Trading Cards - Red Dragon with Shoes

 Most of my scribing time over the last couple of years has been taken up with paperwork and communication. I've found it hard to get back into the swing of award scrolls and have certainly noticed a drop in skills and confidence.

One way that I am trying to combat this is by working on small projects which are 'just for fun'.

Here is a trading card that I completed. The dragon's little shoes tickled my fancy!

 The card is worked in Winsor and Newton Gouache.

I've had a lot of trouble identifying which manuscript this fellow is from, so please comment below if you know! Thanks.

 

Bestiary

A lovely and unexpected gift from an SCA friend:

Scribal activities

My spare time this fortnight has been spent finishing off illumination on some Award of Arms scroll blanks. I have managed to finish seven, which has made me very happy. A good friend (and very talented calligrapher) does the writing and I do the painting. It works well. Unfortunately I won't be able to show any pictures until these are signed, sealed and presented to the recipients!

Illuminating AoA scroll blanks

I have a new set of projects that I am looking forward to starting (and am quite excited about) so I have been working hard on trying to finish off (or at least get more done on) existing projects. This week I have been working on illuminating Award of Arms scroll blanks. Naturally, I can't show the whole scrolls without spoiling the surprise, so I can only show a tiny hint!

First Attempt At Illumination

This week I finished my first try at illumination.The experience reminded me of painting on sugar plate, but the colours are much bolder.

A Dragon from a Bestiary c. 1270 (Therouanne?)
JPGM, Ms. Ludwig XV 3, folio 89
p. 90, 'Beasts' by Elizabeth Morrison, 2007, J Paul Getty Trust


I found the experience to be very enjoyable, and I learned a lot from my first attempt.
* Medieval scribes must have been very patient people with an enormous skill base, tons of patience and steady hands.
* You should not get overexcited and try to rush this type of work. (I know this from embroidery, but I'll admit that I did get overexcited and rush it!)
* Doing scribal work at the kitchen table in a busy household during the afternoon/tea time rush is not ideal.
* I need a finer paintbrush.

I used Winsor and Newton Designers Gouache as recommended by the Lochac Scribes (www.sca.org.au/scribe/   and   http://www.sca.org.au/scribe/handbook/Lochac%20College%20of%20Scribes%20Handbook%202012.pdf)

I am still enthusiastic, and plan to continue practicing in my sketchbook. I love the fact that you can get such a bold and dramatic effect relatively quickly; well, compared to embroidery, anyway. I chose this particular picture because it looks like the original artist used a paintbrush to draw the black lines, and I thought that would be very good practice for me. (Plus, I liked the dragon.) I have a lot of trouble with shaky hands, but I am reasonably happy with how the lines turned out. Learning how to load the brush with an appropriate amount of paint is another thing that I need to learn.

My introduction to the scribal arts has been the very talented Honorable Lady Katerina da Brescia of the Purple Files. You can see some of her work here:
http://katerina.purplefiles.net/art&scribes/C&I.htm

Illumination research

It was at least 100 degrees today, so no stitching for me. I have piles to do, but mundane life got in the way. I did get a chance to have a look at a couple of illumination books, but I have not yet picked something to do as a scribal exemplar.

Scribal Meeting

I have been thinking about getting involved in my local SCA scribal group for quite a long time. Recently, the meetings were moved closer to my house, and so yesterday I took the opportunity to go to my first meeting. It was very interesting and exciting. I think that calligraphy is a bit beyond my skills at this stage, but I am excited about trying the illumination. The process seems very similar to the design process for embroideries, which I really enjoy. It was a lot of fun to really look closely at the pictures of manuscripts and enjoy the imaginations of those old scribes. This one below really took my fancy:


It illustrates the old riddle about the man trying to get his turnips, his lamb and a wolf across a river in the boat without anyone getting eaten. This is from the thirteenth century- early fourteenth century Ormesby Psalter -
http://ductus.asu.edu/Files/ductus/scriptorium/plates/D-005.html