Catching up.

Renaissance tiles at Monte Palace Tropical Gardens in Funchal, Madeira Portugal

Callig'd by my Sisterminion Mistress Ailitha- Drachenwald

 Calliged by Master Wilhelm-Midrealm

 Callig'd by Ari- Drachenwald

Winged Pouch

I was asked to update my blog...and I realized that there are a bunch of scrolls and stuff that I have not yet posted on here. 

The scroll atop it's source.  Cicero's Orations fol 3v written for Ferrante I of Aragon- King of Naples 1458-94
This was a Winged Pouch- a youth award for Drachenwald's Insulae Draconis. I love doing scrolls for other kingdoms.  Its such fun.

Purple paper- Fabriano coldpress rag paper from Blick.  It's nice enough- absorbs the gold a little more than I'd like but allows for some really nice watercolory washes that you can't do on other mediums. 

Nadezdas Pelican

So I initially started my research for this, using Mongolian paper art as a search criteria. Finding nothing I moved into artifacts and textile patterns, trying to find something that would be appropriate for a Pelicans scroll. It took me awhile before I found an image from the Met Museum of Art, called a Paiza.

A paiza was a tablet carried by Mongol officials and envoys to signify certain privileges and authority. They were usually made out of metal (or the exant pieces are) with a hole towards the top that could be used to bind it to a cord.

Now I know nothing about working metal, but I did have the planks of beechwood, that I used to make the wax tablets and reliquaries for Nobelesse largesse.  

I cut them down to index card size 3x5 and drilled holes in them.  Then I carved out the center bits, with hand and dremel tool.  I used a gelstain in walnut to stain the wood from the raw.  

Then I cut four pieces of parchment with the hole in the center so that they might fit into the space that I'd just carved from the wood. They required a little bit of trial and error and trimming once I got them there as the template that I used to pattern on the wood and to cut the parchment for some reason didn't exactly match.

Each piece front and back had a parchment piece associated with it. They shared the dragon Motif at the top but otherwise each one was different.

The text was provided by Andreas but written by Mistress Aneleda Falconbridge of the East.

She flies with her own wings to serve the dragon. Let there be a pelican. In eternal gratefulness,

Cellach Rex, Vukasin Regina

At work one slow evening i translated into Mongolian. I did it letter by letter having no frame of reference for the language.

Then I glued them into each space, and bound them together. The kingdom seal was problematic as it didn't want to glue onto the parchment at all. I had to  use  sealing wax to  glue it to the parchment. I'm not certain how solid  The Binding is between the two. The cording was provided by the current Khan of The Horde.  The bag was made by Samii, on my request.  

x

A challenge from my husband because he said I wouldn't.  Please ignore this post.  

Fearghus Buchannon's MOD

Source and Inspiration:  

The Scroll:  I didn't get photos of the mapping stage, where I sketched everything.  Forgot.  Sorry everyone!

And Detail:

The scroll reads: 
Pronuntiatio Regno Mediterraneum Nobili, Antiquo, Victori, Valorosissimoque

Boni Nobilesque omnes oblationibus his scite qoud nos, Eadmundus, Rex jure armarum Regni Mediterranei, et Catherina, Regina nostra, in respectu comitatis, artis, honorisque ejus, et in campo et extra campum, decrevimus nostrum fidelem Fergusium Buchananum agnoscere  Magistrum Defensionis Societatis, in omnibus locos honoris Par Regni nostri et comes Ordinis Defensionis numerabitur, cum omnibus juribus, privilegijs, insignibus, dignitatibus, curasque quibus cui appertinent. Nobis manibus fiat, in hoc die Martia vicesima quinta, Anno Societatis LI, in Torneamento Defensionis nobis.

A backlog knighting scroll for Semjaka

 Quite some time ago, I was approached by one of Count Semjaka's squires- to create a long overdue backlog scroll for the 20th anniversary of the man's knighting.

It was a hefty project- goatskin parchment, 22k gold leaf, period pigments...the works.  Now I didn't use all period pigments, because I don't have all the appropriate colors- but I found my gouache worked quite nicely in the spots where period wouldn't cut it.

Inspiration:  Codex Gelnhausen

 So I started with the layout, and I couldn't help but sketch the initial S.  I practiced my text a few times to make sure it would fit in the space.  I didn't have to edit much to make it fit. 

Then sketching the floral bits in, so that my layout made sense. 

 

 

Guilding, Guilding and More guilding...

I taped it down to an extra shelf that came with one of our Ikea cabinets, to keep the parchment from buckling once I started laying paint.  This is the basecoat- OMG this is ugly as sin stage of the scroll.  I always am like 'why am I doing this crap' when a scroll is in this stage.

 The Final Product:

 And detail shots:

 Hidden (or not) within:  Portrait of Tangwystl d'Courci, 1 Rose, 2 Hounds, 4 squire belts, many golden chains, and a lotus flower. 

The scroll reads:  Sing praise and let it be known throughout the vastness of the realm that we Reynard King of the Middle Kingdom, and Brynhildr our queen  are well aware of the courtesy, chivalry, and skill both on and off the field of battle, of our friend Vaclav Semjaka.  Henceforth he shall  be in all places known as a member of the order of Chivalry.  By this oath:  "I here swear fealty and do homage to the Crown of the Middle Kingdom: To ever be a good knight and true, Reverent and generous,Shield of the weak, Obedient to my liege-lord,Foremost in battle,Courteous at all times,Champion of the right and the good."  By this troth do we sign this 19th day of November AS 23.