I have to say, I have really been enjoying having this time to devote to creating award scrolls for the Middle Kingdom! For the longest time, it's all I hoped to do. I have been learning a lot, improving my designs and spacing, and trying new alphabets. My favorite part about creating scrolls is being in court to see them awarded. It's very touching and very rewarding to see a person get recognized for their service or talents.
My first Middle Kingdom scroll was an Award of Arms. Not personally knowing the recipient, I did a bit of Facebook searching to find an image of her that I could incorporate into the scroll to personalize it. However, it was to be awarded at Candlemas, which was cancelled due to weather. I received notice that the award would then be given at a later court, so I decided to try and edit the scroll to acknowledge the change. This is what I came up with:
My first Middle Kingdom scroll was an Award of Arms. Not personally knowing the recipient, I did a bit of Facebook searching to find an image of her that I could incorporate into the scroll to personalize it. However, it was to be awarded at Candlemas, which was cancelled due to weather. I received notice that the award would then be given at a later court, so I decided to try and edit the scroll to acknowledge the change. This is what I came up with:
My next two scroll assignments were for Royal Augmentations, both lunulas, to be incorporated into the recipient's arms. I decided to attempt smaller scrolls, since manuscripts were often much smaller than we imagine. Since they were "Royal" Augmentations, I wanted to add the Midrealm dragon and an image of a lunula. One was my first early period scroll, and was my first attempt at the Uncial alphabet. The second was later period and I really enjoyed the birds and flowers in the design! I was happy with both, and would like to try my hand at some more early period scrolls in the future. I would also like to learn to translate scrolls into runes to better represent those with Viking/Norse personae.
After completing these two scrolls, I decided that I needed to start changing the amount of water I use when diluting my gouache before applying it to the paper. Seeing the works of others, I felt that my gouache was going on too thick, even when I worked in thinner layers. I decided that my next scroll would use more water in the gouache, and that I would start with thinner and lighter bottom layers of color on the scroll.
After completing these two scrolls, I decided that I needed to start changing the amount of water I use when diluting my gouache before applying it to the paper. Seeing the works of others, I felt that my gouache was going on too thick, even when I worked in thinner layers. I decided that my next scroll would use more water in the gouache, and that I would start with thinner and lighter bottom layers of color on the scroll.
My fourth, and most recent, scroll was a Red Company scroll for a fellow Atzinger. With a new set of Royals who are using the Middle Kingdom seal/stamp, I had to do a larger scroll to allow for the 2-inch stamp. This is another late period scroll and I personalized the image in the illuminated initial. This was my first scroll on Arches Paper, and was also the first time I watered down my gouache more and worked in thinner layers. I was very pleased with the resulting coloring and opacity. I also invested in my own tube of Holbein Artists' Gouache in Pearl Gold! It applies thick enough to be opaque, but has a natural shine. I am very pleased with its look and performance and would recommend it to those who, like me, haven't quite learned to apply gold leaf.