Books

I've added three new books to my collection on manuscript/illumination studies.  They are:

The Art of All Colours, Mediaeval Recipe Books for Painters and Illuminators by Mark Clarke
The Archaeology of Medieval Bookbinding by J.A. Szirmai
Mediaeval Painters' Materials and Techniques, The Montpellier Liber diversarum arcium by Mark Clarke

I've finished reading the Art of All Colours and while most of the book is filled with information on where to find or what books contain information about medieval painting it does have a very informational introduction. Not a book for everyone, but with it's lists of manuscripts it will open new areas to research into for more information.

I've also started reading the other two.  So far the Bookbinding book, is very interesting and I love all the images.  It makes me want to hurry up and try to do some binding.

Painters' Materials and Techniques so far has been a fascinating look at how the information was transported and adapted into the LDA (Liber diversarum arcium). The rest of the book looks just as good as the start. After the Formation of the LDA, comes an overview of painting, then the translation, a section on commentary and discussion, glossary, the latin text, and finally the appendixes.

Isaac

Beowulf Page 1

First big test of the first page.

Paper: Arches Hot Press Watercolor
Layout: modern mechanical pencil
Calligraphy: Quill pen & Sumi Ink
I used the following pigments: Carbon Black, Minium (Red Lead), Red Ochre,Orpiment, Lead White, Vermillion, Griffin Dye Work’s Peacock Blue (their replacement for Azurite) and Synthetic Ultramarine (same chemical makeup as lapis lazuli). For my green I used a mix of Peacock Blue and Orpiment that’s simular to vergaut (indigotin and orpiment)


Calligraphy done, Illuminated cap painted, now for the rest of it.

Colors going down in solid blocks of color.  Using my handmade brushes for this.

Large areas have been painted with the base color, I added the details with a sharpened quill pen using either vermillion, ultramarine, or carbon black paint.

 Details done.  Ready for white work. Again using a quill to apply the paint.

Using bread like Cenni suggests for erasing.

Finished page, surrounded by supplies.

Isaac