[Scriptoris] Whitework and Other Questions

[lizdenpeters@juno.com]

Good Gentles,

I have recently started doing whitework freehand over painted areas.  Do
any of you have any tips or techniques to make this (terrifying for me)
effort easier?  Also, where do you obtain your ideas for freehand vine
work?

Also, I am currently painting three scrolls based on the Book of Kells. 
I have mixed some colors that, hopefully, approximate the colors in the
booklet I have of color plates from there.  Obviously, the colors I have
mixed are somewhat brighter than the color plates I have.  I realize that
the colors in the Book are faded; however, is this what all of you do
when painting these?  When I first started painting (not that long ago),
I was told to only use true heraldic colors on Celtic scrolls and no
metallics; however, upon reviewing the color plates I have, none of the
colors seem true primary colors.  They all seem "grayed" or with "earthy"
overtones to the colors.  Even taking into account the fading over
several hundred years, it looks (to me) that using true primary colors is
not a "match" for the originals.  So, I want to know what y'all do when
painting these types of scrolls.  Could anyone enlighten me?

Also, when you want to "darken" a primary color, do you add a brown or a
black to the primary?  What, in your experience, gives the best result?

When shading on a scroll, typically, how many colors do you mix?  It
seems to me that if I mix two, I really needed three and that if I mix
three, I really needed four.  How do you address this problem?

Thanks for your help.

Nuala (who is still stunned to have a Thistle for Illumination)