recent scribal efforts

[aryanhwy]

After a bit of a dry spell where I was too busy to think of anything but work, I've recently picked up my pens and brushes. I'm really happy with how this backlog AoA turned out:



It is based on British Library MS Burney 275 f.336, French, between 1309 and 1316. This design caught my eye because it combines both penwork and painting. I only wish that I had had space to try including the grotesques.

It took me about four days; the penwork P was done the first day, the border was drawn, inked, and painted the second day, the white work and the painting of the arms on the third day, and finally, the calligraphy on the last day.

Here is the text:

Pay heed to the words of Gerhardt and Judith, King and Queen of Drachenwald. We, not only through common report and the testimony of many worthy and credible gentles, but also by our own witness are well acquainted with and informed of the deeds and doings of our subject Balduin Valke, and it is our solemn and joyful duty to recognize the worth and nobility of the said Balduin by raising him to the rank of lord with all the rights, responsibilities, and privileges appertaining thereto including the sole and unique right to bear the arms blazoned as follows and depicted more plainly below, that is to say: Or, a pair of wings sable. So that none may give the said Balduin any let or hindrance or other impediment in the displaying of the said arms and in testimony of our action we have set our hands below on the 12th day of December, a.s. xliv, being the feast of Saint Lucia.

It's always way more fun to do an AoA scroll for someone who has registered arms than for someone who doesn't.

I've also completed two scrolls for Crown, but I'll wait until after the event before posting them, even though I've got versions with the names blocked out right now.

Comments

[aryanhwy.livejournal.com]

Thanks! As you'll probably notice (especially when I post the ones that I did for crown), I'm really bad at shading (as in, I generally just don't do it). I find it visually very difficult to look at something and see how it was shaded, and even if I find a very simple example, I find I'm bad at mixing my paints right to get the right level of balance between the darker color and the lighter color. This is something I've been trying to work on for awhile. Your explanation of how to go about it does help.