Inspiration for assignment: Morgan Black Hours, Folio 18v – 19r, circa 1460-75.
Materials: Pergamenta dyed with oil dye. (Original vellum dyed with Iron gall) Natural and period pigments, gum arabic binder, shell gold and gold leaf. Calligraphy inks gold and silver applied with quill. Keeping appearance of original leaving limited space for text and illumination, requiring dyptich format.
First attempt to illuminate in Black scroll style. Action items/goals for assignment below:
1) Portrait of recipient, leveraging techniques similar to original, decorating staircase and floor with personal-important imagery.
2) Integration of achievement above and design following style of original.
3) Gilding- practice with gesso, working on layering, get appropriate smoothness and flow. More practice with burnish with agate.
4) Calligraphic application with quill and silver or gold inks. 4mm height, match original
Challenges with period pigments binding to dyed pergamenta surface. Some pouncing needed and surface prep helped. Gold decoration and portrait work all done using shell gold, attempt made to imitate techniques and appearance of original. Pigment mix for blue background ultramarine, with white added to lighten and stand out. In retrospect, white add too much, and for future uses will layer pure ultramarine on black. Initial research appeared to have lighter color, and test painting on black appeared dark. Further tests made after review show pure ultramarine aligns more with images of exemplar. Lesson Learned.
Gesso lay better than previous attempts, multiple layers assist, still not smooth. Perhaps method application, perhaps gesso recipe in general. Extra layers gold leaf helped burnish appear clearer.
Text is:
Having seen our dear Jacob Martinson prove his might and skill on many fields of honor and well knowing his nobility of heart and spirit, We Bjarki and Gabrielle, King and Queen of Aethelmearc are commanded by law and love to recognize him to his rightful station. Done by our hands on this fifteenth of February, AS LIX, at Aedult Swim, we exercise our right and duty. Henceforth let it be known throughout all the known worlde that Our most noble and Just Order of the Chivalry counts among its number Sir Jacob Martinson, Knight of the Society.
Nikolai's Artwork 