From: owner-scribes@castle.org (scribes digest) To: scribes-digest@castle.org Subject: scribes digest V4 #9 Reply-To: Sender: owner-scribes@castle.org Errors-To: owner-scribes@castle.org Precedence: bulk scribes digest Monday, October 16 2000 Volume 04 : Number 009 ======================================================================== To unsubscribe from this list, send email to with unsubscribe scribes-digets in the body of the message. Leave the subject line blank. Do not include any additional text. [scribes]: Changing styles ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 15 Oct 2000 23:29:31 -0400 From: "Sally Burnell" Subject: [scribes]: Changing styles Once again, I'm doing a scroll for an upcoming event. I feel like I've done bar-and-ivy to death, so this time I am trying my best to stretch myself and do something different. I am attempting a 14th c. Northern French style, and instead of doing my usual side and bottom border and a historiated initial, I am starting out with a large historiated initial in the center of the piece and then putting the text underneath that. So picture a large "O" inside a square-ish shape, then the text starts "n this 21st day of October, AS XXXV.............." so that the "O" is the first letter in the word "On". (I do hope this does not confuse the heralds too much!!!) Anyway, I am trying to draw those rather wacky viney things done in Northern French MS. and man, they are hard to draw! I was trying to do a top border with one of those dragon thingys that kind of grows out of the border and flat out gave up and erased it and decided to dispense with the top border altogether, since this piece is due next weekend and time is always a factor anyway. Less to paint and the bottom border is going to be enough of a challenge to keep me the rest of the week. I've already screwed up the calligraphy and THANK GOD for Arches 140# hot press paper! The stuff takes correction so nicely!! Just hope the recipient doesn't notice the scraped area where I accidentally put the very first letter I calligraphed, the "n" in "On", in the wrong place......(sigh) I have yet to do a scroll without at least one boo-boo!! It's really challenging changing styles! I had thought briefly of making an attempt at Celtic, since I do such a lovely Insular Majiscule hand, but..................boy, those zoomorphics just scare the living daylights out of me! I can do very basic knotwork panels OK, but I haven't really practised them enough to feel like I want to attempt them on a good scroll for court..................not yet, anyway. Soon, I think. I feel a real need to stretch myself as a scribe because it's too easy to grow complacent with a style you are completely comfortable with. I think it's time for me to really challenge myself stylistically. And admittedly, whenever I do this, my first attempts at a new style are, well, awkward at first, because I am "feeling out" the style. It's hard because when you are good at one style and everybody recognises your work because of it, then you change styles and you aren't so good for a while until you "grow into" the new style, well, people wonder why all of a sudden your work isn't as good as it once was. But it's time for me to make a few leaps and stop being nervous about doing stuff like this. Wish me luck - so far the illumination design is only pencilled out. The calligraphy is done (I always do that first!) and I need to tweak the design I drew until I feel comfortable enough to ink it in and paint it. That part I'll probably do tomorrow night. Too tired tonight to keep going. Did an event AND a demo this weekend! OK, thanks guys, for listening once again to my ramblings. Always good to have a sounding board like this, especially you fellow scribes who know from what I speak! Saradwen Midrealm =================================================================== To unsubscribe from this list, send email to with a blank Subject: line and unsubscribe scribes in the body of the message. Do not include any additional text in the body. ------------------------------ End of scribes digest V4 #9 ***************************