The first was a marginalia, I fell in love with the “insane bunnies” (my term) from the margins of books created so long ago. This was just for me, to prove to myself that I could do it. I really had no idea of technique, shading, blending, or how the original was created. And yet, it is a favorite – my first baby.
This border was made for my first meeting at the request of my (now) laurel, Baroness Michel Almond de Champagne, OL, OP to see where I was starting. It is messy and sloppy, lines are uneven, no shading and no clue on paint. Yet, it was a start, proof to myself that I could take an extant examplar and create a passable copy that could be useful. More, it is a reminder of how my SCA world opened up that day and I was strongly encouraged to do more and better. Learning techniques and, my first lesson: use the best tools that you can obtain/afford and use the proper tools right from the start (why use acrylics when they didn’t exist?).
This is my first attempt at a hand. I was a bit dismayed to realize that I was expected to be able to do the calligraphy as well as make pretty pictures…my brain finds this to be much more difficult. I figured this would be good practice, using a nib pen for the first time, and creating a “fancy” initial. At the time, I felt it was quite spiffy! Obviously, the ink smears, letter spacing and letter height are the marks of someone who has no idea, but it was a start!
Philomene’s Scriptorium 