[Scriptoris] Paper, Pigments, and a quick question

hsetrinity at aol.com hsetrinity at aol.com
Wed Feb 14 11:49:02 PST 2007


Happy Valentine's Day!
 
Several scribes have asked me for information about the synthetic “elephant hide” vellum that I use for a lot of my SCA “hybrid” scrolls. (I usually use real vellum or Arches/Fabriano paper for recreations of period pieces, or original styled- folio pages.)
The German term for the paper is "Elefantenhaut". As far as I know, it is a trademarked name, and the way of production is secret. It is manufactured by Zander.  "Elephant Hide" is a heavily sized synthetic that feels and acts like vellum. I've also seen it used on limited-edition books published in England. It's unrelated to the term "Elephant" used as a designation of the size of individual sheets of standard paper.  Here in the US, it's sold under the name of Wyndstone Marble.  I have found it online at the following:
 
http://www.texasart.com
http://www.gpcpapers.com
http://www.phoenixartsupply.com
 
You can order swatches from most of these places to see which weight would work best for you. 
 
I was also asked about a good source for period pigments. My favorite suppliers for those wishing to venture into creating their own paints from pigment are as follows:
 
http://kremer-pigmente.de/englisch/catalog.htm  
http://www.sinopia.com/   (They also have recipes and good prices for shell gold).
 
 
Lastly, some folks have expressed an interest in a period paint-making class at King’s College. I’m trying to get a feel for what to teach, so here’s a quick question: Would you prefer a hands-on (read: "messy") class where you can walk away with a sample of paint, or a review of different tools, materials, and colors, with handouts including instructions on how to make them? 
 
Yours in the Scribal Arts,
 
Suzanne
 
 
 
 
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