(NOTE:  this is a work in progress, and hopefully will be added to fairly regulary.)

 

For the Beginning Scribe by Meisterin Katarina Helene von Schönborn, OL BOOKS:  In my opinion, the following books are almost a must for any scribe, whether they be a calligrapher, illuminator, or both.  Because, even a calligrapher needs to know the basics of layout and such.  An illuminator also needs to know just how much space to leave for a calligrapher to complete the work.  In the SCA, scribes can be both — or they can be one or the other, working either as a team or separately (i.e., someone does an illuminated border, and sends the scroll to the Signet, who in turn gives it to a calligrapher to complete).  I list these books in the order of importance (at least in my humble opinion).  There are many more books out there that are wonderful resources, but these are the barest minimum I would recommend.  The Art of Calligraphy, a practical guide to the skills and techniques, by David Harris.  Published 1995 in the US by DK Publishing, Inc., New York, NY.  ISBN: 1-56458-849-1 ($24.95 US)  —  I find this one better than the following book, as it has 2-color diagrams of the letter forms; but don't dismiss Drogin's totally.  Medieval Calligraphy, Its History and Technique, by Marc Drogin.  Published in 1980 by Dover Publications, Inc., Mineola, NY (there might be a newer version, but this is the one I own).  ISBN: 0-486-26142-5 ($10.95 US) — a good starting point if you cannot find the first book on the list. The Calligrapher's Handbook, Edited by Heather Child for the Society of Scribes and Illuminators.  Published 1986 in the US by Taplinger Publishing Co., Inc., New York, NY.  ISBN: 0-8008-1198-4  ($13.95 US) — a good source of information on the modernization of many period techniques. The Calligraphers' Dictionary, by Rose Folsom.  Published 1990 in US by Thames and Hudson Inc., New York, NY.  Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 89-52098 [sorry, no ISBN] ($24.95 US) — a great resource of scribal terms. A History of Illuminated Manuscripts, by Christopher de Hamel (Second Edition).  Published 1994 by Phaidon Press Limited, London, UK.  ISBN: 0-7148-2949-8 (expensive — can't recall how much I paid, but near $65 US) — the first edition is also quite good, but they did add some new photos of different manuscripts to the second edition; there is also a soft cover edition for around $35 US. Medieval Illuminators and Their Methods of Work, by Jonathan J.G. Alexander.  Published 1992 by Yale University Press, New Haven and London.  ISBN:0-300-05689-3 (I can't recall what I paid for my hard cover edition, but there is now a soft cover edition for around $25 US) — this is a great resource for historical research, as well as good photography. The Illuminated Alphabet, byTimothy Noad and Patricia Seligman.  Published 1994 by Running Press Book Publishers, Quarto Inc., London, UK.  ISBN: 1-56138-458-5 ($24.95 US) — Some good examples of illumination techniques... take some of the color schemes with a large pinch of salt... they mimic the Victorian shades. Illumination: A Source Book for Calligraphers, by Christopher Jarman.  Published 1992 by Dryad Press Ltd, London, UK.  ISBN: 0-85219-747-0 (£17.99 UK) — if you can find this little jewel, it is a good resource, with some good line drawings of period style illuminations (to help the beginning illuminator)... beware again of the color schemes, they are often Victorian. PAPERS: Be sure the paper you select is acid free.  This is very important.  You also have to make sure you pick a paper that will not cause your ink to bleed.  For those who have a limited budget, I recommend starting out with 11" X 14" Bristol Board (vellum surface), which can be purchased in most craft stores in a pad of 15 sheets.  If you have access to an art store nearby, or are willing to mail order, then I highly recommend Arches Watercolor 90# or 140# Hot Press paper.  This usually comes in a 22" X 30" sheet (at about $3.60 and $5.25 a sheet, respectively), that can be torn into quarters or more.  When torn into quarters, it becomes four 11" X 14" sheets.  This paper is very good for calligraphy and has enough body to allow much handling.  Stay away from thin papers, they don't hold up well to a lot of handling and are often difficult to make any corrections on (and we all know that we will make at least one mistake on a scroll... even the most experienced of us do). Other papers that are good to use are: Pergamenata, Diploma Parchment, and Stonehenge.  Also, Twinrocker (in Indiana at www.twinrocker.com) makes some wonderful hand-made papers that are geared for the mundane calligraphers that can also be used by the SCA calligrapher (but they are mostly text weight, not the heavier weight paper).  You can order sample packets from them direct, or through Pendragon catalog. EQUIPMENT You will have to discover the best way to keep your supplies/equipment all in one place.  One of the best ways to do this is with a mundane tackle box, as it allows you to carry around the most stuff conveniently.  As a bare minimum, this is what I recommend: A Mechanical Lead Holder for a removable lead (the kind that can be sharpened — not the inexpensive plastic ones by Pentel) ... these run about $5.00 each. Mechanical Lead for the holder ...various hardnesses (as a minimum, get an HB - the "H" is for hard and the "B" is for soft... so an HB is inbetween) — these run about $.75 for a box of 12 (I think). A sharpener for this lead (you can get a small one for about $.50 or a bigger one for a bit more, but I'm not sure of the exact cost of the bigger ones). A Pentel Clic Eraser ... or any white eraser will do — the Clic Erasers run about $1.75 each. A good cork-backed metal or plastic ruler (I like the Linex 20" Super Ruler, because you can see through it, it has rubber grippers on the back side of it, and it has both inches and metrics on it) — you used to be able to get a Linex ruler from Pendragon (now out-of-business) for about $9.50, or you can find good metal rulers at most craft stores, or even at Walmart. I like to use the Linex Linemaker to layout my lines... it is similar to the Ames Lettering Guide, but better — the Linex is a transparent light green, the Ames is clear plastic  — the Linex gives you a larger range of holes to use for making your lines (Paper & Ink Arts sells them).  A calligraphy pen (can be nibs and a holder, or a cartridge pen).  For a cartridge pen, I recommend any one of the following:   Platignum (runs about $19 for a set of nibs and the basic pen);   Sheaffer No-Nonsense (runs about $8.95 — but usually has very watery ink cartridges);   Rotring Art Calligraphy Pen (runs about $14.50 for each size nib, which are not usually sold just as nibs, but as full pens;   Panache (similar to the Platignum); and the Pelikan Script Set (runs about $10 each ... like the Rotring, this one comes as individual pens) ... you can also look into Osmoroid and Speedball pens (but I've not had much luck with either of them myself) For nibs sets, I highly recommend the Mitchell Roundhand nibs, without the reservoir (they just tend to pinch the nib too much, restricting the normal flow), or you could get Tape or Brause nibs. I like Japanese stick ink, myself, but Higgins makes one of the best bottled inks.  Since I don't have a lot of experience with bottled inks, that is about the only one I can recommend.  You can also do calligraphy with gouache... it just needs to be thinner than when painting, and you also need to be sure to add a drop of Gum Arabic to it, to ensure non-smearing when erasing lines. For a period page layout, click here.  For the Middle Kingdom Scribe's Handbook, click here.  (You can find the handbook down the menus on the left side... it is a PDF, so you will need to have Adobe Reader on your computer.)

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