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Resources
Calligraphy & Illumination - Basic Materials Terminology List
Elise ferch Morgan ap Owen, AoA, CI, CS Acid Free: there is no acid in this paper/protective surface that will deteriorate or harm the medium you put on it. Ames Lettering Guide: a modern tool that can be used to create dozens of guidelines on scrolls quickly and easily even if you can't draw a straight line with a ruler. Cold Pressed: this type of paper is ideal for watercolour painting. Ink tends to have very rough lines or even bleed on this paper, which makes good calligraphy harder. Dip pen: a calligraphy pen that requires you to dip its nib in ink. Drafting Table: who can afford one? Mine is a piece of masonite or MDF cut to about 11" by 17" and propped up on books at a 40 to 45 degree angle (so all the lines look straight). Clipboards work great for small pieces! Gesso: a mix of plaster and adhesive (for example rabbit skin glue and gum arabic) to put gold leaf on and/or create a raised base for the gold leaf. Gold leaf: "It's got gold leaf" refers to illumination having real or fake gold leaf put on it. When it's real it can be as high as 24k. First an area has a gesso (or base/adhesive binding) placed where the leaf is to go and then the leaf is placed down, layer after layer. The leaf is burnished (or polished) to get it to adhere and give a good shine. Gouache: paint that is between watercolours and acrylics in viscosity. Don't use acrylics they'll crack and dry. Gum Arabic: a resin in powder or liquid form; a medieval (and still safe to use today) adhesive that binds the paint together and to the paper. It's makes the paint go from powder pigment to stuff that can stick on your paper. Hot Pressed: this type of watercolour paper is ideal for calligraphy and illumination as it can handle ink and watercolours well. This means the ink and the paint will not run or look as if put on a rough texture. India Ink: permanent, lightfast black ink. Don't spill it cause it'll stay. Higgins is an excellent brand. Nibs: metal ends to do the actual writing with, but they go into a pen or are the end part of the pen. Parchment: Most stores today sell fake "parchment" paper that is only good for practice. Your work will deteriorate rapidly due to the chemicals in it, perhaps within a year or two so don't use it for a scroll. Real parchment is expensive and made from sheep or goat skin and requires special preparation before any calligraphy & illumination. Its period. Kneadable eraser: It's gray & when warmed up in your hands squishes like putty. You can erase with it by rubbing or "lifting off" the pencil marks. Safe to use when erasing over dry India Ink & fun to sculpt when stumped for ideas. Quill: find a bird. chase it. get feather (a wing or flying one). harden nib and chisel end. Chase another bird. Actially reeds were used as well. Rag Paper: watercolour paper made from rag paper is made from cotton rags. 100% Rag means all cotton was used. Razor blade: a true friend that'll let you gently scrape out extra vowels and consonents you keep trying to put in Celtic name's or extra words you're accidentally adding. Sable: the finest brushes are made from Sable. For use with watercolours & acrylics. (never use oils with them). Kolinsky brush are my favorite. They have a triangular handle which makes them easy to use. Brushes are worth the money you pay for them and last for years if taken care of properly. Size: traditional base for flat gilding/painting. Tempura: A medium consisting of ground pigment and egg yolk, diluted with water. Period & messy, produces great results. Work quick though as sometimes the egg causes the paint to dry fast. T-square: a ruler with a perpendicular bit at the end. Use this in conjunction with a ruler to get straight lines and use the Ames Lettering Guide against it for stability. Watercolours: paint that can easily be diluted with water to produce anything from a light wash (as in mostly water) to solid colour. This is one type of paint closest to medieval paints without getting into grinding powder and working with gum arabic. Weight: watercolour paper comes in various weights. For scrolls and special projects get weights starting at 90lbs to 140 lbs. The heavier the weight the more water the paper can take and the easier it is to not put a hole in it when you have to run something out with an Exacto knife. Vellum: calfskin prepared for illumination and calligraphy. Its period. Corinne's Paper & materials of choice: Arches 140lbs, Hot Pressed, Smooth, 100% Rag paper (30"x24" sheets), Higgins’ India Ink for calligraphy, a dip pen with Mitchell or Brause dip nibs, watercolours (my set's lasted 10 years); plastic pallet (or yoghurt lid); Kolinsky Sable Brush (size: 0, 00, 000, etc). Cost for 1 of everything on my list: $36 with one brush, $46 with two; not counting pencils, erasers, etc.
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