I finished
my first complete scroll this week. I started calligraphy when I was about
eight years old and have played with it off and on ever since, but I haven't
really completed any projects. My first SCA even ever was Inkin' in Lincoln in
Bloomington, IL September 28, 2013. I did some lettering and illumination and
came away with a backlog scroll assignment. This scroll is the result. Mistress
Dairine mor o'uHigin of Atenveldt has an absolutely fantastic set of
illumination tutorials, and I have been working through them making pages for a
practice book which I may bind at some point. Since this was an award for
archery, I used her acanthus leaf tutorial to draw leaf ribbons around an
arrow. The versal was based on some her white work and diapering. I used a
scene from this small painted chest as inspiration for the archer at the bottom
of the page. The box is currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
access number 50.141.
The Original Chest
Close-up of the Archer
Process:
I practiced
the text several times with markers and cartridge pens. I used a uncial hand based
mostly on Margaret Shepherd’s book Learn
Calligraphy. I chose uncial because it is the hand I was most comfortable
with at the time. It also spans a long time period and large geographical area,
although it is best known for works such as the Book of Kells from the British Isles.
Next I
sketched my design onto a sheet of 11x14 inch Bristol Paper. I went over the
pencil with a 0.005 Sakura pen. I ruled my lines in pencil around 4 nib widths
and completed the lettering with a Speedball C-3 nib and Higgins India ink. I
later realized there was a mistake and corrected it with margin lettering with
a Speedball C-5 nib. I rubricated the name with a Speedball C-1 in Higgins ink.
After lettering, I painted in the design using watercolors and gouache for the whitework.
I used gold acrylic paint for the gilding. After the piece dried completely, I
erased as much of the pencil as I could with a kneadable eraser.
It
certainly isn't perfect, but I really enjoyed the process. I had a great time
working on this project!
References
Shepherd, M. (2001). Learn
calligraphy : The complete book of lettering and design. New York: Broadway
Books.
Stirler, G. (2009). Lessons for
beginner scribes. Retrieved October 30, 2013, from http://gutenbergscribes.chivalrysports.com/index.shtml
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