I hope to do a regular Arts & Science block within our lovely Baronial newsletter. My wish is to do a spotlight on a specific art or artist and need your help. Please contact me with someone who has done something A&S related that you feel deserves a little attention. This does not have to be peer level work, in fact I'm hoping to find the people that will be future peers or future leaders in their respective art forms. Any help in finding up and coming artists will be greatly appreciated! As for this Quill I have decided to do a scribal article or tutorial for your reading and scribling pleasure.
I was recently asked if I could give someone a "scribal assignment or homework" so they can start practicing and creating while learning more about scribing. It was a good question and quite frankly it was something I wanted when I started out three years in Trimaris. It is a bit of a tricky question and my start into the scribal world was a doozy (you should ask me about it some time!) but what I have learned is that my advice for starting is with illuminated capitals. They can be found in many manuscripts or texts in a wide range of time periods and cultures. It is also a good place to start for both want to be calligraphers and/or illuminators. It can practiced on a scrap piece of paper first for your initial start to learning how to use gouache, gold paint or leaf and how to set up your margins and spacing.
So how are illuminated capitals useful in the SCA scribal world? First, they can provide a simple and elegant one of a kind and original scroll design without dedicating thousands of hours to complete. The scroll blank can be used in a pinch because they are pretty versatile in their application of an award scroll. A combat scribe can calligraphy in the whole word text prior to or at an event if needed. If the scroll is partially blank where there is calligraphy minus the names and dates and are left with blank spaces then it is even easier to accommodate to the needs of the Coronet or Crown at the last minute. They are also relatively simple in nature to create from start to finish so that they are not be too intimidating to attempt for a beginner scribe.
The first step is deciding if you are going to do all the calligraphy for the text or just the illuminated capital. If you are just doing the illuminated capital then you are pretty much free to use what letter of the alphabet you want. Just bear in mind that some letters like X, Y and Z are extremely rare. If you are deciding to scribe the whole text or want to be accommodating in your illumination the next step is to find the award scroll text you are wanting to use and find the first letter.
[Advanced method: You do not necessarily need to use the first letter of the first word in the award text. You can start a few lines and then incorporate the capital in a word later in the line of text.]
Once you figure out what letter you want to illuminate you will need to find a period example. I have provided a few samples with the source text it is located in within this article. Once you find an example you like you can start setting up your margins on the paper you want to use. Depending on the paper you are using you can trace the outline of the capital in pencil using a window for light or a light table. You can either print off the capital or if you practice ddrawing it you can use your sample. Starting out with practicing to free hand draw capitals is a good way to start and easily achievable over time and practice. Also the ability to paint over mistakes is what most people love about illuminating!
[Advanced method: Some period manuscripts show indentations from the styluses they used which is visible underneath the paint and ink. Youcan recreate this by using a hard lead pencil and erasing the markings before you paint or ink in lines.]
 |
| figure 1 |
Once you have marked the outline you can either begin to scribe the text wording if you choose to do so. If not then it is time use the gold paint or gold leaf to fill in the letter. Keep in mind that the letters in red or blue ink and sometimes other colors usually accompanied by flourishes are called historiated capitals. Here (figure 1) is the difference between the two; on the left is a historiated capital and the other is illuminated. Either one will suffice just bear in mind what style you are going with and stick to that method throughout the artwork. For example, a historiated capital is usually red and blue ink and the same colors used for the flourishes within the document with no additional artwork as it is seen with a manuscript with an illuminated capital.
 |
| figure 2 |
The next step is to color in the rest of the illuminated capital. Most of the time the letter was surrounded by a "box" of color and then highlighted markings were added on top. The common mistake I see people make when using gouache is that the paint is too transparent,so when they try to paint the highlighted florals they do not show up. Illuminated capital exercises are a good way to practice getting the right consistencies. If the color is too washed then it will resemble a lot like watercolor in a traditional sense. But if you take a good look at what period example you are using you can see if that technique was used or not. Most of time as is the case with illuminated capitals the paint was "thicker". See my example (figure 2) where I have used too much water and the gouache is too thin versus the right consistency needed for this style of illumination.
Try it out and see what works for you and what works for the materials you have. You will learn what you like or dislike about your paintbrushes, paints and even the type or brand of paper you use. Currently I use Reeves gouache but plan on ordering Windsor & Newton when money allows. I use either Canson or Bristol vellum papers but prefer Pergamenta and use that for special projects. For paint brushes I love Loew-Cornell or Painter's Touch. For calligraphy I am still experimenting and do not have a favorite. However I am currently using the Manuscript pens with the ink cartridges and also use plain nibswith the dip ink method. I hope that this short tutorial will help you but if you have any questions please feel free to email me arwynn16(at)gmail.com. 
In Service, Rohesia Anven of Thessalonica
Nottinghill Coill MoAS (warrant is in the mail!)
Canton of Cyddlain Downs
Sources
:Bodleian Library, University of Oxford
MS. Don. b. 5, fol. 263r (Detail)
MS. Bywater adds. 2, fol. 64v (Detail)
Kings College, Cambridge
Illuminated Capital 'R' on a Royal Licence of Richard II, 1393 (WEL/19)
Paulus Swaen old Map auction and galleries
Anonymous, Manuscript leaf with 2-line illuminated capital
No comments:
Post a Comment