Mudthaw Scrolls

So, my first two scrolls were given out yesterday at Mudthaw. Even though I wasn't there to see it I was told that the scrolls were well received.

They were my first scrolls, so I was a little nervous that they wouldn't really be worthy. I mean, I know that I'm not perfect, but I've also seen some of the scrolls that go out and they're all breathtakingly gorgeous. My goal was to make something that the recipients would enjoy.

After all, that's all we can really hope for, right?



Both assignments were for AoAs. The first for Lily MacRuarie (now Lady Lily MacRuarie). And the second was for Engle Der Arzt (now Lord Engle Der Arzt).

The above is the scroll for Lady Lily MacRuarie. The inspiration came from Sloth (Desidia), from the series The Seven Deadly Sins by Peiter Van Der Heyden. Circa 1558. Strictly pen and ink. While I did the illumination, the beautiful calligraphy was done by Nataliia Anastasiia Evgenova; she did the calligraphy on both pieces. 

The original piece, the inspiration piece, can be found HERE (and pictured above)

The above scroll was the scroll for Lord Engle Der Arzt. The inspiration for this piece came mostly from The Hours of Mary of Burgundy. Circa 1477. This piece is pen and ink as well as gouache paints. This was also my second attempt at shading with paints. It's a bit rough, and after having a sit down with Nataliia, I have a better grasp on how to do the shading even better next time. Again, Nataliia did the calligraphy.

As with everything, I see things that I'd love to do better, but if I'm being honest I'm really happy with how they came out. And I'm glad that they were received well. 


It's taken my a while to find my niche. I was starting to get a little frustrated, felt like I almost didn't quite fit in anywhere in the SCA. I have no natural talent when it comes to any of the martial arts, but I've always enjoyed drawing, so I thought I would give illumination a shot. Starting out was a bit wobbly, I've never been the best with painting so I was a bit discouraged when it wasn't as good as I had wanted it to be (that piece hasn't been used as of yet that I know of). I'm still not the best with paints but I've found that I really enjoy pen and ink pieces. There's something calming about them, about doing them. And they're really beautiful in their minimalistic approach. At least that's how I feel. It's a learning process, always something to learn to get better. And I'm loving it!