Monthly Archives: December 2011

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Yule Menu Scroll (2011)

This is the third year Annys and I have contributed a menu for the baronial Yule feast, even though this time Alesone wasn’t cooking it.

This year represents the 40th anniversary of the official founding of the Barony of Bhakail, so we wanted the menu to reflect that. I did several sketches, but it wasn’t until Bruni pointed me towards several images of a critter known as the eastern tiger salamander that I found my real inspiration. The connection between the breed of salamander and the Eastern tyger, the populace badge of the East, was too good to ignore! That’s how this menu came to feature an image of Flambeau (he’s so glossy) the eastern tiger salamander cavorting in flames (the medieval idea of where salamanders were happiest).

The idea of the shield representing the baronial heritage presented itself rather naturally. Using many resources available to me (the internets, the EK wiki, and the memories of several long-time Bhakailis), I sorted out the order of march of the Barons, Baronesses, and vicars throughout the barony’s history, and tracked down the emblazons of each. I expected some issues in completeness here or there, but I think we did a pretty good job of covering all the bases. We even managed to include my signature inclusion, a hidden flamingo, as well as a nod to the probably-aprocryphal tale of the first founding of the barony, a bear named Robert. According to Her Majesty Kiena, I also included a bunny rabbit. His Majesty Gregor isn’t so sure, though.

The menu was offered to Their Majesties as a gift, and they snatched it right up. (Much to the chagrin of Annys, as this was the first one she really wanted to keep – with good reason. It’s really awesome.)

As far as the calligraphy goes, Annys knocked this one straight the heck out of the park. I am totally thankful to have her to make my paintings into real scrolls. 🙂

Red pencil, gouache, and Higgins Eternal ink on pergamenata, roughly 10.5″ x 7″

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Champion of Arts & Sciences scroll, December 2011

Last year’s A&S Champion, Lissa Underhill, commissioned Annys and me to produce a scroll which would go to her successor at Yule. This one also eluded us for a long time, artisticly, until the details finally fell into place the week before the event. In a funny twist of fate, the person who most wanted to own this scroll ended up winning (for her second time) – Alesone displayed a range of different sugar works and methods, including an example of how bad sugar can go if there’s too much moisture in the air.

We ended up with a scroll text written between the two of us, which happily included an intial “A” which I could illuminate into a salamander enjoying proximity to a candle, the symbol of Arts & Sciences in the Society. The decorative borders are pulled from the Book of Hours for the Use of Paris, an example of which I found here. I haven’t gotten to working with raised gilding, otherwise I would have employed that method here. Annys had, by this time, truly begun to own the gothic hand she was working in, and the text really sells this piece. As pictured, it still has the lines we left for the name of the winner and the signatures of the Baron and Baroness.

Unfortunately for those who love a good piling-on of process shots… I don’t have too many, since this piece came together so quickly. I ‘ll see what I can find and put some up if they’re worth the trouble. 🙂

Red pencil, gouache, and Higgins Eternal ink on pergamenata. Roughly 4″ x 6.5″

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Brunissende’s backlog Harlequin scroll – 2011

This is a project that’s been long in coming, and I’m pleased to finally post about it. Over a year ago, there was a push to start making a dent in the backlog of baronial scrolls – either awards had gone out without them, or there hadn’t been time, what have you. Annys and I snatched up the assignment for Bruni’s Harlequin, which had been given many years back, but had lacked a scroll (despite having lovely wording by Baroness Sabine).

While my original plan involved making an elaborate mockup of a book, I set that idea aside when I saw two other -books-as-scrolls, both of which were far nicer and more well-thought-out than what I had in mind. Annys came to the rescue by finding a reference online to the Angers Hours, which was made near where Bruni’s persona lived and at around the same time. We pored over the examples and eventually found a perfect plate – an abbot receiving a heavenly vision of the Trinity. Except… since it was a scroll for Bruni, I realized it needed a slight change – nudity! What we ended up with was a portrait of Bruni, receiving Divine Inspiration for one of her scrolls, which all include a little nudity. Somewhere.

I sketched the piece out in my now-favorite red pencil, and then left it for a while, too afraid of messing up the lovely sketch. Eventually, I did follow through and painted it in gouache, then handed it over to Annys to letter. We presented it at Baronial Yule on December 3rd, to great reaction and a tear on Bruni’s part. Mission: ACCOMPLISHED.

Red pencil, gouache, and Higgins Eternal ink on pergamenata, roughly 8″ x 9.5″