Materials for Scribes

Ask a roomful of scribes the best materials to use when practicing the scribal arts and I assure you will have more answers than scribes. That is because everyone learns differently and learns better ways of doing things as they go along. I will attempt to cover some of the basic tools of the scribal arts here, but an ongoing source of knowledge will be from other scribes. Ask lots of questions from as many people as you can and practice, practice, practice,...

The Cost of Being a Scribe

Yes, it can become quite expensive, if you let it. Remember, any scrolls you produce are going to cost you to some extent. For the most part, you don't get reimbursed for materials let alone compensated for your time. (aside from pieces you may be commisioned to do...) Below you will find some recommended equipment. The materials listed are the bare minimums IMHO. If even this is too large of an initial expense, many guilds and teachers have loaner tools or will even let you use theirs for a while. A good rule is to try it before you buy it anyway.

Organization

You will need a box to keep your scribal equipment in. Tackle boxes work great, but any box that you can keep well organized will do. If you decide to keep at the scribal arts your box will grow cluttered and overstuffed. When you have to go looking through your box to find things, this is a sure sign you need to reorganize it or upgrade to a larger box.

Basic Scribal Equipment

These are things you will need as either a calligrapher or Illuminator

Paper

T-square

Metal ruler with cork back

Mechanical pencils - .5mm or smaller

White rubber erasers

Compass - lead and ink

Technical drawing pen or crow quill

Permanent black ink

Craft knife or razor blade

Burnisher

Ames lettering guide

Paper towels

An easel to reduce back, neck and eye strain

Calligraphy Extras

These are the things you will need *in addition to the basic equipment* for calligraphy

Dip pens - rather than cartridge pens

Nibs of various size and manufacturer

An assortment of nib holders

Brush to clean nibs

Plastic lid to hold wet paper towel

Illumination Extras

These are the things you will need *in addition to the basic equipment* for illumination

Gold leaf and size (glue) or gold gouache

Paints - gouaches or watercolors

White palette

Assorted brushes

Jar or glass to clean brushes

Distilled water

Ox Gall Liquid

Emergency Substitutions

T-square- good ruler and compass to make perpendicular lines ~ picture frame glass
cork backed ruler - a hard plastic or metal ruler with pennies taped to the back
mechanical pencils - lots of pencils, a good sharpener and some sandpaper
burnisher - any rounded glass object (test tube, drinking glass, etc.) ~ tumbled rocks
easel - any hard writing surface you can prop up on a piece of wood or books
white palette - any white plate or lid, glass or plastic...avoid paper or styrofoam
gum arabic - you can substitute glair (egg whites) or egg yolks as a binder, but I would advise you to experiment with your materials first.

Like I stated before, These are the items *I personally* cannot do without. Check with other scribes in your area or a Minister of Arts and Sciences for other viewpoints. I will gladly answer any questions you have about the materials listed.

Back to cyber-scriptorium MAIN PAGE.