Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Oh ye Old scrolls.

This was a post I found in my scanners files, that was not actually a part of any of the Older posts. 
It is from the Sforza hours ~1460 (which is one of my favorite books of hours), done for Thorvaldr and Fiona's reign in AS 44. 

Looking at it I can definitely say that my Gothic writing hand has steadied and improved a great deal.  My letters and words were Enormous.  I bet I could fit twice to thee times the amount of writing in that space now. 

Works in Progress.



 Book of Lous of Orleans f. 31 r The Adoration of the Magi

Sforza Hours
Skulls and Snakes.Office of the Dead, British Library ADD MS 50002 Fol 89

Random bit of Rare Green Trompe Lóeil.  My green however does not pass muster as far as even application of paint is concerned.  I might need a tip or three as to how to fix it without ruining it.  MS DOUCE 219-20 Fol 85

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Dragon's Jewels

So, in having a conversation with my kid, he asked me if because he didn't get a scroll with his Dragon's Jewel if it didn't count.  Something about the whole conversation just made me sad, so I decided to make a few teeny tiny dragon's jewel scroll blanks to give to TRM at Crown.  Theses are 2 of the 3 that I made, the other one I will post when its done, maybe tomorrow. 
Lets see, Hours of Catherine of Cleves for both of them, guache and drawing ink.  Maybe one day my Y's will come out looking nice.  I really hate the letter Y.




Saturday, September 15, 2012

Parchment, Perga and Paper

I find myself with an odd conundrum.  I sit here at my desk with a roll of vellum on the shelf above me, and pristinely cut pergamenata beside the desk in a folder.  However sometimes I am struck with the desire to work, not on any of these but on paper.  Every once in a while I do so.
So these past weeks I have taken out my coldpress paper and made two blanks and one scroll on the coldpress paper.  I didn't have to worry about my hand pressing to the paper, or my ink beading up, or my paint not taking to the surface.  I didn't have to pounce or erase anything to get my writing space properly prepared.

Vellum is delightful, but not for the everyday project.
Pergamenata looks beautiful when done, but is somewhat of a pain to work with. My general preference is to work with this, however because I Like it.
Coldpress paper looks adequate but it's easy and strugglefree (unless you make a mistake)
But the bleached white perg doesn't look that different than the paper, it feels different, but looks wise...Yeah.

I have it on the back of my brain to make my own rag paper and use that because that is perfectly period and it would be a delightful experiament.

So.  What are your thoughts on using paper? I am curious.