[Scriptoris] Whitework and Other Questions

[Kathy Herndon]

Nuala wrote:

>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?

In a whitework class I took recently the instructor gave us dark 
colored paper and pastel gel pens to practice the designs.  It's hard 
to be scared of purple paper and a pink pen, plus the designs look 
more like the finished product than using a dark pen on white paper. 
Once you have the rhythm of the pattern, painting it on the charter 
is not nearly as scary.  Also, if you get hopelessly "imbrangled" you 
should be able to paint a fresh coat of your base color and start 
over.

>Also, where do you obtain your ideas for freehand vine
>work?

I'm not sure whether you're still talking about whitework, but the 
answer's more or less univeral:  Study facsimiles of original 
medieval works; keep a sketch book of things you like (especially 
helpful with bar patterns and diapering).

>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?

Everyone sees colors differently, and it is very hard to describe a 
color to another person in a reproducible way (hence Pantone).  As a 
herald, I will say that anyone who thinks the Book of Kells is 
painted in heraldic tinctures had best not color their own heraldic 
submission forms.  That said, you are doing the right thing -- look 
at the best color facsimile of the original you can get your hands on 
and match the colors yourself.

>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?

Use the complementary color (opposite on the color wheel).  For 
example, a little green added to red makes a lovely maroon.  A little 
black added to red makes a not-so-lovely maroon.  Try it sometime and 
compare.

>When shading on a scroll, typically, how many colors do you mix?

Never more than three shades of the same color, as far as I can remember.

>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?
>

I've never had that exact problem.  On the other hand, I've never 
looked at one of my finished charters and thought, "This is perfect; 
there's nothing I could do to improve it."  Illumination is an art 
form for perfectionists, I think.

Lady Rosamund Blaunchflur
Northkeep Scribal Guild