From: owner-scribes@castle.org (scribes digest) To: scribes-digest@castle.org Subject: scribes digest V2 #45 Reply-To: Sender: owner-scribes@castle.org Errors-To: owner-scribes@castle.org Precedence: bulk scribes digest Tuesday, June 2 1998 Volume 02 : Number 045 In this issue: Re: [scribes]: Medieval letters Re: [scribes]: What are you working on Re: [scribes]: What are you working on [none] [scribes]: Specilize? [scribes]: Invitation to meet at Pennsic. Re: [scribes]: charging for scrolls Re: [scribes]: Specilize? [scribes]: Re: black paper ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 02 Jun 1998 00:04:25 -0700 From: John Stracke Subject: Re: [scribes]: Medieval letters Thomas Brownwell wrote: > Another topic is abbreviations. Almost all of us have seen the simplest one, > where a final "em" is shortened to a final "e" with a line (curved or straight, > serifed or not) over it. Similarly, I think this is where the Spanish enye ("n" with a tilde over it) came from: I've seen old Spanish texts where enye was two "n"s; my guess was that "nn" evolved into n-with-a-little-n-over-it, and then the little n got simplified into a tilde. - -- /=================================================================\ |John Francis Stracke | http://www.thibault.org |S/MIME & HTML OK| |francis@thibault.org |===========================================| |Crosston, Mists, West| Any time somebody has a conditioned | |My LAN, my opinions. | response, they *always* think of Pavlov! | \=================================================================/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Jun 1998 00:26:40 -0700 From: guineth@juno.com (Emily SD Thompson) Subject: Re: [scribes]: What are you working on On Mon, 01 Jun 1998 13:04:48 -0400 Michel Almond writes: >I was wondering "What is everyone working on"? > >Also, How is it going? I am finishing up a pair of Gouttes de Sang (mid-level service award, An Tir), bookhand with whitevine borders -- should be done tomorrow sometime; making 4 winners' scrolls for the individual contests of our local shire's A&S Championship, Gothic style and lettering -- looking good and going pretty well; and planning the border decoration for an AoA charter scroll -- bookhand again, with merfolk as seal supporters instead of putti, whitevine climbing the outer borders, a 1/4" inner border knotted at intervals and filled with black-on-white vines, spirals, geometric, etc., and an inner panel with a ship and seascape -- I have all the needed elements, I just need to finish off my other two projects and get it together and painted. Hopefully before the end of the month! Sister Guineth the White. _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Jun 1998 04:00:17 -0400 (EDT) From: Kathleen Sperling Subject: Re: [scribes]: What are you working on On Mon, 1 Jun 1998, Michel Macdonald wrote: > I was wondering "What is everyone working on"? Scribewise, on my plate I have: 1) A backlog AoA that unfortunately has had to be put on the back-burner for a number of months as other rush stuff has cropped up. It's based on a section from the Book of Kells (can't list the precise section as the book I'm working from isn't with me right now). 2) A commissioned illumination for an Order of the Bee (an Ealdormere award) scroll, which the lady in question didn't get a scroll for upon its presentation, as Ealdormere wasn't giving scrolls out for its orders at the time she received hers. She has arranged with another local lord to do the calligraphy. We agreed on a style that was in line with her persona, but what that style was has gone completely out of my head right now! 3) A backlog Order of the Red Company (Midrealm award) for a gentle who was inducted into it a few weeks ago, but a scroll could not be arranged in time, and it was given to me to do whenever I could swing it. I'm hoping to be able to do something very elaborate from the Lindisfarne Gospels. Ideally I'd like to finish it by Pennsic. 4) I've been commissioned to do the full status scroll for the Canton of Caer Draeth, for their first full-status anniversary celebration this fall. I'll be sitting down with their seneschal in the next few months to discuss what style they would like. 5) One local lady has reserved my services long-range for two commissions - - scrolls for her AoA and her lord's Order of the Red Company. It's my intention to do the scrolls in styles in line with their respective personas - hers is Elizabethan and her lord's is a Spanish Jew. 6) I will be doing the calligraphy and illumination in the Ealdormere Scroll of Honour (sort of a roll of fine deeds) for the reign of Edward the Red and Rylyn Buchanan. This will be early 11th century Saxon in style, to match their personas. 7) I'm also hoping to contribute a scroll blank or two to an upcoming Ealdormerean scribal project. Yes, I am insane. No, I won't be able to complete this scribal to-do list until winter. :) > Also, How is it going? The backlog AoA is almost all done, actually, there's just a bit of illumination left to go. It was my first attempt at a Celtic style and as such I'm quite pleased with it. The other projects haven't been started yet, as I've only just emerged from a frantic flurry of other stuff. But I'm looking forward to expanding my skills once again and delving into a variety of styles! Incidentally, to relate back to the charging-for-scrolls thread, the tradition in my neck of the woods is to be "paid" in some way for independently commissioned works (but not, of course, for scrolls done for the signet's office). For instance, I've worked out a preliminary agreement with the lady who has commissioned the AoA and the ORC that she will help me make a complete Tudor outfit in exchange for doing one of the scrolls that she wants (Tudor/Elizabethan costuming is her thing). I don't feel that commissions require financial reimbursement necessarily - if there happens to be something you want from the person commissioning you, exchange of goods and services is a great way to go. And I happen to have wanted to have and know how to make (which is why I don't want to simply hand her all the fabric and say 'here, make something nice') Tudor garb for a while now, so it works out well. :) Cheers, Zahra al-Ishbiiliyah Incipient College of Skeldergate Principality/Incipient Kingdom of Ealdormere Middle Kingdom ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Jun 1998 07:02:49 +0100 From: David Columbus Subject: [none] >Right now I am working on a laurel scroll for a laurel in music. I >composed a text in Latin, and Mistress Ellisif Flakkari set it to >period-style music. The final product may well turn into two pages; it is >in the style of a period choirbook. I'm basing it on a piece that I saw >at the manuscript display and sale at the Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, >back in April. The arms and particulars of Crown and place given will be >in a gloss off to one side, and I'll include an interlinear translation. > >By the bye, Arches does a black cold press (I think) paper. Has anyone >ever tried this for one of the dyed pieces? I picked up a piece the other >day, and I'm dying to try it! > >Graidhne ni Ruaidh >BMDL, AEthelmearc Graidhne, Yes, I have done a piece on the black d'Arches paper. Be aware that it will not take as much abuse as the white paper. You can't erase pencil lines easily because the eraser will leave marks on the paper. This means that you should only put down pencil lines that you intend to cover up with paint. This will, of course, present a problem for laying down lies for the calligraphy. Other than that, I found it a nice paper to work with. It took my paint nicely, holding crisp edges. The one thing I noticed about the paint though, it doesn't bind to the paper as well as it does on the white paper. Putting a bit of extra binder into the paints might help. I'm going to Barony Birthday. I'll bring the piece with me and you can examine it yourself and see what you think. B'wana Christofano ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 02 Jun 1998 13:50:38 +0200 From: Anna Troy Subject: [scribes]: Specilize? Just a general question. Do you Scribes and Illuminators out there specilize in one or two different styles or is it "The more the merrier". Anna de Byxe ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' "Anna's LARP Craft Links Page" http://www.bibks.uu.se/58/home.html "Aros H=E4rads Hemsida" http://hem.passagen.se/owly ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 02 Jun 1998 09:33:46 -0400 From: Michel Macdonald Subject: [scribes]: Invitation to meet at Pennsic. Greetings to the list from Lady Michel Almond de Champagne, Deputy Signet Clerk of the East, in charge of the care and feeding of Novice Scribes. Hi, I haven't been able to officially contact Mistress Eloise Signet of the East, but I know she would agree with me. I would like to officially invite all scribes who are going to Pennsic to attend the Scribes Reception. I don't know when or where but I do know it will happen. Each year the hosting kingdoms signet has put together a little tea party. Each person attending is asked to bring along examples of their work to show everyone. This is a great opportunity to see what everyone else is doing. I personally love the opportunity to have comments made about my work. No RSVP needed, simply check the message boards for time and place. This year I am working at Heralds point as War Herald. If anyone has questions about the reception, you can find me there. Michel ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Jun 1998 10:02:29 -0400 (EDT) From: stacey jill wahrman Subject: Re: [scribes]: charging for scrolls I live in Atlantia, where people are free to make private arrangements to commission a particular scribe to paint a scroll for them, and this arrangement is not uncommon for those who have been waiting a long time for a scroll or have something particular in mind. I have neve chagrged for a scroll, and I'm not sure I'd ever be able to charge a friend for doing something I enjoy. I love the way their eyes light up when they see the finished product :-) On the other hand, if someone I didn't know well wanted something that would be an incredible pain in the butt, and offered to reimburse me for my time, I probably wouldn't turn it down. Hasn't happened yet, and requests have been willing to wait in line while I finish things as they come. Our barony recently decided to set aside a fund for scribal materials. The scribes all agreed that the best way to dispense it was to hand it over to our fearless leader, our local Laurel, and present receipts to be reimbursed for paints, brushes, paper, etc. Now that material costs are taken care of, I can afford to be free with my time :-) For many scribes (including me), the expense of art suplies really adds up, and having a local or kingdom fund to support material costs seems like a really good idea. The last time this thread came up, someone compared scribing to cooking (something else I do), and pointed out that cooks donate their time for free, and spend a whole event in the kitchen, not to mention all the pre-cooking that needs to be done, shopping time, etc. An apt analogy, but of course, no one has yet asked a cook to donate the food :-) In service to the dream, Arianwen ferch Maelgwn - -=*=-=-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=- Stacey Wahrman wahrman@wam.umd.edu Like a parrot in a picture window, I can see where I want to be. But repeated blows to my feathered little head Have taught me not to fly straight. -- The Bobs ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Jun 1998 09:06:28 -0500 From: gevehard@juno.com (Garret C Bitker) Subject: Re: [scribes]: Specilize? Greetings, Thought I would delurk and throw in my view on this, personally I like to do as many different styles as I can, I love doing something new. On the other hand I do have a few styles, bar & ivy and acanthus(gothic), that I fall back on if my deadline is short. I have been working on several scroll blanks, one bar & ivy, a trompe'l oeil (sp) banner, a grimani page with frame border and one with an acanthus edge. I just had the chance to judge calligraphy at Kingdom A&S (midrealm) and learned a lot from the other judges (thanks Ariake) There always seems to be more to do... Herr Gevehard von Baden Midrealm, Northshield, Inner Sea, edge of world _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Jun 1998 09:08:57 -0500 (EST) From: john j cash Subject: [scribes]: Re: black paper DEar folks, First, I guess after a month on the list and a few postings, I should follow protocol and say who I am. My name is Johannes von Narrenstein, and I have been calligraphing in the SCA for nearly twenty years. I was Tyger Clerk of the East Kingdom from 1982-1984, and have done work for the now Kingdom of Artemsia and for the Midrealm. I was elevated to the l\Laurel in 1983. Within the past few years I have had the opportunity to move from scrolls to books, and two of the more successful ones have been reproductions of the Brussells Manuscript, a book of dances and dance music dating ca. 1500. The Brussells Manuscript was written on black-dyed vellum in gold and silver ink, and like so many other books produced on black vellum, it is now disintegrating (the dyeing process, not to mention the silver ink, corrodes the vellum). My facsimiles were done on acid-free black paper. It is of lighter weight than the 90 lb. Arches white cotton rag I am used to. It is museum grade laid paper, however, and I trust it will stand up over time. The music and dance notation are done this way. The staff and lines for the notes are in gold ink; the notes, song title, and dance notation are dong in siler ink. My method for these reproductions was to lay down gum arabic as adhesive with a crow-quill metal nib, then leaf each line immediately with gold leaf strips, and only after each page was leafed would I proceed to calligraph the "text" in Testor's silver model paint. The results are satisfactory, if not quite period. Because the gum arabic would soak into the paper, the leafing was very tedious, and burnishing did more harm than good. Because the model paint is, well, model paint, I do not suppose the silver will keep well. It might affect the paper over the long run, too. If folks want to know where these two books are, you could ask Mistress Urraca of Mynnydd Seren (Bloomington Indiana) of the Midrealm, or Countess Mara Tudora of Carolingia (Boston Mass.) in the Eastrealm, for a peek. I'm sure they could oblige. -- johannes v.n. ------------------------------ End of scribes digest V2 #45 ****************************