From: owner-scribes@castle.org (scribes digest) To: scribes-digest@castle.org Subject: scribes digest V7 #4 Reply-To: Sender: owner-scribes@castle.org Errors-To: owner-scribes@castle.org Precedence: bulk scribes digest Monday, September 10 2001 Volume 07 : Number 004 ======================================================================== 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]: W&N inks [scribes]: FWD of auto-bounced email to scribes list Re: [scribes]: Hello, and a paint query Re: [scribes]: period pigments [scribes]: paint query Re: [scribes]: Paint, colors, and care. Re: [scribes]: period pigments+gum ammoniac [scribes]: guache and water colors Re: [scribes]: re:scrolls [scribes]: Exhibit at Dartmouth [scribes]: pergamenta [scribes]: W/N Inks, Pens, etc. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 12:00:05 -0500 (CDT) From: "Pixel, Goddess and Queen" Subject: [scribes]: W&N inks On Thu, 6 Sep 2001, Rozanne wrote: > > Also, does anybody here use W/N calligraphy inks? I used to love my W/N ink, > but now I'm beginning to despise it. I have half a bottle left and the ink > is now thick and sticky and doesn't want to flow in any of my pens. Adding a > few drops of distilled water should help that, right? > I'm switching to hand grinding my own inks in the next few weeks. It would > still be nice to know if anybody actually has any luck reconstituting W/N > calligraphy ink. > Thank you! > Theophania d'Alexandre > I use, varyingly, Higgins Eternal and liquid sumi without lacquer, the kind in the flat square 2 oz. bottle. I much prefer the sumi, although you do have to really clean your nibs well. It sits nicely atop whatever paper I use, doesn't feather like the Higgins, and is a lovely deep matte black. I have never used any but the metallic W&N inks, and I am in the process of washing out the binder on those. Margaret FitzWilliam =================================================================== 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. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2001 10:10:11 -0700 From: Lee Damon Subject: [scribes]: FWD of auto-bounced email to scribes list Please reply to the sender, not to me. postmaster@castle.org - ------- Forwarded Message From: "Kelly McCoy" To: scribes@castle.org Subject: H*lp on period Pigments! Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2001 12:43:58 -0400 Message-ID: I personally use Windsor and Newtons, they seem to be the most reliable! However I recently bought some period powdered pigment from Master John the Artificer...and I'm a little afraid to play with them! I have a couple of questions that I was hoping someone out there might help me with! First, what do you use as the binder? Is there a recipie out there? How long will it keep? How (exactly!) do I mix and use it? I bought some gum ammoniac while at war, since I remembered the name from somewhere and thought I ought to get it while I could, but it looks like little pieces of walnuts! It's sticky, I tested that, but how would I make this into the liquid I think I need?? I'm sorry for the multitude of questions, but I'm having trouble looking online, and was hoping a fellow scribe might help!! Thank you all so much, I enjoy this list a great deal! - - -Ruaidri mac Aodha- On a very side note and off topic...I consider myself a fighter who has a serious scribing hobby...I was recently squired, but all the way home from war was planning the scroll layouts for my next pieces! ****~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**** - - -Chaos, panic and disorder...my work here is done...- ***~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**** >From: Martha Palotay >To: scribes@castle.org >Subject: Re: [scribes]: Hello, and a paint query >Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 09:18:25 -0700 (PDT) >MIME-Version: 1.0 >Received: from [63.231.56.81] by hotmail.com (3.2) with ESMTP id >MHotMailBD60ED1A00AF40042A193FE73851E84F0; Thu, 06 Sep 2001 09:19:44 -0700 >Received: by castle.org (8.10.1/8.10.1) id f86GIUT25714for scribes-list; >Thu, 6 Sep 2001 09:18:30 -0700 (PDT) >Received: from web14701.mail.yahoo.com (web14701.mail.yahoo.com >[216.136.224.118])by castle.org (8.10.1/8.10.1) with SMTP id >f86GITN25710for ; Thu, 6 Sep 2001 09:18:29 -0700 (PDT) >Received: from [207.155.56.202] by web14701.mail.yahoo.com via HTTP; Thu, >06 Sep 2001 09:18:25 PDT >From owner-scribes@castle.org Thu, 06 Sep 2001 09:21:43 -0700 >X-Authentication-Warning: castle.org: majordomo set sender to >owner-scribes@castle.org using -f >Message-ID: <20010906161825.96073.qmail@web14701.mail.yahoo.com> >In-Reply-To: >Sender: owner-scribes@castle.org >Precedence: bulk > >Hoo boy, I haven't even *heard* of most of the brands you mention. :) >I use Winsor & Newton gouache simply because that is what is available >around >here, but I like them very much. (One store currently has starter sets of >another brand available--I forget the name--but since I have most of the >colors >already, I haven't decided whether the nice wooden box is worth the >plunge.) > >For those who use the powdered pigments (period or otherwise), how is the >opacity? From what I understand, gouache differs from watercolor by the >addition of some sort of clay that makes it opaque. Watercolor is basically >just pigment plus binder (i.e. it's like premixed powdered stuff and gum >arabic/glair), and it doesn't *do* opaque, not unless you apply it so >thickly >that your work acquires a texture like that of oil paintings. At least in >my >experience. Or is there some secret technique I don't know about? > >Martha >Darach/Caid > >--- Greg Young/Jocelyn Wirth wrote: > > Greetings to the list from Mistress Ainesleah, > > > > I subscribed to the list during Pennsic, and have been cheerfully >lurking > > since then. I'm a beginning illuminator (since March actually), doing > > mainly insular work. And now I have a question for the list. > > > > Since I started illuminating in March, I've tried a number of different > > brands of watercolors and gouach. What I would like to know is what do > > other illuminators use, which brands, and more importantly, why did you > > pick that particular brand. > > >__________________________________________________ >Do You Yahoo!? >Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger >http://im.yahoo.com >=================================================================== >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. > _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp - ------- End of Forwarded Message =================================================================== 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. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2001 13:18:08 -0400 From: Randy Asplund Subject: Re: [scribes]: Hello, and a paint query When you use powdered pigments the opacity varies with the type of pigment. If your binder is gum arabic, it may be a little more opaque with colors you mix from dry yourself. It is definitely more opaque with glair, but not for every color. Some colors will always be just stains. Saffron needs to be made into a "lake" color to take on any opacity. A lake color is when you stain a particle of chalk or alum with the pigment in order to create a color with physical body that will dry into a powder rather than a sappy smudge. The "clay" you are referring to for making opaque watercolor (gouache) is called blanc fix. It is Barium Sulfate. RanthulfR Martha Palotay wrote: > > Hoo boy, I haven't even *heard* of most of the brands you mention. :) > I use Winsor & Newton gouache simply because that is what is available around > here, but I like them very much. (One store currently has starter sets of > another brand available--I forget the name--but since I have most of the colors > already, I haven't decided whether the nice wooden box is worth the plunge.) > > For those who use the powdered pigments (period or otherwise), how is the > opacity? From what I understand, gouache differs from watercolor by the > addition of some sort of clay that makes it opaque. Watercolor is basically > just pigment plus binder (i.e. it's like premixed powdered stuff and gum > arabic/glair), and it doesn't *do* opaque, not unless you apply it so thickly > that your work acquires a texture like that of oil paintings. At least in my > experience. Or is there some secret technique I don't know about? > > Martha > Darach/Caid > > --- Greg Young/Jocelyn Wirth wrote: > > Greetings to the list from Mistress Ainesleah, > > > > I subscribed to the list during Pennsic, and have been cheerfully lurking > > since then. I'm a beginning illuminator (since March actually), doing > > mainly insular work. And now I have a question for the list. > > > > Since I started illuminating in March, I've tried a number of different > > brands of watercolors and gouach. What I would like to know is what do > > other illuminators use, which brands, and more importantly, why did you > > pick that particular brand. > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger > http://im.yahoo.com > =================================================================== > 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. - -- VISIT RandyAsplund.com To see a Universe of art ranging from Magic: The Gathering to Star Trek and Medieval Manuscripts Randy Asplund (734) 663-0954 Science Fiction and Fantasy Illustration 2101 S. Circle Dr., Ann Arbor, MI. 48103 =================================================================== 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. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 13:44:47 EDT From: BRNDALSTON@aol.com Subject: Re: [scribes]: period pigments - --part1_4f.10cb0ea5.28c9100f_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit For the powdered pigments from Master John you can use gum arabic or eggs as binders. The gum arabic you can get in powder form from Master John and just add distilled water to make it liquid, then mix a couple of drops at a time in with your powdered pigments (or you can buy liquid gum arabic from a good art supply store or craft store for about $10.00 for a bottle that will last a really long time). I mix my paint on a piece of glass with a muller I bought from Master John. I only mix up a bit at a time. It works just like quache and watercolors - once it dries just add water to reconstitute it. For the eggs, you can use the egg white for a glossy look, or the egg yolk for a flatter look. You seperate the egg and whip either the yolk or the white (or both - just not together) and then add a couple drops with the powder and mull it (or stir it - mulling helps get the lumps out) You may need to add a bit of distilled water to the powder to get the right consistancy and try to mix only what you need at the time. After I mix mine, I pour (or push it with a brush) into a clean seashell. I then store the shells in a ziploc bag to keep the paint clean when I am not using it. The gum ammoniac is used in making gesso for applying gold leaf. I have not played with this a whole lot, so cannot be of much help there. Brandy (Lady Brandwyn Alston of the Rift) In a message dated 9/6/2001 1:14:13 PM Eastern Daylight Time, nomad@castle.org writes: > I personally use Windsor and Newtons, they seem to be the most reliable! > However I recently bought some period powdered pigment from Master John the > Artificer...and I'm a little afraid to play with them! I have a couple of > questions that I was hoping someone out there might help me with! First, > what do you use as the binder? Is there a recipie out there? How long > will > it keep? How (exactly!) do I mix and use it? > > I bought some gum ammoniac while at war, since I remembered the name from > somewhere and thought I ought to get it while I could, but it looks like > little pieces of walnuts! It's sticky, I tested that, but how would I make > this into the liquid I think I need?? > > I'm sorry for the multitude of questions, but I'm having trouble looking > online, and was hoping a fellow scribe might help!! > > Thank you all so much, I enjoy this list a great deal! > > - -Ruaidri mac Aodha- > > On a very side note and off topic...I consider myself a fighter who has a > serious scribing hobby...I was recently squired, but all the way home from > war was planning the scroll layouts for my next pieces! > > - --part1_4f.10cb0ea5.28c9100f_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit For the powdered pigments from Master John you can use gum arabic or eggs as
binders. The gum arabic you can get in powder form from Master John and just
add distilled water to make it liquid, then mix a couple of drops at a time
in with your powdered pigments (or you can buy liquid gum arabic from a good
art supply store or craft store for about $10.00 for a bottle that will last
a really long time). I mix my paint on a piece of glass with a muller I
bought from Master John. I only mix up a bit at a time. It works just like
quache and watercolors - once it dries just add water to reconstitute it.

For the eggs, you can use the egg white for a glossy look, or the egg yolk
for a flatter look. You seperate the egg and whip either the yolk or the
white (or both - just not together) and then add a couple drops with the
powder and mull it (or stir it - mulling helps get the lumps out)

You may need to add a bit of distilled water to the powder to get the right
consistancy and try to mix only what you need at the time.  After I mix mine,
I pour (or push it with a brush) into a clean seashell. I then store the
shells in a ziploc bag to keep the paint clean when I am not using it.

The gum ammoniac is used in making gesso for applying gold leaf. I have not
played with this a whole lot, so cannot be of much help there.
Brandy
(Lady Brandwyn Alston of the Rift)

In a message dated 9/6/2001 1:14:13 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
nomad@castle.org writes:


I personally use Windsor and Newtons, they seem to be the most reliable!  
However I recently bought some period powdered pigment from Master John the
Artificer...and I'm a little afraid to play with them!  I have a couple of
questions that I was hoping someone out there might help me with!  First,
what do you use as the binder?  Is there a recipie out there?  How long
will
it keep? How (exactly!) do I mix and use it?

I bought some gum ammoniac while at war, since I remembered the name from
somewhere and thought I ought to get it while I could, but it looks like
little pieces of walnuts!  It's sticky, I tested that, but how would I make
this into the liquid I think I need??

I'm sorry for the multitude of questions, but I'm having trouble looking
online, and was hoping a fellow scribe might help!!

Thank you all so much, I enjoy this list a great deal!

- -Ruaidri mac Aodha-

On a very side note and off topic...I consider myself a fighter who has a
serious scribing hobby...I was recently squired, but all the way home from
war was planning the scroll layouts for my next pieces!



- --part1_4f.10cb0ea5.28c9100f_boundary-- =================================================================== 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. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2001 12:45:39 -0500 From: Cindy Baker Subject: [scribes]: paint query Thought I'd take a stab at answering the following question: > >For those who use the powdered pigments (period or otherwise), how is the >opacity? From what I understand, gouache differs from watercolor by the >addition of some sort of clay that makes it opaque. Watercolor is basically >just pigment plus binder (i.e. it's like premixed powdered stuff and gum >arabic/glair), and it doesn't *do* opaque, not unless you apply it so thickly >that your work acquires a texture like that of oil paintings. At least in my >experience. Or is there some secret technique I don't know about? Gouache and watercolor both generally use gum arabic as the binder. Gouache has an additional 'inert' pigment, like chalk or blanc fixe (barium sulfate) to make it opaque. Most commercial watercolors have very little binder added - makes it easier to get the transparent washes. Some watercolors may also contain a lot of glycerine. If you paint this type of watercolor thick enough to be opaque, it stays sticky and never really dries. (Like the 'oil paint' consistency mentioned above.) Most Windsor Newton & Pelikan colors can be painted thick enough to give an opaque appearance. For the pigments themselves, the opacity depends on the particular pigment. The most opaque colors are usually minerals - white lead, vermilion, orpiment, etc. 'Earth' colors are fairly opaque since they are ground earth containing a high concentration of minerals mixed with clay. Yellow ochre, sienna, burnt umber, and green earth are examples. The more transparent colors are generally vegetable based colors, like rose madder, indigo, sap green, etc. which are made by crushing or boiling plant material into a dye, then precipitating the color into a pigment. Depending on the time and place, the more transparent colors may have had inert fillers or other opaque pigments added to them. Other periods took advantage of the transparent quality of some pigments - like some of the early insular manuscripts where a transparent color was used as a glaze over an opaque paint layer. I personally like the powdered pigments. It takes a little experimentation to figure out which pigments will do what, but you get a lot better control of the end product. Ellen of the Scholars Middle Kingdom =================================================================== 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. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 10:29:10 -0700 From: Carolyn_Richardson@prosystemfx.com Subject: Re: [scribes]: Paint, colors, and care. I mostly use Windsor Newton gouaches, but I sometimes use their watercolors as well which are a little cheaper. I also have some tubes of gouache by the brand name of Da Vinci that seem very nice. Only problem is that they come in huge tubes so I'm sure they'll dry out long before I put much of a dent in the tube. At least with watercolors and gouaches you can always reconstitute it. Why is it that the dark colors always seem to dry out first? My blacks are almost dead when I buy them and the whites seem to never solidify. Tetchubah "Oh Bother," said the Borg. "We've assimilated Pooh." =================================================================== 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. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2001 13:14:51 -0500 From: Dave Nolan/Kara Westfall Subject: Re: [scribes]: period pigments+gum ammoniac - -=>For the eggs, you can use the egg white for a glossy look, or the egg yolk - -=>for a flatter look. You seperate the egg and whip either the yolk or the - -=>white (or both - just not together) and then add a couple drops with the - -=>powder and mull it (or stir it - mulling helps get the lumps out) When you whip the whites, you then need to let it sit for several hours (or overnight) to let the liquid part drain off--this part is the glair, and will get stinky if not refridgerated. The crusty white foamy bits get discarded. I'll let someone else discuss the merits of rotten versus fresh glair. - -=>> I bought some gum ammoniac while at war, since I remembered the name from - -=>> somewhere and thought I ought to get it while I could, but it looks like - -=>> little pieces of walnuts! It's sticky, I tested that, but how would I - -=>> make this into the liquid I think I need?? If it's not already in a jar, put it in one, or a cup that is small enough--cover the lumps with water (distilled is best, unless you're sure of the purity of your tap water) let it sit for 24 hours. Strain the resultant sticky, whitish, lumpy mess through the toe of an old pair of nylons, and save the milky part. Yes, this is incredibly messy and smells like a combination of pine pitch and burning rubber. You can either throw away the used lumps, or save them to use with a fresh batch later on. The sticky white stuff is now a very effective gold leaf size. You can tint it with a little red if you want, but I never liked how this worked. Paint it on the areas to gild, let it dry, and breath on it to make it tacky, then apply the leaf. The gold will look matte, and cannot be burnished, just buff lightly with some silk. I've also used gum ammoniac in a calligraphy nib when I've done gold lettering. Chiara da Ravenna Stonemarche, East =================================================================== 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. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 16:12:24 -0400 From: "Dills, Robert W" Subject: [scribes]: guache and water colors Greetings: Guache and Water Colors are basically the same media, but not the same technique. The primary difference between the two is that guache is mixed to be opaque, as much as possible, sometimes by adding an opaque white, but also by choosing opaque pigments. While watercolor technique is to use watery washes, my grandmother's water colors looked more like guache work. Both have trouble if you make the layers too thick: they will crack. You can build up layers, but don't over do it. Egg tempera is worse for layers. When using egg tempera, use feather strokes that leave no puddles and let each layer dry completely before applying the next. It is a transparent technique. It is best used on very smooth surfaces. [Directions from my notes, Philadelphia College of Art, 1970, the professor did restorations for the Philadelphia Museum of Art.] The egg tempera that I'm referring to involves separating the yolk from the egg and drying it by rolling it in one's hands, then very carefully poking a hole in the dry yolk and catching the yolk liquid in a glass container. Water is added and it is used as a binder with dry pigments. You don't want ANY of the egg white to get into the binder. The expense of guache and water colors comes from the cost of the pigment. Guache/Watercolor is made up of binder, water and pigment. However, pigment is expensive so many manufactures cut the pigment with filler. The more filler, the murkier the color becomes when mixed or used in washes. Winsor & Newton have a history of using pure pigments and no fillers in their name brand colors. This makes them expensive. They also last a long time and one doesn't need as much to cover the same area. You get what you pay for. Try this. Get some blotting paper, or chemistry filter paper. Cut it into a circle that would fit on top of a cup, glass or jar. Cut a ¼ inch strip radius to the center and bend the strip down. Place the resulting piece onto a glass/cup/jar filled with water, with the strip sticking down into the water. At the bend, place a dollop of the pigment you wish to test. The water wicking up the strip will separate the pigments based on their weight and density. Pure colors will make a single band of color, mixed colors will separate into their component colors and fillers will separate out as brownish/grayish bands. This will quickly (24 hours is quick, isn't it) give you an idea of the purity of your colors. I'm willing to bet that the people who have trouble with the mixing of colors looking impure will find lots of filler in their colors. Robert Whitcome of Brandywine/Quintavia/East Bob Dills, Central MA =================================================================== 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. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2001 11:31:50 -0700 (PDT) From: Hillary Greenslade Subject: Re: [scribes]: re:scrolls - --- Gwendoline Rosamond wrote: > I agree with you completely! I'm really coming to the opinion that anyone > who wants to give out scrolls be it royalty or event staff should have to > try their hand at making one first so that they have an idea of what goes > into them. Don't you wish we scribes could write the rules when it comes > to these sorts of things? (Apologies, I'm a bit behind on catching up with the threads.) We're not always good about doing this with all our Crowns, but in recent years, especially with first time crowns, the scribes officers have had each crown paint one of our kingdom award charters. While Ansteorra does not use hand made scrolls for each kingdom award, we create professionally copied blanks, with original scribe illumination and calligraphy based on historical works. Then each charter is individually hand painted. Some of the illumination is complex, and can take several hrs to paint, when done completely with all the highlights and detailing. While its not a handmade original scroll, even those hours of painting impresses upon our crowns the importance of the time investment on each one of those charter scrolls. Usually, even with these mass produced scrolls, our heralds hold them up for a viewing of the populace, and frequently the crowns will read outloud the name of the artisan painter who did the work (names are penciled on the backs) as the charter is presented to the recipient. For handmade scrolls, which are more rare, oft reserved only for nobility and peerage ceremonies, or championship prizes, the text is read in court, and then displayed from court to the populace, occationally an assistant herald will walk down into the populace, so a close viewing may be seen. The education of the Crown, by the Signet office, on the time investment on the scrolls, even those mass produced and hand colored, was in direct response to abuses some scribes had taken. Its taken time, and there are still occational abuses, but the handling and presentation of scrolls has improved significantly by both the Crown and court staff. Yours, Hillary Greenslade, Ansteorra mgreene@mpan.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger http://im.yahoo.com =================================================================== 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. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 08 Sep 2001 10:17:09 -0500 From: "Amy L. Hornburg Heilveil" Subject: [scribes]: Exhibit at Dartmouth - --=====================_592247526==_.ALT Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed >The Best of the Best >A Traveling Exhibition of the Guild of Book Workers > >The Guild of Book Workers' current traveling exhibition, "The Best of the >Best" will open at Dartmouth College's Baker Library -- Treasure Room >Hallway in Hanover, New Hampshire on September 10, continuing through until >October 26. Complete information on hours is below. > >Web: www.dartmouth.edu/~library >Phone: 603-646-2560 (general library information) > 603-646-1452 (information about the exhibit) > >Dates: September 10-October 26 >Hours: Monday-Friday: 8 am-8 pm > Saturday: 9 am-6 pm > Sunday: 1 pm-8 pm > >Catalogs Available in the Main Library Office (entrance in Treasure Room >Hallway). For those who can't make it to Darmouth, catalogs can be ordered >from the Guild, with complete info towards the bottom of this message. > >With 33 participants from 18 states, this juried exhibition presents 35 of >the best works from the last part of the century. > >The Guild of Book Workers began in 1906 with 42 members. Now there are >eight regional chapters and more than 1,000 members, included illuminators, >printers, binders, type designers, and book and bookplate designers. > >Among the jurors are two Guild members, Scott Kellar, binder/conservator; >Audrey Niffennegger, binder/artist; and Doro Boehme, keeper of the Joan >Flash Artist Book Collection at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. >The exhibition was organized by Barbara Lazarus Metz, exhibition chair for >the Guild of Book Workers. > >The jurors selected a stunning array of work from traditional >design-bindings to artists' books in a variety of media. These include >bindings on published works, one-of-a-kind artist's books, and examples >using letterpress printing and calligraphy. Various illustration techniques >have been used, including printmaking, lithography, etching, linocut, as >well as watercolor, photocopier collage, and inkjet prints. Among the >formats are the traditional codex, accordion books, and some wildly unique >structures. > >One of the primary goals of the Guild, since its inception, has been to >sponsor national exhibitions of members' work. These shows vary from >multiple bindings of the same text, to a specific theme, or, like The Best >of the Best, a general overview. In recent years the exhibitions have >seldom focused solely on bindings because the membership includes not only >bookbinders, but papermakers, calligraphers, printers, artists, marblers, >and conservators. > >To accompany the exhibition, which is also online at that Guild's Website >, we are pleased to offer a fully >illustrated catalog. The catalog is in postcard format and housed in a >hinged plexiglass case. Dimensions are approximately 4" x 6."We are pleased >to offer the catalog at the price of $20.00 + $3.50 s/h for the first copy, >$4.00 for 2, and $5.50 for orders of 3-5 copies. Orders for more than 6 >copies will receive a quote. Overseas shipping charges will be pro-rated. >Institutions may request open account billing. An online form can be found >on the Guild's site along with instructions for mailing in your order, if >you so wish. > >Future Venues: > >2001 >November 5 - December 21 >Smith College Northampton, MA > >2002 >January 16 - February 20 >Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA > >March 13 - April 23 > San Diego State University Malcom A. Love Library San Diego, CA > >May 7 - June 27 >San Francisco Public Library San Francisco, CA > >The exhibition can be seen online at: > - --=====================_592247526==_.ALT Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii"
The Best of the Best
A Traveling Exhibition of the Guild of Book Workers

The Guild of Book Workers' current traveling exhibition, "The Best of the
Best" will open at Dartmouth College's Baker Library -- Treasure Room
Hallway in Hanover, New Hampshire on September 10, continuing through until
October 26. Complete information on hours is below.

Web: www.dartmouth.edu/~library
Phone: 603-646-2560 (general library information)
              603-646-1452 (information about the exhibit)

Dates: September 10-October 26
Hours: Monday-Friday: 8 am-8 pm
      Saturday: 9 am-6 pm       
      Sunday: 1 pm-8 pm

Catalogs Available in the Main Library Office (entrance in Treasure Room
Hallway). For those who can't make it to Darmouth, catalogs can be ordered
from the Guild, with complete info towards the bottom of this message.

With 33 participants from 18 states, this juried exhibition presents 35 of
the best works from the last part of the century.

The Guild of Book Workers began in 1906 with 42 members. Now there are
eight regional chapters and more than 1,000 members, included illuminators,
printers, binders, type designers, and book and bookplate designers.

Among the jurors are two Guild members, Scott Kellar, binder/conservator;
Audrey Niffennegger, binder/artist; and Doro Boehme, keeper of the Joan
Flash Artist Book Collection at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
The exhibition was organized by Barbara Lazarus Metz, exhibition chair for
the Guild of Book Workers.

The jurors selected a stunning array of work from traditional
design-bindings to artists' books in a variety of media. These include
bindings on published works, one-of-a-kind artist's books, and examples
using letterpress printing and calligraphy. Various illustration techniques
have been used, including printmaking, lithography, etching, linocut, as
well as watercolor, photocopier collage, and inkjet prints. Among the
formats are the traditional codex, accordion books, and some wildly unique
structures.

One of the primary goals of the Guild, since its inception, has been to
sponsor national exhibitions of members' work. These shows vary from
multiple bindings of the same text, to a specific theme, or, like The Best
of the Best, a general overview. In recent years the exhibitions have
seldom focused solely on bindings because the membership includes not only
bookbinders, but papermakers, calligraphers, printers, artists, marblers,
and conservators.

To accompany the exhibition, which is also online at that Guild's Website
<http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/gbw>, we are pleased to offer a fully
illustrated catalog. The catalog is in postcard format and housed in a
hinged plexiglass case. Dimensions are approximately 4" x 6."We are pleased
to offer the catalog at the price of $20.00 + $3.50 s/h for the first copy,
$4.00 for 2, and $5.50 for orders of 3-5 copies. Orders for more than 6
copies will receive a quote. Overseas shipping charges will be pro-rated.
Institutions may request open account billing. An online form can be found
on the Guild's site along with instructions for mailing in your order, if
you so wish.

Future Venues:

2001
November 5 - December 21
Smith College Northampton, MA

2002
January 16 - February 20
Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA

March 13 - April 23
  San Diego State University Malcom A. Love Library San Diego, CA

May 7 - June 27
San Francisco Public Library San Francisco, CA

The exhibition can be seen online at:
<http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/gbw>
- --=====================_592247526==_.ALT-- =================================================================== 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. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 08:12:24 -0700 (PDT) From: Hrefna in heppna Subject: [scribes]: pergamenta Hi all! I just got two sheets of pergamenta the vegetable-base vellum look-alike. It's great for painting on. Sweet on calligraphy. Just have one question: Does anyone know had well it lasts, i.e. does it degrade in the sun or over time? Hrefna __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger http://im.yahoo.com =================================================================== 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. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 10:38:43 -0400 From: "Dills, Robert W" Subject: [scribes]: W/N Inks, Pens, etc. Greetings: This is related to the question about W/N ink that was getting thick-and about ink and pens n general. There are basically 2 types of ink: dyes and particles. Inks that use dyes work by staining the paper [or whatever] while particle inks deposit a layer of particles on the surface. With a dye ink, the purpose of the fluid part of the ink is to carry the dye into the material, let the dye do its thing then evaporate. Dyes inks tend to be pale, bleed easily, and to be near impossible to scrape off a page. Particle inks [like India Ink] leave a layer of particles on the surface. The fluid both allows the particles to flow to the surface, and will have some binding effect. Particle inks tend to be more opaque and much easier to scrape off. There can be some staining by particle inks: smaller particles that get in between the fibers of the surface and the binder/medium might have a slight color and there is always some small "dye" effect. Anyway, the question about the ink getting thick. If the thickening is due to the congealing of the binder, adding water is not going to improve the ink. If the ink is getting thick because the water in the ink is evaporating, then adding water might do some good. Just because something is water based does not mean that adding water will revitalize it. Think of latex paints. They are water based until dry, then they become a water proof plastic coating. Adding water when they are partially dry only makes them stringy. In the case of the W/N Ink, I'd bet that it is a particle based ink and the chemical reaction that changes the fluid from carrier to binder has started. Break down and buy a new bottle. Oh, yes. Dyes tend to fade over time. Particle inks tend not to fade. A most important consideration. In the long run, your time is worth more than your materials, so get the best you can. I say this with the personal experience of buying brushes that were a day's salary [starving art student], gold leaf that was a 3 day's salary [they don't pay privates in the Army very much] and replacing my W/N guache cost a week's salary. The brush lasted 20 years; I still have some of the gold; and the guache has lasted 5 years so far [the last set lasted 20.] These leads naturally into the pen discussion: felt tip pens vs. metal tip pens; fountain pens vs. dip pens. Most decisions on this topic are based purely on prejudice and tradition rather than knowledge of the topics. "Real calligraphers use dip pens!" Felt pens do not deliver a crisp sharp edge Fountain pens give a better edge, but not as good as dip pens. Dip pens are the best. This is the common knowledge-and mostly wrong. Felt tip pens and most fountain pens use dye based inks-the calligrapher's bane. Running India ink through a fountain pen slowly clogs it, particularly if one uses old inks. The cartridges are almost always dye based. The modified, refillable cartridges will hold what ever one puts in them. The problem is the ink one chooses. Using a dip pen simplifies the choice. Get India ink and drive on. Particle (India) inks that will flow well through a fountain pen are harder to find. The is made worse by the fact that manufacturers will change their formulas periodically for reasons beyond me, so a good ink brand today will be a bad brand next week. Don't believe "Fountain India" labels without testing. Some have dyes. The ink question comes down to experimentation and experience. Dip pens are easier to clean, particularly if you're lazy. Dips pens can be cleaned, also. Side note: Way back when I was an unknown calligrapher in the Principality of Atlantia, I taught at the Alantian University events. I was in the Army at the time. During one of my classes, I taught an efficient method for cleaning the fountain pen. One of the students remarked, "Leave it to an Army sergeant to teach a class on the field stripping, care and maintenance of the mark 1 generic fountain pen." As far as the crispness of line, felt family pens will rarely have the sharpness of metal or other, harder material. I've gotten felt pens to have a crisp sharp edge, but I cheat; and it never lasts. [Neither do reed pens, but they last longer then felt.] Fountain pens tend to have pressed metal tips, with no further machining. Many fountain calligraphy pens are very cheaply made. Dip pens tend to be made better. However, all metal pens have a problem. If anyone of you know a person who sews, ask that person to borrow their sewing scissors to cut some paper. Tell them what you want the scissors for. After listening very carefully to the answer, take the remains of your ego and physical being back to your calligraphy desk and learn from the experience. Paper dulls metal! So... You have to learn how to sharpen the tips of your pens, even the metal ones. If you know how to take care of your pens and choose the inks, then the choice of pens can be based on need and use rather than tradition. In my time, I've written with felt: pen, marker and folded cloth in a clip; metal: dip and fountain; a potato [don't ask]; a pine cone; bamboo, reeds, quills; a finger nail [see: Experiments, failed]; an air brush [see: How to put a fine mist of green on your wife's furniture [we're still married]] and many other exotic objects and materials. It comes down to skill and knowledge, not the material. I go for the least hassle for the best look. When I start beginners, I start by giving them a 5.0 mm felt pen. I learned this from the drug dealers on TV, "Here kid, your first pen is free..." By the time they learn enough to begin to complain about the lack of sharpness, they learned enough to be able to use a metal nib fountain pen without much effort. I then show them how to select, sharpen and maintain a fountain pen. By the time they start asking about dip pens, they're addicted and I can hit them with reeds, quills and metal. Besides, "Real Calligraphers" use properly aged quills and properly cut reeds; so don't bother me with your prejudices, I have my own! Robert Whitcome of Brandywine/Quintavia/East Bob Dills, Central MA My web site has some of my notes for beginning calligraphers: http://home.earthlink.net/~torcwin [who uses a properly maintained set of metal tip fountain pens] =================================================================== 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 V7 #4 ***************************