Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Fixing Award Mistakes

     When we study the ancient and medieval manuscripts to learn the styles and forms, we are usually seeing the very best.  These are the pieces that were most valuable, most treasured, and handled with the most care over the centuries between.  Sometimes we forget that art and calligraphy was created by artists of a range of abilities, mistakes happened, even to some of the best scribes of the times.  



We will still make mistakes today, but all is not lost.  I have met many people who won't try any form of scribal because they're afraid they won't do it right or will make mistakes. We WILL make mistakes! We're all human! But, how we deal with mistakes can display historical techniques that only add to the character of the scroll. All is not lost! In the very worst case scenarios, lessons are learned!

Parchment and Vellum: historically, the hides of animals were used for books, most often calf or sheep. The process of creating these pages was very long and laborious. When the hide is stretched on a frame to be scraped to its thinnest layers, the tiniest misstep could lead to the development of a hole. Depending on where this whole occurred, it might not be repairable. But the parchment was so valuable, that they were still sometimes used if the hole wasn't too big. We have surviving evidence of the creative ways scribes and bookbinders incorporated these holes into the art of the book. Some were worked around, some painted around, and others were laced together in delicate and colorful patterns.


Uppsala University Library, 14th C.


Paper: Now we most often paint on paper. The thicker the paper we use, the fewer paper issues occur and the easier they are to fix. Warping can occur when too much water is applied to the paper. Aside from tempering water quantity, one preventative measure is to tape all edges of the paper to the table to keep it taught while painting. If your paper does warp, you can press it between two large books for a few days. By sandwiching the paper between two clean towels, you can even iron your paper, though there is a chance the heat may discolor any pigments used.

Extremely warped and crumpled paper.  Ironing with a little spritz of water got it quite flat again, with the only ridges from the places where the paper had creased.  Although this does give a somewhat parchment-like quality if it were slightly discolored!


A difficult situation to address with paper is if there is any tearing. A small tear at an edge might simply be glued or taped from behind. If a tear occurs from abrasion (too much erasing) in the middle of the sheet, you could try a threaded mesh like was done on parchment, or you could try restructuring the paper by wetting, applying paper mash and drying under pressure. This is an extreme attempt and will likely lead to other issues such as warping and inconsistent texture.

Tearing from rough brushstrokes over a wet area.  The paper particles were pressed back into place, allowed to dry, covered with a few coats of white paint, and sanded lightly.  

When it comes to actually painting our pieces, we run into a new set of mistakes, most of which occur from haste on our part. Both inks and most paints' pigments will soak into and stain paper very quickly. When paint strays from where we want it to go, the best thing we can do is to catch it quickly! With a clean, wet brush, gently "lift" the paint by slightly swirling it up into the brush. Clean the brush and repeat until no more will lift. Try not to spread the color out any more than necessary. If your paper is thick enough, you can then gently scrape the stained paper with an exact knife, however, this can cause tearing or a roughening of the papers texture that will appear as a bigger mistake.

Dark purple splatter of paint, lifting with very wet brush, then lightly scraping some of the pigmented paper off.

    Once the area is dry, you can work on covering it up. With fresh white gouache (full opacity and no other colors mixed in) or even white acrylic, layer up thin coats so no texture is evident, and blend out all of the edges of this white into the surrounding paper. Allow each layer to dry completely before starting a new one. If there is some texture from the brushstrokes, sometimes you can gently sand it down when it's all dry.

Dried paint, many coats of white paint with feathered edges.  The texture remaining is from trying to scratch off the top layer.  I usually omit this step to maintain the smooth surface.

But maybe "erasing" the wayward mark isn't the best choice for your piece of art. A very common practice all through history was to make the mark something else! Maybe that is now the place where you paint a bird, flower, leaf, scroll; something that fits with the rest of your design while covering up the mistake. While I haven't found written proof of this, it is generally accepted that this was the cause of a lot of the marginalia we see in manuscripts. A third option of the coverup variety is a solid color. I've seen the entire outer boarder painted a solid


 

Some mistakes don’t detract from the award.  You’re going to be your worst critic, so ask yourself if you would be happy to receive it?  Or ask another scribe?  If it doesn’t pass, you have a couple options. First, let it go and learn and grow. Mourn it (or at least the time investment) and call it a learning experience. In some instances there is precedence for cutting out the pieces you like and reformat on a new page, but this isn't generally recommended.



Some issues are specific to calligraphy, and some aren't our fault! Especially if you're like scribes from centuries past who also had feline friends "assisting" them!


Medieval scribes, like us, sometimes forgot letters or words, or they would repeat themselves. While we do see things simply crossed out, there are cases showing inserted letters and words. Sometimes extra creatively, like the lasso pulling a passage into place, or arrows and pointed hands drawing attention to a specific place.


While these hints may help with the inevitable blooper, the best medicine is prevention. Taking our time with the planning and measuring, and following the manuscript order of operations (measure, sketch, calligraphy, illumination, sign, seal, deliver) can be the most effective and preventing mistakes in our art.

Smeared ink below bird



Resources:

1. Piepenbring, D. (11-11-2014) "Damage Control: How to Repair Parchment". Last viewed 9-18-24 from https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2014/11/11/damage-control/?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=social 

2. Open Culture (5-14-2024) "Medieval Cats Behaving Badly" Last viewed 9-18-24 from https://www.openculture.com/2024/05/medieval-cats-behaving-badly-kitties-that-left-paw-prints-and-peed-on-15th-century-manuscripts.html

3. O'Daly, I (6-20-2014) "The Beauty of Mistakes" Last viewed 9-18-24 from https://medievalfragments.wordpress.com/2014/06/20/the-beauty-of-mistakes/

4. Asher, J.A. (5-6-2015), "Truth and Fiction: The Text of Medieval Manuscripts." Last viewed 9-18-24 from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1179/aulla.1966.25.1.002

5. Doyle, K. and Lovett, P. "How to Make a Medieval Manuscript" British Library.  Last viewed 9-18-24 from http://res.tigerge.cn/%E8%A1%A5%E5%85%852%20How%20to%20make%20a%20medieval%20manuscript.pdf




Monday, September 9, 2024

11th C. Irish Persona

 In the SCA (Society of Creative Anachronisms) we develop a persona we play as.  Focusing and learning about who we are (or would have been) during a specific time and place really helps the history come alive.  You're looking at real people and how they lived their lives.  I decided to do a little write up of my persona and her life.  While I have been researching this time and place, I am always learning new things and do not consider this complete, just as accurate as I can with the information I've gleaned so far.  Our chosen time has limited records as invaders tried to wipe out the culture and destroy the records. 





11th Century Irish Persona


        I’m Muirenn inghean Uí Cléirigh, born in 990 in Connacht in what is now known as Ireland.  It is a beautiful place, with temperate northern climate, though the Romans count it too cold.  From my home I can see rolling hills covered in grasses for our cattle, craggy cliffs, patches of forests and streams beyond the lake that our crannog is on.  I was born in a neighboring clan to the south, and married Eoghan and we now have two children, Finn (named from the legendary Fionn Mac Cumhaill) and Onóra.  Eoghan inherited this family home and we work to keep it comfortable.  There are no large villages near us, but we have heard of the Viking settlement of  Baile Átha Cliath (“town of the hurdled ford”) from traders where the norse were recently driven out by Brian Boru at his death.  It used to be called Eblana (140 AD), and Dubh Linn (black pool) by the monks at the monastery built there.  But the Norse were not seen as often on our side of the island, at least not near our clan




Our daily routine is very seasonal, but always includes tending to the cattle, some sheep, quail, and dogs, and our little garden.  The calves come in the spring and we get milk from the cows.  Sometimes we will hunt for geese or ptarmigan or fish for the river salmon, and often we visit the hedges for blackberries, elderberries or sloe in season.  This is also where we would find most of our medicine. In the winter we have more time for making and mending clothing as well as music and games.  Finn is teaching us neftafl, a viking game that he learned from the traders.  We wear léine and brats, with shoes from our cattle’s hides.  I wear my hair braided with a headband.  I’ve heard of more prominent women wearing gold balls at the ends of their braids and torcs around their necks.  If I find time, I gather local pigments from ochres, woad, oak galls, buckthorn berries and cudbear lichen to sell to the monks at the monastery for their paints and inks.  While we are incredibly literate (all of our traditions and stories are oral), we value knowledge and I love the intricate, interwoven designs they create.  It reminds me of the way we weave bog reeds into baskets and hats.  




During this time, cattle are our main source of currency, though we see coins and jewelry from other lands from the traders.  Brehon law is in effect, but we mostly rely on our old ways.  My husband and I work together, both free, and women have a good amount of freedom.  We are inspired by the women of our stories, Brighid, the Morrighan, and even Maebh who went in battle against Cu Chulainn.  Our battles are usually smaller cattle raids today.  Our fighters wear flexible clothing and fight with axe and sling.  Our closest leader is Tag in Eich Gil, and we hear that Pope John XIX is leading the Christian Church, though we only hear of him at Cong Abbey where Saint Feichin built the church a few generations ago.  When I was young, Munster raiders burned that place down, but the High King of Ireland, Turlough More O’Connor refounded it. It’s currently being established as an Augustinian settlement.  

My goals in life would be to be able to feed our family well and see our children’s children.  And bask in every celebration such as hand fastings, seasonal festivals, and new births!