Ink Spatters

Shoot High, Aim Low...

Thu, 28 Oct 2004 05:44:34 GMT

I am going to wind up nit-picking this one to death, I know.

Artie, you probably don't care, but hey, I at least wanted to get it to look closer to the picture you gave me. Flip to picture #2 for the portrait.

Let me know what you think. :)

Wow...

Tue, 07 Sep 2004 23:11:47 GMT

Pennsic was a blast. No, not just because of my apprenticing to Master Jonathan Blaecstan, after many many months of sitting on that happy secret to surprise folks, nor was it a blast because of running around as King's Champion of A&S, or even because of being part of running this year's Known World Scribal Gathering. It was all the little things that made this War so big. Moments spent with Ryan were precious as always, and all of the details of this particular Pennsic could take days on end to record.

Right now, however, I would like to address the matter of a package that showed up on my doorstep after a long day at work. At first, I had thought that my eBay account had been broken into, since the box was marked with a return address of RealLeather, in KY. Opened it up... a note on purple paper inside, addressed to Lady Kayleigh McWhyte. It read as follows:

"Lady Kayleigh McWhyte,

Thank you for the beautiful work that you so speedily readied for us. You are truly diserving of the title The King's Champion.

As we treasure these scrolls & the event, I can only say I am sorry that I was not at the Great Event. My Lady, you serve your Great King well and make him Proud. It is with My Husband and I's great pleasure to present this token of our great appreciation for we'll Hail this as a lasting token of forever a great (Ali?) and Friendship.

Yours In Service,

Lady Lisa of Leatherwood"

Enclosed in the package was a fine traveler's writing kit (The Art of Writing), and an amethyst chip necklace. WOW. I know these two gentles have not received their AoAs out in Midrealm in the 17 years they have been in the SCA, as His Majesty Kelson explained to me before gently asking me if I would like to do this favor for him and complete those scrolls within a day and a half, and was simply gladdened to know their awards were well-received when the word came back to me later on Monday night, through My King's appreciation. As I explained to him, I would not have done it if I did not enjoy my work. And by the same measure, I was happy to see that my students, the illuminators Lady Chiara di Niccola (work shown above) and Baronesa Gianetta Lucia the Quick, have their work recognized through use for these long-deserved Awards of Arms.

I will be sharing the writing set with both ladies at a time when we are all next together, and the necklace I would like to keep for my own, to treasure with the memory of helping warm two Midrealmer's hearts with the words and calligraphy contained on their scrolls. Thank you as well, to Mistress Michel and Baron Ernst, for helping make sure proper recognition will be given to Chiara, Gianetta, and myself. I hope, above everything, that these scrolls will remain on the Leatherwoods' walls for a long, long time. :)

Thank *you*, Lisa and Thokdar! *hugs!!!*

--Lady Kayleigh McWhyte, EK King's Champ of A&S, AS 39 (2004)

Pennsic Pilgrimage XXXIII

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 04:50:42 GMT

Nothing like The Chieftains to get you in the mood for Pennsic.... Bodhrain or doumbek, the beats are almost always the same, uplifting, and trailing into the night of a field dotted with so many tiki torches that it resembles the constellations of the night sky, touching earth. :)

After weeks of moving boxes around, being awake at 6am to move a couch into the storage unit at 7am earlier this week, having my co-worker all over my case to research things that have sat on the shelf for years (thusly causing a backup in my normal work), and tending to the business of finding a new place to live with Ryan, and a lot more other things that just have me wanting to sit here for a little while longer to rest, instead of getting stressed out.

The picture above? That's one of the cards I did for a current project for the EK Signet Office. It's from the Sforza Hours, late period Italian, with plenty of vibrant colors, little cherubim, and other neat stuff that my tired mind cannot grasp right now. This card in particular is intended for use as a congratulatory note, or an invitation, to an elevation ceremony (Laurel or Knighting). The card is not done yet, but close to it. Also... the style's slightly different in this and another card - I loosened up my brush control to get the card painted faster with reasonable results. The 10/0 brush was still used, like for the eyes, but it was weird having to "let go" of the brush and push the card along without sacrificing quality overall.

Anyway.... Safe travels to each of you, and I will definitely see you soon!

Persian Paradise

Tue, 27 Jul 2004 01:17:19 GMT

This assignment came as a real shock to me... And the results were worth the trepidation. Much care and research was given to Duchess Roxane Farabi's Laurel scroll - hopefully enough to match the same amount of research and devotion she gives to her persona and it's culture at each and every SCA event she attends. While I admit my initial impression of Roxane was marred by the murmurings of others upon the initial introduction of Her Grace to the realm of SCA politics, I have since come to make up my own mind, and have witnessed and experienced nothing but gentility and courtesy from this woman thus far. Be that as it may, I would still do my duty to the Crown and Signet in penning this piece for her, no matter my feelings, no matter what political situation may occur.

The challenge in actually penning this scroll for Her Grace was not the actual execution of the script, but the calligraphy itself. I do not know a word of Farsi - something I have hopes of one day correcting - and I did not feel any "pseudo" hand was appropriate for a Laurel - or any Peerage - scroll, especially for one who specializes in research. Words were sent over the internet to me by the illuminator, my good friend and "sister scribe", Mistress Mika. Hers was the brush that painted this piece, and brought it to life - unfolding a story laid out in paint of a woman coming to enlightenment through a quest for knowledge. Mika had actually managed to get Duchess Roxane to write up her own scroll, through a clever ploy (which will remain unnamed!), however, the script that was appearing on my screen on this end appeared to be a very modern Arabic font - possibly due to Microsoft Word.

That said, I asked a friend to place a call out to a translator who might assist with this task.... Lady Failenn from Atlantia answered the call privately, as her co-worker, Helen Yousefi, graciously offered her assistance. Amidst the turmoil of packing things for the upcoming move my parents are making, and the heavy thoughts of how to find time to do this while all the time worrying if this would be good enough to grace a Laurel's scroll, I began practicing the translation Helen sent to me through Failenn one weekend before the event. The fact that I did not know where the words began and ended set me back a little further, but after a quick proofreading, everything was done by the Thursday night before the event. All this while also coordinating the archery to be going on that weekend, as I had offered to be Marshal In Charge of Archery for Southern Region Warcamp, over dinner after K&Q A&S II.

Above all, what made it such a success was not only the teamwork involved, but the reaction Roxane gave. And the wonderful moment of His Majesty showing it to everyone *but* Roxane for a few moments.... Well that was just priceless. *giggle* All in all, I think it came out okay. ;)

The Pen vs. the Sword

Tue, 13 Jul 2004 00:19:43 GMT

This is the first time I've ever used just a historic letter to exemplefy any sort of Award scroll for the SCA. The penmanship is based upon the personal handwriting of Queen Elizabeth 1 of England, found in a letter from her to George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, Oct 22, 1572. The wording was based upon a letter from Ralph Adderly to Sir Nicholas Bengal, Marshal of Ireland, 1567. First attempt at oak gall ink on pergamenata, everything seemed to be going okay until I erased the pencil lines.... and picked up a layer of the ink with light rubbing. Hence the inconsistency in the ink flow.

Normally, oak gall ink will turn nearly solid black within seconds of touching paper, but since this isn't paper.... it did not take too well. I can only hope that the recipient appreciates this piece, since Elizabethan scrolls/books of hours are unfamiliar to me (save for the Hours of Henry VIII, which I own and would not have had time to recreate here with 2 weeks to go).

Above all, I am uncertain as to the quality of the piece. All of the "background noise" is really affecting my confidence in what I do for fun.....

Maunche for Ulf Thorfinson

Tue, 06 Jul 2004 22:37:09 GMT

It's done, it's done, it's done..... After getting eaten alive by the mosquitoes at NRWC, I am happy that it has been well-received by Their Majesties Gaufred Kelson von Heidelberg, and Geneviere d'Alcace. I only wish I had been able to see Ulf's face when Baron Master Ernst pulled this out from behind the thrones. Again, after so many times of it happening, a recipient was not present despite the confirmations. I've grown used to this....

And then, something wonderful happened.

His Majesty had me display it for the court present. After working on the final touches in front of him, and the fun of woodburning signatures in (and finding a working electric outlet on site - in Ernst's van!), and the sealant.... It felt that at that moment more than anything I hadn't done this in vain. I knew sooner or later, the recipient would get it, and I knew that they had done their best to see to it that the recipient was there, before even seeing what I had done. It wasn't so much a "Look at what I did" moment for me, but a brief moment to know that the scroll going out in court was flashy in it's own right, without the use of gold, without the use of modern painting, and unique in it's near-periodness and medium. I love seeing early period stuff go out as much as the later period stuff, if only because it's just become so rare these days.... and alternative material scrolls are few and far between. Thank you again, Majesties, for allowing that moment in court....

Special thanks go out to my lord, Ryan McWhyte, for his encouragement, and to Maeryk from the East Kingdom e-list, for his advice on basic woodworking / staining materials. Arwen, you are a genius as always, and your wording was long enough to keep me "floating" from the smell of burnt balsa wood as I put the translation on the back.... Let those skalds sing in your favor someday too. :) (Folks, Mistress Arwen is the one who introduced me to non-Tolkein runes - I was the kind of geek in high school who would send letters to her friends entirely written in Tolkein runes.... and now because of Arwen, I know at least 1 historic set, and am learning 2 more.).

And Ulf.... Wherever you are.... Congratulations. :) Your work is absolutely stunning, and I hope this piece has done you the justice and honor that your blades reflect. *HUGS* Vivat!

Things Viking II

Mon, 28 Jun 2004 23:44:49 GMT

Due to unforseen events, I may only have Thursday night to work on this, if I skip the business meeting. As a minor officer (archery commander) I can do that, but with the concerns of archery safety popping up lately, and my own personal life colliding with the deadline for this piece, certain sacrifices will need to be made to make sure it's done on time.

The wording came in over the weekend - thank Goodness. If I can just make time.... or steal time... to incise the runes, I am that much closer to done. The minwax and woodburning tool may come with me to the event this weekend.

Things Viking

Wed, 23 Jun 2004 04:45:02 GMT

Zzzz....

Sorry. Too many long nights lately. The piece pictured above is based on the carved doors of a stave church. The doorway itself is called the Sigurd Portal, named after the ever-present hero carved into the wood there. I'm sure the carving could have been done better, but insofar as the depth of the relief goes... that's all I'm giving for now. Just not enough time.....

Time for sleep.....

12:20am, Next night...

It's out in the yard, drying - topcoat of golden oak stain is on it, though not sure of evenness (is that a word?). Medallion will be carved and appropriately stained with proper colors when the oak stain is done drying (before I leave for work in the morning). Arwen is working on the wording. Same style format for English as last wooden scroll, NOT gilding the runes. May paint or stain, but gilding would not have been appropriate to this particular style.

Hope the recip. likes this.

"Is It Not Nifty?" (TM. Peter Abrams)

Wed, 02 Jun 2004 05:05:47 GMT

Bun-bun lives on.... in medieval manuscript. :-D

In tribute to Sluggy Freelance, one of Artimis' favorite web comics (and one of my favorites, and one of my boyfriend's favorites....), I smuggled into the acanthus leaf border of Artimis le Beau's Sagittarius scroll (archery award) some of the key characters from the daily strip. Bun-bun, the psychotic but loveable switchblade-totin' lop rabbit poses with a medieval crossbow at the ready - complete with the trademarked "ka-klick" from the pages. Kiki the hyperactive ferret poses on tiptoe with a longbow (of course). And "Riff" is shown wearing Artimis' new dress kilt, sans shirt, and sans the sunglasses to make it look a little more.... believable. ;) He's armed too, tinkering with another medieval crossbow (sorry, siege weapon wouldn't fit, and it's an archery scroll).

Each of these little doodles measures between 1/2" to 1" high on the page, and the text for 'ka klick' should measure to roughly 8 pts in graphic design terms. I wanted to get these little guys in there not just for laughs, but also because the original manuscript, the Vienna Codex (Black Hours) called for all sorts of little beasties hidden between the twisting acanthus leaves on the page.

Hopefully Pete Abrams, the original artist, won't mind this dedication. I know Artimis was thrilled just looking at the pencilwork phase of these critters. :) Just one more detail remains on this scroll in particular - the portrait of Artimis, to be set into the right rondel, whenever he finds one appropriate for painting. Meanwhile, this piece and Holt's Award of Arms will be on display this weekend at the East Kingdom King's and Queen's Archery Championships, in the Arts and Sciences display there over in NJ.

A is for Amphisboena

Fri, 28 May 2004 04:12:53 GMT

Scroll done by Lady Jeanne Grey... aka Lady Cellach MacFaoitigh....aka Lady Kayleigh McWhyte.

There is a story to this piece. Each scroll carries a story, but this one's a little unusual. It's my first Drachenwald scroll, for someone who just happened to be our incoming King, His Majesty Gaufred Kelson von Heidelberg, aka Gottfried Kelson Bladesword, aka Gaufrid Kelson Blacksword (Atlantia, where these Arms were Registered in 1992). The original was misplaced in Drachenwald, and a new one was commissioned - the original turned up over in Europe/Drachenwald two weeks following the presentation of this one in court. Mind you, I didn't have much time to do this in, and thusly overlooked filling in HRM's Arms. It was purely a stroke of luck that I came into this one to begin with - I had leftover sumi ink from the Gulf Wars scroll I'd done, and Ding Li Ying (thank you) had provided more than enough purple cardstock from my purchase through her to NY Central Art Supply (also used in making the Gulf Wars Scroll).

The circumstances behind this are really inconsequential. I owe it to one friend in particular that I received this opportunity, and despite wanting to do it, I still chickened out on writing my name in on the back, instead using the pseudonym for one of my favorite X-Men comic book characters, otherwise known as "Phoenix".

The purple cardstock is made by Canson, and costs a hellofalot less than $150+ for a large goatskin dyed purple (my other short-lived option). The gold ink costs less and moves faster than gilded permacol, and everything else was already in my "studio bag of holding". The combination of the colored paper and gilded letters were in representation of a German piece from the early 800's also on purple vellum with a similar type of ink.... Otherwise known as Ottonian manuscript. As in Coronation Gospels of Otto III type of manuscript. The primary source for this is in the Marc Drogin book "Medieval Calligraphy: History and Technique".

The supporters were self explanatory... Tyger rampant in representation of the present - the East, and German Dragon coward (pose is with tail between legs as per) Drachenwald heraldry, also rampant / embattled with Tyger -- representing the past, where HRM Kelson began and received his Award of Arms in AS 27.

I think it was particularly cool to see His Majesty pose with the scroll in court, in the AOL "You've Got Mail" tone "I've got Arms!", as it was presented as among the "lost paperwork" He had left behind in Drachenwald. Best of all, nearly nobody knew I had anything to do with it, so the satisfaction of a job well done and witnessing a friend finally have his work presented in court after a long period of time was a private but happy moment for me. I'm glad HRM likes this piece, and am equally honored to have represented Him and His heraldry as accurately as possible, after hours of sweating and poring through bookstacks at 2 different libraries and 3 different bookshops.

PS - I had initially requested this piece to not be considered in the competition for King's Champion of Arts and Sciences. I was still encouraged to do so with a Royal promise of fairness, and fairness is what was received. There was no favoritism in making the decision for His Champion, and I am most happy with that fact above all.

I wouldn't have it any other way. :)