This was a fun scroll to take on. Harvey Wynegode’s persona is of a 14c English Wine Merchant. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a scroll blank fitting to the time or area, but I had plenty of time to come up with something. I started by pawing through one of the books my Laurel loaned me, to help me match up calligraphy with illumination.
Where to start was the hardest. I didn’t know how much time it was going to take me to actually paint something. Leafing a border seemed a bit much for a Baronial scroll but I needed something. I found an example image that looked like a good starting point (Hours of Catherine of Cleves c1440 M945, fol 107r). From there I started looking images of folks, trying to put together an image that would be fitting of Harvey. Surprisingly the pencil sketches weren’t that hard to do. Everything just kind of pieced itself together quite nicely.
I had to drop the glasses as by the time I remember them, I’d already painted and I didn’t want to risk making them awkward or damage the work I’d done, as painting is still kind of foreign to me, but it’s coming along. I think with the work I’ve been doing with my calligraphy, my eye for spacing an alignment has gotten better. This has made sketching objects and figures easier.
With some help from my wife, I was able to get some of the text from the polling requests for his award. I fully admit I used a chunk in the words of the scroll.
Words:
Let it be known to all that We, Jean-Paul DuCasse and Lylie Penhyll, Baron and Baroness of Concordia of the Snows do recognize Harvey Wynegode and the levels of curtesy he exhibits. His fellows in the populace have described him as one of the most generous and genuine of the populace. Often he is seen assisting wherever needed and offering his gentle and winsome smile even while he works. To show Our thanks for his endless curtesy, do We make him a Companion of the Order of the Diamond. Done this 11th day of November, Anno Sociatatis 52. at Bjorn’s Ceilidh in Our Barony of Concordia of the Snows.
Materials:
- Bristol Smooth surface 9×11
- Homemade Black Walnut Iron ink
- Dragons Blood ink
- Tape 1mm nib
- Japanese watercolor paints
- Windsor & Newton Silver ink
Some notes:
I really need to plan out the whole scroll before I start applying paint. The diapering on the Capital proved to be problematic. I should have sketched out what I wanted, taken a picture then applied paint while referencing the image. The lines should be diagonal, and the white-work should be every-other square. Lessons learned.
I’m proud of the painting I did. I learned a lot about which brushes work best for what level of detail. Also, the ruling pen is my most favorite thing ever. I got the white paint to work with it and it made the lining of the capital SO EASY. (aside from waiting for the paint to dry.
