Research: Pen Flourishing and Puzzle Initials

I spent most of June and July looking for more information on pen flourishing and puzzle initials, but I found that there's a rather large void of information on these things even tho they turn up very often after the 12th Century.  I eventually luck across a mention of a thesis on 13th Century Pen Flourishing that lead to a book based on that thesis, but that's been it so far.

The book is The Analysis of Pen Flourishing in Thirteenth-century Manuscripts, by Sonia Scott-Fleming.

The book did help and I used Scott-Fleming's illustrations as a bases for the ones I included in the handout I created for the local Scribal guild class.  The class went well and next month's class should be on puzzle initials.  So currently I'm looking through hundreds of images of puzzle initials trying to see similarities and then grouping those.  I'm hoping that it will turn out as well as the illustrations in the Pen flourishing handout did.

Limp Binding

I tried my hand at some book binding after getting in an order of supplies.  I decided to start with limp binding before moving on to using wooden boards.  My first attempt turned out pretty well.

I used 50lb sketch book paper with the original size of 11 x 14.  I cut each sheet in half.

I gathered the sheets into stacks of six and then folded them in half.

I used a bone folder to crease the pages while holding down the sheets using a ruler.

I used a bit of scrap leather to made buttons and spine for the book.

 I placed marks on an index card to make the punching of holes quick and easy.

Each gathering was then stitched to the cover and spine.  The cover is from clothing weight leather that I had laying around.

I added ties that I made on a lucet and some extra stitches along the long stitches to help hold them in place.

Finished Mother's Day Gift 2012

Pictures of the finished piece.  I took the pictures through the glass since I didn't want to unframe it.

Used the morning sun to illuminate the piece so there wouldn't be a reflection of the flash in the glass.

Frame and all.

Close up of the picture.

Detail of the Top

Detail of the Figures

Detail of the Calligraphy

New(old) Project, Verdigris, & Garlic Juice

I started over on a quote project for a friend that I was asked to start working on last year.  I wasn't happy with how it was turning out at the time, something was off and I couldn't put my finger on it at the time.  Then came my son and he's kept me very busy, but I've gotten back to the quote project.  I was able to put my finger on the problem pretty quickly this time around, it was the proportions, they were way off.  Back to the drawing board and so far this time around it's turning out really well.

The quote  will be the one from the movie Kingdom of Heaven and it's the one about A King may move a man...  The completed size will be 16 x 20 and I'm doing a "2" page layout.  The "first" page is 6 of the 7 virtues, and the "second" page will be at least a large illuminated initial and quote.

Verdigris just past week 9.

Garlic Juice, a mordant for flat gilding.  "It's easy, just go to a health food store, and they should have it." Well after going to 5 different health food stores in the area, it looks everyone's gone to a garlic extract or a mix that's primary not garlic juice and has no stickiness to it.  So I decided to make my own.  I peeled a bulb of garlic and blended it into a paste.  I took the paste and worked it through a strainer to extract the juice.  So now, I have about 5 ml of garlic juice ready for use.

Going ons

I've been working on several different things lately.

The verdigris experiment continues and it looks like the verdigris is getting darker.  From what I can see, the copper tubes are covered in a dark blue-green color.

I finally finished the Mother's day gift, framed it, and give it to Mom before I realized I hadn't gotten a picture of it yet. I'll have to do that next time I go over there.  It turned out pretty well over all.

After having a bunch of egg whites left over from making ice cream, I decided to make glair.  I now have a bunch of glair sitting in the fridge for when it's needed.

I've also started over on drawing out a piece that a friend requested last year and said on hurry on.  The original drawing just didn't look right and after picking it back up and checking over the proportions, it was drawn to tall and skinny, so I'm redrawing it.  So far, it's turning out a lot better.

The monthly classes with the local scribal guild progresses.  I'm currently researching and writing a handout on gilding for later this month. Only a few classes/handouts to write up, Pen Work & Puzzle Initials, Mixing Pigments into paint, Painting in Layers, and Miniatures and grotesques.

My local group's webminister posted up an A&S page for individuals work to be shown off.  I spent quite a long time compiling and writing up stuff for them to post about what I've done.

I've also been going through the book Trade in artists' materials: Markets and Commerce in Europe to 1700. I've been making extensive notes from the various papers in it and taking pictures of the various charts as they contain so much information.  The information about the trade of pigments and other supplies of artists is pretty much from 15th century on, so it's later then most of the styles I work with the most, but it is a very interesting read.  I wish the book wasn't so expensive as I would love to add a copy to my book shelf.