From: owner-scribes@castle.org (scribes digest) To: scribes-digest@castle.org Subject: scribes digest V1 #11 Reply-To: Sender: owner-scribes@castle.org Errors-To: owner-scribes@castle.org Precedence: bulk scribes digest Tuesday, January 27 1998 Volume 01 : Number 011 In this issue: Re: [scribes]: inexpensive gold/silver substitute Re: [scribes]: Title of lost book [scribes]: On Exemplers Re: [scribes]: What about the words Re: [scribes]: Russian callig and illum Re: [scribes]: beginner's questions Re: [scribes]: Re: Pigment storage Re: [scribes]: Patent gold & burnishing Re: [scribes]: Why Glassine ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 19:36:27 EST From: EBHarbord Subject: Re: [scribes]: inexpensive gold/silver substitute In a message dated 98-01-25 19:19:09 EST, you write: << Thanks, Katarina. You have saved me some disappointment. I shallhave to figure out a way to keep hand oils off the stone. A handle makes sense. Hmmm... Nice little setting, decent wood.... could be pretty, actually. Thanks for the suggestion. Neil >> My thanks and gratitude as well. I found that holding my tumbled quartz stones and agates do have a tendency to "act" funny sometimes. Now I know why. A wood setting does sound rather nice. :-) Arrienna McP ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 19:48:58 -0600 From: Cornelius Perkins Subject: Re: [scribes]: Title of lost book Okay, so I still haven't found _Penmanship of the XVI, XVII, XVIII Centuries_, by Lewis Day, published by Taplinger (thanks again, Merouda), but I do at least know my guy's name now: From _Calligraphy: The Art of Written Forms_, by Donald M. Anderson, published by Dover: "The first writing book published in England, _A Book Containing Divers Sortes of Hands_, was by John de Beauchesne and John Baildon, and appeared in 1570. It was an English version of Beauchesne's Paris book of 1550, and its sixty plates were cut in wood." So my memory of the year was wrong - it's 1570, not 1572.... but at least I know my guy's name. Neil - -- // Cornelius Perkins cperkins@nothinbut.net // http://www.nothinbut.net/~cperkins // In girum imus nocte et consumimur igni ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Jan 1998 01:05:29 -0500 From: "Elyse C. Boucher" <70521.3645@compuserve.com> Subject: [scribes]: On Exemplers Hello, gentles, from Merouda Re Russian Hand My ffriend Magda, the lady who did the pseudo Arabic Hand, also did a nice pseudo Cyrillic hand. Again, anyone wanting the exempler may send me a SASE, and I will happily send you a copy. Magdalena, at the time she did these hands, was working at Northwestern University, and so had excellent access to documents and books not uswually available. She got a lot of her letter forms by going thru the books and just picking out things that looked like the English form. nterestingly enought, she could find no period examples of the backwards 'R' we tent to picture when visualizing the Cyrillic alphabet. She did make the 'R' backwards, based on what looked like an "R' or 'P' primarily because the modern eye tends to expect it. So there is a piece oF trivia for you. M. Ranthulfr mention my refernce list. If you have web acces and would like to see it, go to http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Library/2036 and follow the link for the annotated bibliography. I'd give you the dierect address, except I have no web access at the moment and I can't recall what precisely I named the first file. If you don't have web access and would like a hardcopy, send me a SASE, and I'll get you one. :) My address: Elyse C. Boucher, 2004 S. 70th St, West Allis, WI, 53219, USA. However, I must warn you that I will not be able to be as prompt as usual in returning letters, as I am currently out of Wisconsin, dealing with a major family crisis. So please be patient if I can't get to you right away. I promise I will get the info back to you. Last, good L. Eibhlin suggested Phaidon Press' BOOKS OF HOURS as a good, inexpensive exempler book. This is indeed a spiffy little book, and a treasure indeed! However, I think that this book is better recommended as an illumination exempler, as there isn't a lot of calligraphy in it. I would wholeheartedly second the various recomendations otherwise made! In fact, at about US$5, the MK Scribes Handbook is really a deal. Especially if you refer to it often enough to remember what is in it (says Merouda as she kicks herself again)! Ever you servant, Merouda ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Jan 1998 17:11:02 +1100 From: Steve Roylance Subject: Re: [scribes]: What about the words FITCHYBEAR@aol.com wrote: > > In a message dated 98-01-25 20:45:23 EST, roylance@corplink.com.au writes: > > << From Munimenta Heraldica 1484-1984, G.D.Squibb, London, 1985, > ISBN0-9500207-6-1, which is an anniversary publication of documents > relating to the English College of Arms, there are several documents of > interest > >> > does this publication include photos of the documents and description (i.e. > measurements)?-JimBear The oldest document has a photograph and there are no dimensions. Some of the documents do not have Library or catalogue numbers. As ever Thorfinn, Lochac, West Melbourne, Australia ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Jan 1998 17:23:32 +1100 From: Steve Roylance Subject: Re: [scribes]: Russian callig and illum Heather Whitesides wrote: > > Grettings I am Scia of the Outlands, and a newscribe, who is very > interested in examples of Russian illumination, that is not icon > painting. I would also love to know if anyone has an english alphabet > version of cyrillic medieval script, in other words a Russian looking > calligraphy hand. > > Thanks much, > > Scia This book is probably out of print but Russian Illuminated Manuscripts, O.Popova, Thames & Hudson, London, 1984, ISBN 0-500-27310-3 This has 48 colour photos and 21 b&w, but many are of illumination detail Also, it may be published by George Brazillier in North America As ever Thorfinn, Lochac, West Melbourne, Australia ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Jan 1998 01:59:47 EST From: FITCHYBEAR Subject: Re: [scribes]: beginner's questions In a message dated 98-01-26 12:34:18 EST, Carolyn_Richardson@cch.com writes: << I tried JimBear's garlic juice method with limited success, so it's just easier to leave the painted areas ungilded. Zenobia, I did your Laurel scroll with this method. Tetchubah of Greenlake Kingdom of Caid >> regarding the not-so-patented JimBear's garlic juice method......never ever think to yourself "well, I'll just paint the entire gilded area and then scrape away some of the dried paint to reveal the gold beneath in a truly stunning and fern-like pattern".......what happens is you have enamel on top of gold and you have to do the entire thing over...JimBear(learner of lessons at 3:00 a.m.) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Jan 1998 01:59:53 EST From: FITCHYBEAR Subject: Re: [scribes]: Re: Pigment storage In a message dated 98-01-26 14:12:28 EST, randyaf@provide.net writes: << With respect to the message below, I stronly suggest NOT using rubber stoppers on glass tubes for storing DRY pigments. The problem is the dust which pops up when you open and close them. Even if it is only a little, some of that dust is highly toxic. >> I agree about safety but I smoke large cigars and I couldn't possibly fill one of these tubes with enough pigment to cause it to atomize so near the top. I have also done a test when I am painting with white lead whereby I wet at cotton ball with the reagent from a water/lead test kit and so far have not had any reactions. The vials from Master John also come with little rubber stoppers.......so there you have it, two different methods.-JimBear ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Jan 1998 01:59:52 EST From: FITCHYBEAR Subject: Re: [scribes]: Patent gold & burnishing In a message dated 98-01-26 12:50:43 EST, Carolyn_Richardson@cch.com writes: << I think you can only *truly* burnish gold when you are using a water gilding technique with real gesso (I haven't been able to get this to work with acrylic but I'd love to hear from someone who has) and nonpatent gold. Since real gesso will get sticky enough to have gold stick to it when you breath on it, the gold can then be burnished as the only thing holding it to the gesso is essentially the vacuum created when the moisture soaks into the gesso. Tetchubah of Greenlake Kingdom of Caid >> I agree that water gilding is the best method, but I believe Miriel gets some good results from the oil size....am I right on this Miriel????-JimBear ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Jan 1998 01:59:52 EST From: FITCHYBEAR Subject: Re: [scribes]: Why Glassine In a message dated 98-01-26 14:11:30 EST, randyaf@provide.net writes: << The traditional gesso can be sanded, scraped, carved, or pressed to make it a flat surface. After it is dry, but before I moisten for gilding, I like to use a bone burnisher or the top of my fingernail to polish the gesso. This does a lot to get rid of minute texture which can also cause faults. Good luck with your gilding! Master Rathulfr Asparlundr, KSCA >> Very good explanation! I have had great sucess carving acrylic gesso too but it isn't nearly as fun to work with........Mistress Miriel (icon godess!) teaches burnishing in steps where one turns the piece 90 deg. and only burnish in one direction while increasing the pressure each time you turn the piece- JimBear ------------------------------ End of scribes digest V1 #11 ****************************