might use a little more binder and do the ochre and auripigmentum before adding any other colors to the substrate as it does flake a little. In progress pics below.
3 Comments
Leslie Main Johnson
3/30/2020 10:25:40 am
wonderful to see the sequence of your work. Although I live in Canada (Avacal, Barony of Borealis), I know Evelyn and Stefan through dancing. What a lovely scroll. In the Society HL Alyne of Kendal.
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Failenn
3/30/2020 10:39:05 am
Thank you so much! It was a challenge and a joy to work on for her. :)
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