Friday, May 4, 2012
Thursday no work tonight
A final goal has been set. I must drop this scroll off on Friday at 1:30. Thank goodness I don't have to work tonight and can really push through the rest of the painting and outlining
Thursday was a bad day for my hands. I could hardly hold the paint brush but I plowed through taking frequent breaks and surprise, the beer I had with dinner seemed to relax my shoulders enough that after dinner I had less trouble with numbness. I'll have to remember that for another time.
Thursday was a bad day for my hands. I could hardly hold the paint brush but I plowed through taking frequent breaks and surprise, the beer I had with dinner seemed to relax my shoulders enough that after dinner I had less trouble with numbness. I'll have to remember that for another time.
I quit for the night around 11pm with only two gryphon heads and the purple and yellow interlace needing to be outlined
Wednesday apparently dot day
Wednesday I got a lot accomplished. Interlace traced along the sides and top and some painting done as well as a surprising amount of dots showing up.
In Celtic style illumination there are a ton of little red dots outlining everything; important words, as filler for an illuminated initial, just because the monks had been chewing on their paint brushes again. My three main sources of inspiration for this style of work are The Book of Kells (of course), The Book of Durrow, and The Lindisfarne Gospels. There are dots everywhere in all three.
Nothing too surprising happened today. I was kinda thinking about leaving it black and white with only the dots for color but Hoggar said no.
In Celtic style illumination there are a ton of little red dots outlining everything; important words, as filler for an illuminated initial, just because the monks had been chewing on their paint brushes again. My three main sources of inspiration for this style of work are The Book of Kells (of course), The Book of Durrow, and The Lindisfarne Gospels. There are dots everywhere in all three.
Nothing too surprising happened today. I was kinda thinking about leaving it black and white with only the dots for color but Hoggar said no.
Tuesdays Progress
Tuesday I didn't get as far as I'd have liked. I slept through my alarm and didn't get up until The Bug got home from school and when I finally got moving my hands were giving me trouble. I have a couple repetitive stress injuries in my shoulders and upper back that cause carpel tunnel syndrome like symptoms: numbness, pins and needles, weak grasping ability. Some days are symptom free and some days I can't hold a glass of water in one had. Tuesday was a moderate day. Holding a pen and paint brush were uncomfortable but not impossible.
Tuesdays goal was to get text down and interlace designed and traced into place. I'm happy to say that despite a late start I managed to get text down and the interlace designed and inked. I just didn't get it onto the scroll itself.
Again a few things changed up while working on this. The angular capitals opening word was just going to be an illuminated initial rather than taking up the whole top row. I would have filled the top space with something else but UNTO felt it needed to be separate from the rest of the text.
The interlace design that will go on the right and left sides started out as just a blanket interlace, then I put in a couple blocking lines breaking up the middle a little bit. I got almost finished with the design when I decide to back track and add the empty space at either end. Don't ask me why I don't know but there it is and I like it.
Tuesdays goal was to get text down and interlace designed and traced into place. I'm happy to say that despite a late start I managed to get text down and the interlace designed and inked. I just didn't get it onto the scroll itself.
Again a few things changed up while working on this. The angular capitals opening word was just going to be an illuminated initial rather than taking up the whole top row. I would have filled the top space with something else but UNTO felt it needed to be separate from the rest of the text.
The interlace design that will go on the right and left sides started out as just a blanket interlace, then I put in a couple blocking lines breaking up the middle a little bit. I got almost finished with the design when I decide to back track and add the empty space at either end. Don't ask me why I don't know but there it is and I like it.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
A series of progress postings
I made a comment on FaceBook the other day about how my current project took on a life of it's own. A couple friends wanted pictures and I pointed out I had barely started, it wasn't ready, blah blah. They told me to start posting progress pictures.
Since almost all of my calligraphy/ illumination work is an award being given to some one I can't post pictures until after they have received it. In this case I'm making the Champion Scroll for our Kingdom Arts and Sciences competition so there isn't a name to put on yet or a surprise to spoil so I'm going to do it.
To begin: Monday morning I decided to check the date of the A&S competition, thinking I had about a week and a half to get this thing done. Good thing I did double check! This has to be in Boise on Saturday. ACK!
I've been playing around with lay out in my head for almost a month so I wasn't at a total loss as to what to do but what is on paper isn't quite what I was planning on. The general lay out was to be a gryphon head in each corner resting on some interlace, kinda column like, with a border of knots and text in the middle.
Before I left for work Monday night this is what I had gotten done.
Firstly the gryphon heads are the one I planned to use, I just thought they were smaller. Secondly when did the damn dots come into play??!!! And finally that cool little corner piece. I saw it in a book and powie it made it's way into the scroll.
Since almost all of my calligraphy/ illumination work is an award being given to some one I can't post pictures until after they have received it. In this case I'm making the Champion Scroll for our Kingdom Arts and Sciences competition so there isn't a name to put on yet or a surprise to spoil so I'm going to do it.
To begin: Monday morning I decided to check the date of the A&S competition, thinking I had about a week and a half to get this thing done. Good thing I did double check! This has to be in Boise on Saturday. ACK!
I've been playing around with lay out in my head for almost a month so I wasn't at a total loss as to what to do but what is on paper isn't quite what I was planning on. The general lay out was to be a gryphon head in each corner resting on some interlace, kinda column like, with a border of knots and text in the middle.
Before I left for work Monday night this is what I had gotten done.
Firstly the gryphon heads are the one I planned to use, I just thought they were smaller. Secondly when did the damn dots come into play??!!! And finally that cool little corner piece. I saw it in a book and powie it made it's way into the scroll.
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