From: owner-scribes@castle.org (scribes digest) To: scribes-digest@castle.org Subject: scribes digest V1 #53 Reply-To: Sender: owner-scribes@castle.org Errors-To: owner-scribes@castle.org Precedence: bulk scribes digest Wednesday, February 11 1998 Volume 01 : Number 053 In this issue: [scribes]: measuring -Reply Re: [scribes]: Estrella--still looking for people Re: [scribes]: measuring -Reply [scribes]: Scriptorium question [scribes]: Rulings [scribes]: scribing lettering and drafting tools [scribes]: Scribal Signatures Re: [scribes]: scribing lettering and drafting tools ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 12:17:54 -0500 From: Michel Macdonald Subject: [scribes]: measuring -Reply This is a technique that I use. I have never seen anyone else use it, so please speak up if anyone does, or has comments. On my drawing board I cover it with a piece of paper that has a grid pre-printed on it. This allows me to line up both my horizontal "T" and my vertical angle. The paper is also lined up to this grid. I have standard measurements for scrolls that allow for a mat and a one inch white area boarder. I can then use the grid to mark off my calligraphy space and illumination space without ever having to write on my paper. I write on the grid paper. Michel ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 10:36:32 -0700 From: Heather Whitesides Subject: Re: [scribes]: Estrella--still looking for people > > Ok--that's two of us so far--I'll be camped in with Viscount Sir Richard of > Aldertree (Rat) from the Mists. He's usually next to Macteir (sp?) and the > Barony of Darkwoods. Ask for the folks from AEthelmearc. I'll be flying out > late Wednesday, and, while I know there's one or two classes listed, I was > looking forward to a general get together as well. If anyone has any info, > I'd be really interested. > Thanks, > Cori Ghora, deputy AEthelmearc signet > Clare Jackson, North Tonawanda, NY (just north of Buffalo) > pts21@aol.com > Great, maybe we could post a note at troll for any other scribes who may be interested. Scia ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 13:25:21 -0500 (EST) From: Monica Cellio Subject: Re: [scribes]: measuring -Reply > On my drawing board I cover it with a piece of paper that has a grid > pre-printed on it. This allows me to line up both my horizontal "T" and my > vertical angle. The paper is also lined up to this grid. I haven't done much calligraphy, but when I have I've done something sort of similar: I decided what line spacing I wanted for the nib I was using, used my computer to produce lined paper of exactly the right spacing, taped a couple sheets of this together to get something wide enough to show on both sides of the scroll page, and then used a ruler and this cheat sheet to mark my lines. Much easier than the measured tick-marks and more likely to be correct when it's done. Ellisif ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 13:29:45 -0500 (EST) From: stacey jill wahrman Subject: [scribes]: Scriptorium question Greetings! I am a graduate student in Medieval literature, and in a seminar last night we were discussing the impact of women's patronage of books of hours on the literature written for women. Someone asked how a scriptorium would actually have been physically laid out, and no one really knew. So I turn to you for help---does anyone know what the physical layout of a scriptorium would have been (i.e., aprroximate # of scribes, arrangement of workspace, etc.) and also whether any have survived in Medival sites that are open to visitors (and would have some information available, presumably) Any recommendations of books would be welcome! It could be important to the relationship between patron and scribe that we're focusing on. Thanks! Arianwen ferch Maelgwn Storvik/Ponte Alto, Atlantia - -=*=-=-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=- Stacey Wahrman wahrman@wam.umd.edu Why is it that as we grow older and stronger The road signs point us adrift and make us afraid Saying "You can never win," "Watch your back," "Where's your husband?" Oh I don't like the signs that the signmakers made. So I'm going to steal out with my paint and my brushes I'll change the directions, I'll hit every street It's the Tinseltown scandal, the Robin Hood vandal She goes out and steals the King's English. --Dar Williams ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 14:27:58 -0500 From: randyaf@provide.net (Randy & Melody Asplund-Faith) Subject: [scribes]: Rulings Hello everyone! I thought I would share about some tools and techniques for ruling which I really like. Consider that I am working on 8x10 bristol (and parchment). This fits a standard frame nicely, but I am using a Brause 1/2 mm or 3/4 mm nib so I can fit it on that size. This means I need really steady and accurate ruling lines. I bought a small portable drafting board by ROTRING. It has about a 17x13 inch working area made of very sturdy white plastic with ruling guides all over it. There are tracks on which a horizontal/vertical ruling bar can slide along. Now here's the beauty of why it is accurate and doesn't slip. The design has a really well made track which makes the bar so stable that you actually have to try to get it off true!. All your lines will be perfectly parallel. The bar locks temporarily, but a button will release it to slide to any distance. There is also a rotating angle you can buy which does the same thing. Very clever. It cost around $ 50 several years ago when I bought it, but it is well worth it to me. I slip a page into the built-in locking ruler clamp on the side and with the sliding ruling bar I mark off the locations of where my ruling lines will go. (Actually you can just make the ruling lines now with ease, but I am going for a period effect, so I mark dots with a 2h mechanical pencil to indicate where my pin pricks will go). Then I remove the page and lay it down on a spare piece of illo board and pin prick about 3/8 in from the edges (so in a matt they will show). If you do a lot of scrolls the same size with similar layout, you can stack several pages at once and pin prick through the stack. Then you only measure once! My ruling lines are made by using the pin prickings as the guide. I use a bow pen and a regular straight edge. The ink I use is diluted burnt umber watercolor to simulate the brown fluid on top of unstirred iron ink. Sometimes I rule with drypoint or a 2h lead pencil which I do not later erase. Any of these will give an effect emulating a particular period style. I am writing my letters floated in between the lines. There is about a half penwidth between the bottom of non-descending letters. Be careful to keep the tops of your minim strokes even (the height of a lower case letter like "m", "o" or "u"). This is why I am not erasing. If my letters actually touched ruling lines it would not look medieval at all. If you are not yet steady enough to float those letters, well, that comes with practicing floating your letters. In the meantime a trick which I used to use was to rule the normal permanent lines with ink or a drypoint groove, and then I would make light, temporary lines in between with a pencil. The pencil lines would be guides for the top and bottom of the minim height. After caligraphing, the pencil is removed to leave only the appropriate ruling lines in the ink or drypoint. It is double the ruling work, but nobody will ever know you got that perfect period look without floating! The job is actually really faster with the Rotring board. Sneaky, but cool. Happy calligraphing! Ranthulfr Asparlundr OL, KSCA Randy Asplund-Faith 2101 S. Circle Dr. Ann Arbor, MI. 48103 http://www.provide.net/~randyaf ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 12:05:11 PST From: "Jim Hart" Subject: [scribes]: scribing lettering and drafting tools My father was a draftsman who had a lot of neat little plastic things that I used to play with ( and he'd get mad ) as a child. Now I know what they are really meant for, and they make some of the things scribes do a lot easier. One that I use now for scrolls is an "AMES" lettering guide. My father recomended this brand name. It slides along the edge of the ruler and lets you draw about 10 lines without moving the ruler ( works even better with a drafting table and a T-square ). It is adjustable and can be used to draw lines spaced many different ways. I don't leave home without it... Conal ...I have also used it to draw lines for diaper patterns! ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 13:24:47 -0800 From: Trish Waldon Subject: [scribes]: Scribal Signatures Hi, everyone, A question occurred to me as I was ruminating (sounds like a cow, doesn't it!) about the discussion on this list last month about recognition of scribes. I understand that it is not forbidden for a scribe to sign their work, and that more and more historic examples are known, so I would like to ask the list what kinds of scribal "signatures" people know about. I have seen the "So-and-So Made Me" type of signature ... any others? (By the way, I'm getting so much great information out of this list. Thanks so much to all you "experienced" scribes for helping us new ones along. Randy, your last post about the portable drafting table may just change my life! What I really adore is the painting, and any time I can save in the basic set up and drafting is more time I can spend on the "best" parts!) Rowan Oldway of Oakhaven Barony of Darkwood, Mists, the West **************************************************************** Trish Waldon voice: (408) 459-3857 Social Sciences Development fax: (408) 459-5900 310 Social Sciences I email: trishw@cats.ucsc.edu University of California Santa Cruz, CA 95064 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 18:18:51 -0500 From: "Helen Schultz" Subject: Re: [scribes]: scribing lettering and drafting tools Conal said: "One that I use now for scrolls is an "AMES" lettering guide. My father recomended this brand name. ....It is adjustable and can be used to draw lines spaced many different ways. > I don't leave home without it..." - --- Let me add this about that: The Linex Liner is even better!! Built on the same basic format as the Ames, but it is primarily in metrics and gives you a much wider choice of line spacings. It also has about 10 more holes to use in the center grouping. It works PERFECTLY with the Mitchell nibs!!! If anyone is interested, I can later post the markings to use if lining for a basic Carolingian hand in all the sizes of nibs Mitchell makes, as well as the filed down Brause EF-66 nib. I have a wonderful transparency of these lines that I use when trying to match up the size of a script I see in a real-sized facsimile. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Meisterin Katarina Helene von Schoenborn, OL Shire of Narrental (Peru, Indiana) Middle Kingdom ~~ Vert, a unicorn head couped close Argent, crinned and armed Or, and in sinister, a gore Or ~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------ End of scribes digest V1 #53 ****************************