My Scribal Workspace

Prompted by a series of posts on the SCA Scribes Facebook Group, I wanted to share some pictures and discussion of my scribal workspace at home. The request was to post your workspace "as is", and not to pretty it up for the camera. All I've done is make sure that there are no secrets shown that shouldn't be.

My scribal workspace is in the corner of our guest bedroom / craft room. It's in a quiet corner of the house with a bathroom a few steps away allowing for quick and easy cleanup. It lacks natural light, so I make do with lamps instead.

Quills II — Experimentation with Inks

[4/30/14 - Updated to include Higgin's Eternal and Ian's replacement Iron Gall Ink.]

Just over a month ago, I experimented with making & using my own quill pens for the first time. I said at the end of the process that I was happy with my results and there was a good chance I'd be using quills on my next assignment.

Since then, my continued practice has not been going well. My lines were either crisp but very pale, or dark but blotchy.

I described my problems to an online community of scribes in the SCA and was given some advice:

1. Try different inks — the Walnut Crystal and Winsor & Newton inks I normally use with my metal dip nips are a little on the thin side, so it was suggested I try a thicker ink. It probably didn't help that I had just mixed a new batch of the walnut ink, and it's still a bit thin, even when used in metal nibs.
2. Try modifying my inks — Ian the Green has a wonderful article on this very subject. In short, add some gum arabic or let some water evaporate out of the inks to thicken them, or add water to thin them.
3. Try different papers — my initial practice was using some cheap "calligraphy" paper, and not the Pergamenata or Bristol Board I typically use for my projects. The quality of paper can have a huge difference, I should have known to at least try this first...
4. Try different angles for my writing surface — I changed from about 70° to 45° on my writing surface when I first experimented with quills, but further experimentation might be needed.

With this advice in mind, I ordered some new inks and supplies and put the quills aside to work on a few assignments and get ready for an event.

Tools & Materials - Pens & Inks

So I've talked about paper and miscellaneous tools, it's finally time to talk about pens and ink!

This photo is not mine, and was sourced from a Google image search.

 

Medieval & Renaissance calligraphy was penned with a quill (a cured feather) or reed pen. Both were cut such that the writing tip had a width to it. Unlike (most) modern pens, the width of the line these pens left on the page varied based on a combination of the angle the pen was held at and the direction of the pen stroke. While fine point quill pens were used to add details and flourishes, almost all writing was done with a wide nib.

Reed & quill pens were in common use up through the American Civil War despite the availability of metal nibs at that time. Quill pens are still available, but are relatively expensive unless you have a source of cheap feathers and are able to cure and cut them yourself. They also wear out as they are used, and have to be re-cut to maintain a sharp edge. I have yet to experiment with reed or quill pens because of the time & expense involved, instead opting to use modern calligraphy pens.

Materials - Paper

I want to start my lessons with the foundation of any calligraphy project: the paper.


What they used...

Most of the works I copy from were produced on parchment or vellum (not the modern papers of the same names); a specially prepared animal skin. You can get parchment today, but you will pay for it. ($10+ per sheet, depending on size and quality.) Parchment acts differently than most papers, and has both advantages and disadvantages (which I can hopefully discuss after I've had more experience with it). I've only experimented with a small piece so far. It's on my scribal to-do list for now.

Unlike most papers, parchment often requires additional preparation before you can begin writing and painting on it. This can include sanding, degreasing and the use of a surface treatment like gum sandarac powder to help ink stay crisp on the surface. I'll dedicate a post to my first experiments with parchment when that time comes.