From: owner-scribes@castle.org (scribes digest) To: scribes-digest@castle.org Subject: scribes digest V1 #52 Reply-To: Sender: owner-scribes@castle.org Errors-To: owner-scribes@castle.org Precedence: bulk scribes digest Wednesday, February 11 1998 Volume 01 : Number 052 In this issue: [scribes]: measuring Re: [scribes]: whole page decoration [scribes]: Hello from Yseult de Lacy (Chris Robertson) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 18:55:27 EST From: Seton1355@aol.com Subject: [scribes]: measuring Greetings All! Just a "tip" some of you might find useful: I have been using my wide-grid, see-through quilters rulers to line paper. I feel that it goes pretty fast that way, and the ruler is wide enough to stretch all the way across the paper. I was recently looking through my quilter's supplies and I find that quite a few of them can do double-duty as scribal impliments. I've been using an old rotary cutter instead of an x-acto (sp?) knife. I have a blue, bendable thingie that I've been using to draw odd curves. My French-curve set has doubled as a curve marker for my calligraphy. I'll have to keep digging to see what else I can come up with :) If any of these items appeal to you for use and you're not a quilter, most of them can be picked up cheaply at Wal-mart. - ---Phillipa Seton ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 21:49:34 EST From: EowynA@aol.com Subject: Re: [scribes]: whole page decoration In a message dated 2/10/98 2:59:17 PM, marisa_herzog@macmail.ucsc.edu wrote: >This is the first time I have seen a page where the entire face was decorated, >and then the calligraphy done over the top. The capital illumination was a >few knights being belted. Unfortunatly the resolution of the web-page was not >great, and it was not in color, so I couldn't even guess what techniques or >colors were used on this. >Has anybody seen other examples of this? Yes -- one of my favorite manuscripts in the Getty museum shows this. It is ms. Ludwig II.3, -- I'll describe folio 128 below, from the Benedictine Abbey of Helmarshausen, ca. 1120- 1140. The page within the rainbow colored border box is painted a pale red-brown or pink in a design of six roundels, each with a passant lion within it, done in lighter and darker shades of the background color. Overall is an illuminated letter "I", fimbriated in sky blue, followed by a smaller, "acanthid" N in red and white, also fimbriated in the brilliant blue, and then the rest of the verse (Principio erat verbum et verbum erat apud deum) written in alternating gold and silver (now tarnished dark gray) acanthid letters. (where acanthid is a word I have made up to mean letters with lots of Romanesque-style acanthus-like leaves sprouting from it). The result is stunningly gorgeous. The page is only about 5" x 8" or thereabouts - -- not real big. The facing page then goes on with the text in a more normal fashion. Eowyn Amberdrake, Caid (Melinda Sherbring, Los Angeles) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 15:59:53 +1100 From: Chris Robertson Subject: [scribes]: Hello from Yseult de Lacy (Chris Robertson) Greetings all, I've just joined this list and am obediently posting an introductory article. I'm in the Barony of Rowany, in Lochac, and have been a scribe for about six years now. I have done a (small) number of SCA scrolls, including a laurel scroll, and am currently working on another laurel scroll. Most of my work has been relatively small pages, almost all given away, alas. I am also trying to get started on my major private project, a complete Book of Hours. By choice I work on parchement, with gouache, Rapidograph ink, and an Osmiroid dip-pen, but I am becoming more skilled with quills and am planning to start making my own pigments soon. My calligraphy is reasonable, and my illumination is good, especially fine details. I also have some experience gilding on gesso. These days I don't do nearly as much work as I'd like to because work and life are really busy, my hands aren't in good shape, and I'm kind of pissed off at the SCA in general. Looking forward to the digest, --Yseult de Lacy, Barony of Rowany, Lochac (Chris Robertson, Sydney, Australia chris@matra.com.au) ------------------------------ End of scribes digest V1 #52 ****************************