Flemish Border, 15th Century
Here is the line drawing, and here is the painting.
This is a line border based on the border of the Arma Christi miniature of a Flemish book of hours by the Master of Guillebert de Mets, made approximately 1420 CE. While it is similar to the style of Franco-Flemish border work of the era, it is unique in its leaf shape, using a single, smooth shape very like a balloon or a modern plectrum rather than the more typical tri-lobe or teardrop shape so frequently seen in the best manuscripts of the era..
Materials used:
Tools were:
First, I drew the shape with the pencil and ruler. Once I was satisfied with my drawing, I inked the drawing with the rolling ball pen, and, after the ink dried, erased the pencil drawing. I then painted in the gold areas (they appear brown on the scan).
The colors of this border are all applied to small areas. To make the colors spread flat and even, I used one of two techniques:
Wet-into-wet: Dip a wet brush into a thin wash of the paint. First, outline the shape you are filling in with the thin paint, then fill in the rest of the shape. Immediately refill your brush with a thicker mix of the paint and apply that to the center of the wet area you just painted. This should wick the color across the shape, assuring a flat, even finish.
Wet-into-dry:Start with wet gouache; the paint should be thinned to a point where it is quite watery but continues to have the same depth of color as the dry paint. Dip your wet brush into this. Now, outline the shape with your brush. Reload the brush with watery paint. Put a nice, fat drop of watery paint in the center of the shape and, with the tip of the brush, pull the paint to meet the sides of the shape. The two paint applications should meet and form a small puddle within the shape. The large amount of water will assure an even spread of the pigment, while the surface tension of the water will keep the paint in place if you allow it to dry undisturbed.
The method you chose will depend on the quality of your paint and your personal preference. I find that less well made paints tend to work better with the wet-into-dry method, but your experience may differ.
I used the #4 round for laying the base coats. Once dry, I used the #3/0 for whitework with the bleedproof white and some shading with the darker colors. Last, I touched up the outlines of the flowers and the gold bar with the rolling ball pen.
This particular scroll was done on a very thin cotton paper. In order to give it grater durability, I used a spray adhesive to mount the scroll to a heavy, acid-free cardstock. My reference picture came from page 133, Illuminated Manuscripts: Treasures of the Pierpont Morgan Library, a book further referenced in the bibliography section, linked below.
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