How To

On Painting Masters

You can receive masters by contacting the Parchment Pursuivant directly via e-mail or phone (706)663-2532.

Mediums / Paints

The recommended mediums for painting the master Scrolls are either Gouache or Watercolor. The following mediums are unacceptable and should not be used to illuminate Kingdom Scrolls: felt tipped pens, "Magic" markers, colored pencils, watercolor pencils, watercolor pens, crayons or gel pens. These items are of suspect permanence and are prone to fading. The scroll that you have worked so hard on will soon fade away to nothing.

Gouache and watercolor are made up of similar ingredients; pigments suspended in water soluble substance such as Gum Arabic. The primary difference are the pigments in gouache are opaque where watercolor pigments are translucent. Gouache provides the dense coverage seen in most period manuscripts. It is possible to achieve a similar result with watercolors by not diluting the paint as much as you would for normal watercolor painting. A good site for explanation of gouache can be found here.

Gouache can be purchased in either Student or Artist grades. In Artist grade gouache the opacity is provided by the pigment itself. In Student grade the opacity is provided by white fillers such as chalk. A visual demonstration of this can be found here. Excellent examples of Artist grade gouache are Winsor & Newton and Holbein. The drawback to Artist grade is the cost, for a beginner it is completely acceptable to use the Student grades two examples are Pebeo and Savoir Faire. If you find Gouache at a local store read the package carefully, check the ingredients and make sure that there is no acrylic in the paint.

Watercolors are made by many of the same manufacturers as gouache and have similar differences between Student and Artist grade. Use the same check on ingredient lists to ensure no acrylic content.

The two things that you can do to become a better illuminator are equally important. One is to paint, as with almost everything, practice makes perfect. The other, equally important, thing is to look at period examples of illumination. This is the way to learn good color choices. Above you will find a link to period examples on-line, browse through these and you will see the great diversity in period styles, techniques and color choices.

Your first step is to evaluate the period (time and place) of the scroll that you are to paint. Determine the appropriate colors and styles that were used in that period before you put brush to paper. Paint the scroll carefully but do not panic if you make a mistake. There are no mistakes, just opportunities for creativity. One of the first scrolls I painted I went outside the line, here is what I added to cover it up. A dropped brush can become a small bird. A slip outside the lines can become an acanthus leaf.

Your final step to finish the scroll is to sign the back. Using a light hands sign "painted by" with your name and your group name on the back in pencil.

Once you have completed the scroll (or scrolls) it needs to get to the recipient as soon as possible. As the Crown is the one who selects the recipient and awards the scroll it should get to Him as soon as possible. If you are attending an event where the Crown will be, that is the perfect time to hand off completed scrolls. Of course sitting Crowns are very busy so, as with most things, it is best to go through their Chancellor if they are in attendance. If you will not be at an event attended by the Crown then your next best step is to mail the scrolls to either the Chancellor or directly to the Crown (this varies depending on the Crown). When you mail scrolls you should use a well padded envelope and you should place stiffening and supportive board or cardboard to prevent folding. You should never ever fold a scroll - it will cause the paint to crack off. It is also a good safety precaution to cover the face of a scroll that is up against the cardboard with tissue or glassine.