From: owner-scribes@castle.org (scribes digest) To: scribes-digest@castle.org Subject: scribes digest V2 #43 Reply-To: Sender: owner-scribes@castle.org Errors-To: owner-scribes@castle.org Precedence: bulk scribes digest Monday, June 1 1998 Volume 02 : Number 043 In this issue: Re: [scribes]: payment for scrolls RE: [scribes]: Charging for scrolls [scribes]: Left-handed callig book Re: [scribes]: Charging for scrolls Re: [scribes]: What are you working on Re: [scribes]: What are you working on Re: [scribes]: What are you working on Re: [scribes]: Modern letters (was:Abcderian sentences) [scribes]: What are you working on Re: [scribes]: What are you working on [scribes]: Outlining ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1998 12:12:26 EDT From: FITCHYBEAR@aol.com Subject: Re: [scribes]: payment for scrolls In a message dated 98-05-31 14:09:05 EDT, randyaf@provide.net writes: << The question I have is who determines what is a reasonable amount to reimburse for materials? Is it done per scroll? How will it be kept fair? If a good way of doing that is worked out I think it may be an inspirational model and a healthy step forward. >> Respectfully, I don't think that is the point. I think that is a wonderfull step in the right direction..........in just about everything we do in the Society, it is based on the honor system......those who have need and wish to partake of the fund may, and those that don't wish to don't. The other option, would be the chief scribe could go out and purchase supplies ( I would suggest basic colours of gouches, paper and inks rather than brushes because everyone has really different tastes in brushes) and make them availble when y'all get together to do some scribin'-JimBear ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1998 09:47:13 -0700 From: Karen Williams Subject: RE: [scribes]: Charging for scrolls Francois says: >>The West Kingdom scribe's handbook, in the section on the duties of the >>Chancellor (the Kingdom scribe in charge), under "Work with the College >>of Heralds", mentions, "Administer scribe tax funds"--which I guess >>means that the Western heralds take part of their registration fees and >>give it to the scribes for materials. One dollar of the registration fee is used as a "scribe tax", and is usually spent for printing scroll blanks. It has also been used to buy paint for scriptoria, and to furnish a box of art supplies to be used by beginner scribes until they could buy their own. Branwen ferch Emrys ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1998 11:53:54 -0500 (EST) From: Sara Harless Subject: [scribes]: Left-handed callig book Fair greetings to the lists and my apologies for the cross-posting. I cannot remember which list had the discussion. I have finally unearthed the book I mentioned in one posting: _Left-Handed Calligraphy_ by Vance Studley ISBN 0-486-26702-4 published by Dover in 1991. Hope this is helpful to someone. Aoibheann of Rivenstar ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 01 Jun 1998 14:50:05 -0400 From: Martha Knowles Subject: Re: [scribes]: Charging for scrolls Karen Williams wrote: > > Francois says: > >>The West Kingdom scribe's handbook, in the section on the duties of the > >>Chancellor (the Kingdom scribe in charge), under "Work with the College > >>of Heralds", mentions, "Administer scribe tax funds"--which I guess > >>means that the Western heralds take part of their registration fees and > >>give it to the scribes for materials. > > One dollar of the registration fee is used as a "scribe tax", > and is usually spent for printing scroll blanks. It has also been used to buy > paint for scriptoria, and to furnish a box of art supplies to be used by > beginner scribes until they could buy their own. > > Branwen ferch Emrys In the Barony of Thor's Mountain, in Meridies, we allot a small amount of our yearly budget to the purchase of illumination supplies (paint, brushes, palettes, etc.) for the scribes in our group. As individuals branch out in their scribal interests, they start collecting their own set of art stuff. But we do try to get everyone started, and provide for the group work of painting scroll blanks for the kingdom. Blessings, Marthe Elsbeth of Oak Hill ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 01 Jun 1998 13:04:48 -0400 From: Michel Macdonald Subject: Re: [scribes]: What are you working on Greetings from Lady Michel Almond I was wondering "What is everyone working on"? Also, How is it going? I am working on a back log AOA scroll. Plate 30, Kings Charles VI Conversing with the Author from The Golden Age page 30. This scroll has two lovely peacocks that I am having a hard time with. The tails look great, but the bodies look king of funny. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1998 16:13:37 -0400 From: "Jessica Wilbur" Subject: Re: [scribes]: What are you working on Greetings! > Greetings from Lady Michel Almond > > I was wondering "What is everyone working on"? > I'm currently working on an AoA for my housemate. It's based on the Litlyngton Missal (1380's English). Very detailed, ornate borders-- lots of spiky vines and flowers. > Also, How is it going? > Not bad, though I'm really tired of spiky vines and flowers (I first did a Shark's Tooth - Atlantian fighting award - in the same style, to try it out first). I'm getting ready to do the calligraphy on it, practicing a few times to get the spacing and size right. Of course he had to pick the longest text he could find! I wish I worked faster, because I have some other projects that I'd like to get to. Oh, well... - --Muireann ni Riordain Ponte Alto, Atlantia ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 01 Jun 1998 15:43:38 -0500 From: Jennifer Rosen Subject: Re: [scribes]: What are you working on At 01:04 PM 6/1/98 -0400, Michel Macdonald wrote: >I was wondering "What is everyone working on"? Right now, I'm working on 3 scrolls -- a guild charter, a grove, and a laurel scroll. These have all been received, and they are being made custom for the recipient. The charter is the farthest along -- it's in late period Italian Trompe l'Oeil style, with jewels and cameos. I'm doing this on parchment with period pigments, gum arabic, glair, and egg tempera. It's coming along pretty well. I've got all the solid shapes in, and this weekend I started working on the shading -- did all the pearls and cameos. The grove is gothic bar & ivy style -- it's pencilled in and calliged, and was the unfortunate recipient of my first period gesso recipe. The gesso was too soft and crumbly (not enough hide glue, I think...), so I'm going to scrape off all those little acorns and try a different recipe. THis time I think I'll test it first! (Impatience is my enemy) The laurel scroll is going to be done in late Italian style also, from one of the illustrations in "The Painted Page" (can't remember which off the top of my head)-- It's got a colored border with gold leaf acanthus leafwork all around, with an illuminated Roman Capital. That's also going to be done on parchment. That's enough to keep me busy for a while! I'm planning on doing a couple of blanks in an arabic style to send to Pennsic. ________________ Lady Gianetta Andreini da Vicenza Jen Rosen jrosen@zwell.com Per fess gules and azure fretty, in chief in fess three popinjays Or "Oblectatio praesens non satis celeris est." (Instant gratification is just not fast enough.) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1998 16:45:17 EDT From: FITCHYBEAR@aol.com Subject: Re: [scribes]: Modern letters (was:Abcderian sentences) In a message dated 98-06-01 09:04:20 EDT, Deanna.Knott@GSC.GTE.Com writes: << This is for the bunny scroll I talked about a while ago. I have a web page now and I will have it scanned so I can put it up there after it is presented. Right now I just have the beginnings of my cooking research there. >> I've seen it done both ways .....there is a practical side to outlining, gold leaf produces glare (not glair that comes from eggs silly) when struck by light and at some angles you don't get any delination of what is seen because of said glare a visual break is helpful to the eye. You can also use minium (orange) or a mixture of burnt sienna and vine black which gives a pleasing brownish black-JimBear ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1998 15:50:04 -0500 From: Cindy Baker Subject: [scribes]: What are you working on >I was wondering "What is everyone working on"? I have been playing around with formulating paints from powdered pigments for several months now. I have tried several types of blue (ultramarine, smalt, azurite, cobalt) with gum arabic, glair and a combination of the two. I got some very lovely colors. The resulting paint surface is very different from commercial paints. In the case of the azurite with gum arabic, it almost looked crystalline. The glair also adds a little more gloss, which can look very good depending on how it's being used. (I like to add glair when I am going to paint thin white lines over the colors. It helps keep the base color from blending into the white.) I have done a little experimenting with reds in egg yolk, but have not yet found a mixture that works just right. The yolk tends to make the paint a little sticky and hard to handle. (probably needs a bit more water) I will try a combination of yolk & gum arabic next. Perhaps the problem will solve itself. I have been using these paints to make blank scrolls. They seem to hold up fairly well so far. I have been commissioned to make a knighting scroll for a friend as well. I have done some preliminary sketches and will be working on vellum. (Goody!) His persona is Roman and fairly early SCA. The illumination will be quite extensive however, as he has requested scenes from the last champions battle at Pennsic be included in the border. (That's what I get for saying I like a challenge! :-) >Also, How is it going? > >I am working on a back log AOA scroll. Plate 30, Kings Charles VI >Conversing with the Author from The Golden Age page 30. I am not familiar with the book & plate you are working from. I'll have to look it up. Don't feel too bad about the peacocks, their bodies often seem to be rather 'blobbish' in period pictures. I am lucky to live one block from our local zoo, which keeps peacocks. I would suggest using an egg-shape for the body (with the little end toward the tail) The neck is a long slender s-curved tube with a slight bulge for the head & a pointy beak. Very similar to a goose. I think the color and the tail are the most important distinguishing feature. Good luck!! >This scroll has two lovely peacocks that I am having a hard time with. >The tails look great, but the bodies look king of funny. > Ellen of the Scholars ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1998 18:09:19 -0400 (EDT) From: Susan Lynn Arthur Subject: Re: [scribes]: What are you working on At 01:04 PM 6/1/98 -0400, you wrote: >Greetings from Lady Michel Almond > >I was wondering "What is everyone working on"? > I am about 3/4 done with a backlog AOA scroll for a close friend. It is a gothic bar and ivy with little dancing figures down at the bottom. (from the Annunciation to the Shepherds in the Hours of Jeanne de Navarre) I am customizing it by adding a cat sleeping in the lower left corner of the vinework, and a little mouse dancing in the vinework on the right side. Well, the dancing will probably look more like "salient", but hey--it's a *mouse*, and she wants a mouse because there's one in her heraldry. >Also, How is it going? Very well so far. I've done the callig, gold, background colors in the bars, and have just finished painting all the little dancers. I chose this piece because I wanted a challenge, and the dancers have been that. Some days they just flow off the brush and some days they get really clunky and need lots of extra attention. I still lack all the whitework in the bars, and I'm *not* looking forward to that. So all in all, I guess I'm more than 3/4 done. Next is a quote from Shakespeare's _Tempest_ for a modern friend (and some $$). It'll be smallish and fairly simple; a nice break. Lucia Bellini ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1998 15:44:36 +0000 From: "Laurie Cavanaugh" Subject: [scribes]: Outlining This thread underwent severe changes, so I have changed the subject line again. :-) Avelina writes: > This is really, really cool information! (Have I told you guys I love you lately?) Not lately, but we appreciate it. :-) :-) [snip] > Oh, by the way, is it *bad* to outline my red and blue vines with a thin line of >black? I thought that was what I was *supposed to do and then when >I looked at my examples, I realized only the leaves were out lined >in black. This is for the bunny scroll I talked about a >while ago. I have a web page now and I will have it >scanned so I can put it up there after it is presented. ***Morgan's weird opinions ahead***** Well, it looks better now, doesn't it? Outlining has to go awfully far to really get out of hand. I'm one of the crazy people who outline darn near everything. It can really clean up the lines of a scroll. A caution, however: if you do your outlining in technical pen with ink, it will be painfully obvious that you have done so. Get your 000 brush, drink no caffeine for at least four hours, and paint them in. Ink belongs in calligraphy. (Don't get technical about the grisaille, James, I'm talking about outlining!) :-) :-) :-) If you already paint them in, then pat yourself on the back and you may place your nose in the air, the better to receive the pie about to be thrown at it. (Sorry. This is a very surreal week, and it's only Monday. I'm kidding about the nose in the air part. Let me know about the pie.) Additional random note: I got to see the Jeanne D'Evreaux exhibit at the Getty. Wow. They have magnifying glasses that you can use, but I spent lots of time just revelling in the extreme smallness of the book. They have a bunch of text pages on display as well as the important illuminations, and I appreciated that. I just wish their permanent exhibit room for manuscripts was bigger. Morgan Athenry, OL Dreiburgen, Caid Laurie Cavanaugh Young Minds, Inc cavanaug@ymi.com Splendor is worth the effort. ------------------------------ End of scribes digest V2 #43 ****************************