Jacobean Card

I did some gluing up of cards today - 3 more to go.

Thanks to a post on a Scribies list about the Macclesfield Psalter, I found a page of Christmas Cards based on Medieval Mss
http://www.fitzwilliammuseumshop.co.uk/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=FMOS&Category_Code=55
(thanks Motley Fool)

I kind of wish I'd thought of doing a more 'Christmas-sy Medieval' style card like the examples there - but I did choose the Jacobean Tapestry because i thought that my friends would like an example of my recent work without it having sleigh bells or something on it and so they'd just shove it in a drawer once the Season had passed. Still - the ideas at the FitzWilliam are a good compromise and there'd be millions of other suitable images.

Next year! :-)
Sally (MEtoo) is very excited at the idea of some pink notecards and matching envelopes with dragons on them, reproduced in the same way as I did Dianne's writing paper and envelopes ("A little project" label). Her next birthday isn't til next August tho.

Here's one backed. I've got shades of brown for the boys on my list, and apricot colours for the girls, with consideration given to those who like bright colours. I was very glad that my splurge on "scrap booking paper" (like this linen press card I've used) that I had a few months ago came in useful.

While I'm here, here's a scan of the greeting done in Dr Martin's Irridescent ink in Copperplate Gold. I mentioned a couple of posts back that the ink's coverage was nowhere near as good as the Pelikan Gold Gouache in pan, and now you can see the difference. Or maybe it's a matter of carefully loading the pen for every stroke or two when you are using the Irridescent Ink so you get full pigmentation. Don't know, don't care - I like the Pelikan.
I can always use the Iridescent Ink for washes - tho it seems a bit of a waste. Anyone wanted a very slightly used bottle of Dr Martin's in Copperplate Gold? I think I have two bottles of the dratted stuff.

The first is in the ink, the second in the goauche. They are actually more similiar IRL - the scan has really greyed out the ink and not let those little flashy particles sparkle - but still, the difference is very obvious.

I was actually able to do some gothic script practise this morning - the Gods with Snow quote. I don't seem to have gone too backwards after missing practise for the time it's taken me to do the Jacobean Card.
And i had a look at the script analysis and the questions the other day. It's very in depth and complicated, and I kind of shuddered at the thought of getting my brain back around it - but get back around it I shall. I'm not that far from finishing, and being able to start practising the actual script. After that, an analysis of the illumination style, and then ... I get to do a piece in the style.

My questions about glazing was meet with a dead silence. Meisterin Helene reckons the subject is a bit rarified and complicated. I'll chase people like Randy on it when I'm back concentrating on lymning styles.
I do have to say that I am intrigued by the possibility of painting the Gottingen Model Book acanthus in a 'glaze' style, rather than using opaque goauche to do the shading. Using a glaze is exactly what the Gottingen Model book says to do, with thinned paint, but I kind of ignored that and blended in the colours of the opaque paint. Still looks good, but it'll be great to see the differences in how they look.