So this will be my first blog post on this site...hopefully it will be the first of many that outline different SCA-related projects I work on.
To start, I'm highlighting one of my more recent projects, a Golden Dolphin scroll (Atlantia - Order of High Merit award for service). Back in November of 2018, I received a request from Atlantia's Clerk Signet to work on a scroll for Sonya Flicker (aka Patches), for her long-term service to both her baronial and kingdom dance communities. The scroll, below, was awarded at Black Diamond's Ice Castles this past January 2019.
Normally, when I accept assignments, I try to find out as much about the recipient as I can to add some kind of personalization. When I can't find out as much as I would like, as was the case here, I generally will do one of two things - try to taylor a scroll to the personas of the monarchs giving the scroll, or find an illumination style that I've been dying to try.
I settled on the latter for this scroll and started looking through manuscript images for inspiration. I settled on the Bible of Borso d'Este after looking through a number of the digitized folios. Borso d'Este (1413 - 1471), first duke of Ferrara, commissioned the book as a way to show off the prominence of the House of Este. It was completed between 1455 - 1561, roughly the same time Johann Gutenberg was working on the first printed Bible on his removable type press. The book consists of two volumes of more than a thousand individual illuminations.
For reference, the bible is housed in the Biblioteca Estense di Modena, the family library of the dukes of Este before being established in Modena at the beginning of the 17th century (Lat. 422-423 = V.G.12-13). The bible has been digitized and can be found here at the World Digital Library.
When starting this project, I decided how large I wanted to make the scroll. After being trimmed down during its first rebinding in the 18th century, the bible's new dimensions measured at 26.5 x 37.5 cm (roughly 10 1/2 x 14 3/4 inches). I used pergamenata - a plant-based imitation parchment - for this scroll, and cut the paper down slightly smaller than the bible's current measurements. The overall size for this scroll is 10 x 13 inches. I'll use pergamenata frequently in my scrollwork as it has a similar look and feel to real animal parchment, but at much less cost.
After lining my margins on the page, about .75" on each side, I drew out my designs on the page with graphite. Since the illumination on this scroll is complex, it took a little longer to make sure everything was the correct proportions while leaving enough room for the calligraphy. Once the graphite line work was finished, I outlined everything in India ink and erased the graphite for a cleaner look. The calligraphy was next, also done in India ink. Gold work and painting were last; I used gouache paints and mixed and layered the paints until I got the shading and depth I wanted.
A couple process photos are below.
