6 days to go...

Originally the plan for 12th night was going to be matching Andalusian coats for my boyfriend and I, with super pretty gold snake applique on them. I even ordered 20 yards of a cotton/silk blend dupioni (yeah.. um.. my boyfriend is *hard* on fabric so 100% silk made me cringe.)

Meanwhile, the lovely proto-Baroness of our Barony asked me to be a Lady in Waiting for her. Its a cool gig for a person I like, and as Khalid is a little older than before, I'm willing to serve her. Thankfully, she understood my concerns though and as such I'm a special  different  LiW ... okay I have a different sort of assignment. While I will still serve when I can at events with attending and standing court, my main duty shall be to actually serve as the Baronial Scribe. 

I love love love LOVE this job, and since it seems I'm becoming more of a scribal apprentice than a garb apprentice it will actually be a perfect vehicle to continue to improve my craft.


ANYWHO...

The pattern is my sottana, the green cord
will be the zimarra, and the velvets and
trim are going to be layered
and pearled.

Its time to start thinking about garb. Their nexcellencies are going to be doing late period (Tudor for her.. and.. late for him??), and their impressive garb is being made by the Lovely Maestra Serephina, so you just know it's gonna be full on awesome, dripping with more awesome and probably stuffed with, you guessed it, AWESOME!!!! 

My plans thusly changed. We were not specifically asked, but still dressing late period to match would help with someones investiture dream and I'm willing to help that out.

I think its going to be bias tape of
chocolate velvet, then the fawn
velveteen, then the trim.
All pearled :D

Originally I was going to make a new sottana and Veste, but changed my mind and am going for a sottana and a zimarra. I have my fabrics already and pulled them out of my stash. 



And in very Superwhy fashion (ask my kids) what do we do when we need an answer? We look in a book!! Out comes Moda a Firenze and I start tabbing pages. 

Florentine School, Eleonora of
Toledo, Bronzino

The green one, during
fitting

I want a pretty basic dress, because I have some stunning fabric, and I want a zimarra to rival my green one.

I started pouring thru the book and found MORE than enough pictures. I also got out all the sources I've had on this subject for a while. While a fitted veste is something I've wanted for a while, a looser zimarra will be easier in the short turn around I have to make this outfit. 


I do have a couple of things I want to change/add of course.. because its like.. Mine.

 Janet Arnold Pg. 111 Patterns of Fashion 1560 - 1620

1. Short capped sleeves - sleeves, according to my book are as wide and varied as any other dress/coat in this time period. The ones I really really want are shown the best from Patterns of Fashion. 

I do want to split them and use some of that lovely gold silk in it though, so its going to be a hodge podge of sleeve ideas, then the bad around the forearm is going to be my layered trims, and scallops.. Yeah.. SCALLOPS!! (and of course the portrait that shows the scallops can't be found on google at the moment, so I'll scan my book later.

Lucrezia di Cosimo de' Medici (detail):
Bronzino (Agnolo di Cosimo), c. 1555-1565
(Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence) 

1. High collar - I want a high collar.. I think they are lovely and it means YES I will have to make a new partlet (see first partlet that actually fits and works) but I think its a nice touch..  There are actually lots of examples of the high collar, and on the looser fitting zimarra as well, not just vestes.

   

   Alessandro Allori, Eleonora of Toledo,
   c 1572 Florence

   
   Probably the  most famous one is the portrait of Eleonora of Toledo by Allori. Seriously, you probably don't do late period Italian and not know this painting.

1. More fitted thru the waist. There is one example of it being more fitted thru the waist. Not as much as a veste of course but it does have an obvious waistline which I like. The trim placement is fun as well. Though I'm starting to think its more goldwork and less trim. I'm crazy, but not *that* crazy.
   Granted its Giovanna of Austria but its still a good example of the tailoring I want and the sleeves are awesome, allbeit a little small. 

So I have a lot of art to look at. I have fabric. I even have a working pattern for both sottana and zimarra.

But I sit here an blog.

I think I'm scared.

Oh well, I only have 6 days to make this happen.

Time to get a move on.

(Btw. the whole point of really blogging this is so I can *hopefully* enter it as a Realm of Venus Showcase. It'll be my first one ever so we'll see how this all goes.. 

Challenges or how Maysun likes to goad us into doing stuffs..

Me, alllll me.

I'm a procrastinator..

No really I am.
As evidenced by this blog (which is woefully just not written in enough) I have a hard time following thru on stuff. Call it what you want, but I call it I'm lazy. 

I wish I could tell you its something else like babies, work, babies, boyfriend, babies, video games, babies or even just... the babies. But truthfully I spend oodles of time sitting here doing this.. surfing facebook, dicking around with my phone or just watching aimless hours of not really good TV.

I usually lament about this very thing in marathon FB chats with Hastings  and Andrea. Generally its the same thing with them (though I swear to Gawd Hastings has craft/fabric magic in spades).

The biggest problem is my motivation. So after another chat with Andrea, where we complained about lack of motivation and lack of branching out, VOILA!! Her Maysun's challenges were born. 

The rules were simple, on the first of every month she would issue a challenge. You participated or you didn't. Sometimes you had to have documentation.. some you didn't. I made a loose goal to attempt every month and so far, I've only missed 2.

This writing is going to be about my Maysun challenges.


May’12 – Head Frosting Challenge
Create a head covering from time time period and country of your choice. Please provide basic documentation (a picture or description from the time).

I give you the Lyvy hood o'doom. I even blogged about it, including process/progress pictures and some documentation. I was actually pretty happy with the hood, not that I'm viking, but she looked effin' stinking CUTE wearing it. Once we get it on her, she doesn't like taking it off.

Also, I entered the construction and embroidery into our Baronies Arts and Sciences competition and received ... outstanding? Whatever the highest rank is.. on both. I'm pretty happy with it and love the fact that my daughter loves it..

The fact that the runes say "Be careful, my daddy carries a big sword" just makes it even better for me!

My queen size rope bed, complete with
brother testing it.

June’12 – Enchantment in Your Encampment
Improve your encampment in any way you want. Chair coverings, cooler covers, a shade tent. Anything you can think of to make your encampment look more correct.


So I love my camp bed. It worked SO well. Just being off the ground was a HUGE success to my comfort level. Even when I stumbled back to bed all groggy and drunk and didn't get much sleep, what I did get was restful and complete. This one piece of camping equipment is SO worth it..
Now, truthfully I'm going to make a second one, a BETTER one, and I think that one is going to be a slat bed. :D 


Oh.. and I made two easy ups as well.. 
I learned a bunch from them as well.. Like the canvas drop cloths aren't bad, but I'll probably just fork over the money for sunforger at some point.. 

Add caption

July’12 – Paint it Good Now!
Create an awards scroll or scroll blank for the kingdom, your Barony, or a non-awards scroll to display in your home or encampment.

Matching A's. More contemporary
but the micography is fun.

Okay this one was super duper easy for me to achieve. Why you ask? Because I was the lucky (see "sucker") Scribe to serve their (then) Majesties, Sean and Nissa as their Royal Scribe. All jesting aside it was an honor and I learned SO much doing it. 

August: Underthere! Underwear!

I made strophium, or the Greek/Roman version of a bra/breast binding. I haven't taken pictures of my own yet, but I did show Maysun when I wore it to coronation.. Funny enough I made it because I needed something that was more period, that I could wear under my Roman, that would allow me to breast feed Khalid easier.

And its SOOOO damn comfortable!!

September: When a fiber comes along, you must weave it!

This was kind of a cheat challenge for me. All I did was finish lucet in kingdom colors for award cords. I got a pack of the pre-cut wrapped threads from Mistress Casamira months and months back and finished mine pretty quick. Aelia Sophia, however, HATED lucet and gave back my spare lucet and her unfinished bag. 
So, easy peasy.. another one in the bag.


October: Unweave My Heart.
 Your challenge is to create an item using cutwork, pullwork, or any other method you can think of that creates an effect by removing sections of fabric. 

This is one of 2 that I didn't participate in.. not sure why, since I've always wanted to do some drawnwork, and I used to be one of 5 people skilled in Hardanger in the state of Utah. 

November:Tasty Treats. 
You must make any food or drink you choose from a SCA period recipe. Please provide basic documentation, including the recipe, time period, and country.

I made a very simple soft camp cheese that was DELICIOUS! 

I used half vinegar and half lemon to make my cheese and would do it again, just probably not wring it out so much. I wanted it to be more on the creamy-ness of cream cheese.

I also made honey coated walnuts. Both were pretty simple and fun to make.



The last challange for December, is to make a kids period toy. I don't think I'll actually finish this one either, but ya never know, I still have a few days to try.

How am I going to continue this momentum in 2013? Hastings blogged about The Dreamstress Historical Sew Fortnightly.  26 themed challenges and you can pick and choose what you want to participate in.  There's a bonus challenge starting now.  #0 is to start simple with a due date of New Year's Eve.  Make something quick or something you've done before.

So on this bandwagon I'm jumping. Hopefully it'll help me stay motivated to get things done.. 
I might actually follow thru with my list of things to do..

I'll start that list tomorrow :D

Diapering and not the baby kind..

I'll probably write more at some point..
But here is some more since the fabulous Sun in Splendor scroll sorta got me all going..

Cheval  D'or

Golden Pillar

Award of Arms

Versal for a Golden Maple leaf

SURPRISE

So here I was, all set to actually maintain my blog and was getting geared up for court season here in Artemisia, and I finally was able to make it into the Dr.

See I'd been having some tummy issues for a bit and wasn't quite sure what was going on.. This was the note I wrote in FB about it.

This would be the easiest place to do some explaining.After Alyvia was born I developed some severe cervical dysplasia, I had to have a few treatments for it to help stave off complications and possible cervical cancer. They told me that some of the symptoms following up might mimic pregnancy and if I was worried I could take a home test -- I've taken 4 home tests and each of them were negative.

I started getting a little poofy in the tummy area (Yeah I know I'm chubby but this was different) about 3 months or so ago, but I had just taken a test and it was negative so I figured I was just being lazy. 

because of the dysplasia I was taking my oral birth control religiously, like as in I set an alarm on my phone so I would take it the exact same time every day. 

I have never missed a period, I have had no typical pregnancy symptoms. No morning sickness, no tender breasts nothing. No crazy cravings that stayed -- except the ice thing

About 6 or so weeks ago, out of the blue I felt... a flutter.. and this was different from all the "gas pressure" I'd been feeling before. I had just chalked it up to normal tummy stuff I'd been dealing with since having Lyvy and wasn't concerned. Then it happened again.. and again.. and again and again and again.. So I made an appointment with my Dr and took another at home test.. negative.. Still, I was starting to get this "pooch"  at the top of my stomach and it made me nervous.First appointment was cancelled because Dr had emergency delivery -- this was also around the time of the record high temps that caused babies to just drop so it wasn't a big deal.

Then my second appointment got cancelled.

and I started calling and not getting return calls.

and it went on and on and on.. I even tried getting a hold of my family practioner but can't see her until after September 18!!

 

So I got a few friends to suggest some places and finally settled on a midwife at Circle of Life in South Ogden. My appointment was today at 4. Went in, filed out my paperwork. There as some confusion about when my last period was and then the midwife came in to see me. 

We did a papsmear (oh joy oh joy) since I was due, and then she decided to do a vaginal ultrasound (still thinking I wasn't along very far) and when she had issues with my cervix and pelvis, she decided to do a normal ultrasound.

and the head measured 39 weeks. Leg measures 39 weeks. Baby has hair.. baby is 39 weeks ALONG.. baby has strong steady heartbeat, looks to be in good shape and OMG did I mention 39 weeks?!?!?!?! Even the midwife was shocked. 

We did some bloodwork, and a 20 minute stress test. Took my blood pressure again and it came down. 

Currently I am dilated to a 3 and effaced 70%. My official due date is August 25, IF i make it that long though the midwife isn't sure I'll even make it to this weekend. I am going to work tomorrow to start my paperwork, and then we'll just take it from there..Both Ty and I are in shock, but hey.. at least this was the quickest easiest pregnancy ever.

That was August 14. I went in for a perinatal ultrasound on the morning of the 16, and ended up being induced that afternoon.

 Thyran Khalid was born on August 16, 2 days after I found out I was pregnant, at 10:45 p.m. 7lbs12oz 19.5 inches.

My crossroads

Since I finished Alyvia's hood, and a lot of the enchantment in the encampment items already, I'm at a crossroads for what to do next.
I need some embroidery or handwork to have something to do during down times. Part of me knows I should finish the stupid stinking red blackworked drawers but every time I think about it I just get discouraged :(

The Lyvy hood!

Lyvy and the Sjkald hood

Once I convinced her to leave it on,
she didn't want to take it off!

Back heart stitched in yellow twisted silk, with
Viking runes that say
"Be warned, my daddy carries a big stick"

I mentioned earlier in my blog about Maysun challenge numero uno being "atop your head" any type of head covering you could have worn in period.. I had originally planned to make Lyvy an early period hood or gugel but decided to go with a Sjkold hood instead.
The deadline for the challenge was May 31st, and I finished the very next day late in the evening but still hadn't gotten around to posting any pictures so I present..
The Lyvy Sjkold hood!!

Front side with 3 knotted heart pattern

I started with 2 yards of scarlet 100% wool flannel, which ended up being more of a raspberry color after several washings. Its embroidered with silk twisted floss, with 4 knotted hearts on the front section, and a large knotted heart on the back section with viking runes that say "Be warned, my daddy carries a big sword" inscribed in the heart. It has been Whipstitched at all of the seams to mimic the extent piece and has a blanket stitch around both the head opening and all along the bottom.

The only changes I made were the following:

• I did not include a drawstring at the face level. I cut the center section pretty specific so there isn't much room for the hood to flop around anyways so I didn't see a need.
• I graded the neck opening about 1/2 to make it easier to get on and off, without destroying the fabric at her chin level.
• I cut the cox comb section on a slope and whipstitched it together rather than just whipstitch from the inside and leave the excess fabric in the hood. Made it easier to get the excess fabric out. 
• I added a tassel at the top of the hood, and might add a bell, just because I felt like it and its for my toddler. 

Close up of the front embroidery

Close up of the back embroidery

An AoA scroll

Sometimes its good being a friend.of the king and the royal scribe because I can pick and choose what scrolls I want to do and I can suggest awards directly to him.
Of COURSE I wanted to make Vons AoA scroll. He's Viking and I stole this template offline.. Viola!

Somewhere to rest my head..

Okay so this is a bit old but I still wanted to get it up.

Junes challenge ala Maysun was an encampment improvement, and one of the things I've been begging to add to our camping experience has been a bed. Hell I've been asking for a rope bed since I was was camping pregnant and Lyvy will be 2 this December!!
After begging, whining, pleading and general internet searching for plans and directions, I figured it would probably just be a HELLA lot easier if I did it myself. Little more research and I determine that a rope bed would be a LOT less lumber to haul and if we did it right wouldn't really have any extra center sag that an air mattress so why not?? Patience was on board and she needed to make a bed for herself and her son.

Patience and Cody getting started

Enter the epic three bed weekend.
We decided to embark on our plans the weekend before Quest.. Yeah. We decide to make camping beds the WEEKEND before our first camping event.. Nuts? Maybe. Determined? Sure are!

The twin for Graham

The full for Patience

Eventually we find the plans that are most what we want to use are Here at GreyDragon and the other set are on a PDF that everyone uses and links to (blogger doesn't really like linking to PDF's or I'm doing it wrong.. either way.. whatev!). We got the single and the full done, and the pieces for my queen cut out that weekend, then dear brother helped me get my bed all together Tuesday.

Verdict? There are some things I'd change, and some I like. My bed is shorter than the first 2 by 2 inches, and Its TOO HIGH for me to get in and out of without a bit of a struggle, no more than being on the floor though. So I think I want to shorten all of my legs by at least an inch, though Ty loves the height. Also, its actually too short for me to store my garb totes under, though problem solved, we decided to get some of the under the bed organizers! They are clear and longer and that will super help with keeping the garb less wrinkly at events. Its not like I can't use the toes we already have in other areas anyways!

My queen bed, compete with
helper brother Cody

See how big?!?!
My floor would be attached though..

Last issue is that its a TAD big for out tent. Before now I would have told you our tent was MASSIVE on the inside, but putting our queen size bed in there really takes up a lot of room, everything ahead of the pole is taken up by bed. We were talking about a new tent/pavilion this winter anyways so maybe this will be the catalyst to getting said bigger dwelling. Seriously part of me is STILL totally wanting the big tent from Bell Tent UK. We'll see if we decide to go that direction (hello rubberized attached flooring!!) or if we build our own. If we buy the big one from bell tent, it has a door on the right hand side that actually is the same size as the our current tent, so its designed that it can be a separate room.. Can you say lyvy tent???

Chocolate is a great motivator

So the two amigos and I have a problem getting motivated. Which is horrible since we all have small kids that need garb and need it like.. NOW.
As I was chatting with Hastings we decided to  motivate each other and had Andrea jump in when she got online.

The challenge:
Do make as much headway on your kids garb during "school hours" (they are both pretty close to stay at home moms but I work in the evening). The winner would be gifted chocolate by the other two.

Lyvy in her Skjold hood

And we were off!!

I patterned Lyvys Skjold hood and worked out some of the kinks, its all ready to be cut out of my now raspberry ish wool flannel which fulled very very nicely but still isn't as super soft as I'd prefer so it will get a lining most likely, though very very small amounts of it will actually touch her skin, so we'll see..

So far she kept it on for the most part but we'll see how the finished project goes.

After I got that all patterned, I moved on to a tunic, crossover coat and pair of salwar. I made calculation error while getting her crossover coat made up, but I think I can fix it with some snaps which of course will help out even more for when it comes to her being active toddler type.

In the end all three of us did about the same amount of work and so we're going to exchange chocolate on our next get together.

Sometimes its just a little friendly competition to get us going, especially with the thought of reward.

Im craft challenged.

Yeah that's correct. Sometimes I have to do use odd methods to understand what my end result is going to be or look like, especially when I haven't seen the product in person.
So I decide to start out with a Skoldehamn Hood for alyvia for the hat challenge. THL Sofi the crabby (who really isn't crabby) taught a make and take at FP last week. But since I was at work I missed out.
I've been pouring over the Notes and all the stuff I can find online (mostly here Sjkold hood -- which has the example pattern)  but still just couldn't wrap my head around how it would actually all go together.
So I made a paper mock up.
Okay I'll admit that sometimes my methods are a bit odd to even me, but once I cut the pieces out (not to scale mind you) and started taping them together suddenly it seemed to make sense. "Wow those pieces really are intended to go together" and suddenly I went from the paper diagram on the left to the wee bitty paper hood on the right.
I've decided a few things as well:

• I will make some viking whipcord and use it as a drawstring in the hood area. This of course will also be useful depending on how thick my wool fells out after washing.  But this will be pretty helpful with keeping it on the munchkin.
• I'm going to make two front gores and layer them on top of each other so I can attach buttons to it. I think having it completely open in the front, being able to button once its on, will be easier to get a squirming toddler in and out of rather than an over the head opening. Guess we'll see huh?
• I kept debating all day what I wanted the embroidered viking runes to say. Finally figured that out last night when I was at work. "Be warned. My daddy carries a big sword" Which has of course gained approval from the boyfriend. 
• This will be out of the red wool I bought on a whim (I got it as a remnant from Renaissance Fabric which has pretty good deals for scraps -- Think I paid like maybe 5 bucks for a yard?) and I'm trying to decide what color the embroidery will be.. Crystal aka Jaqueline offered up some of her private stash wool for a  guegal with dagging for the Lyvy. I might take her up on it after a time but this is much easier and simple so I figured I'd give it a shot this way.
• I'm still trying to figure out what OTHER embroidery I should add to it. Suggestions have been Pinky the poodle, and sharkum bear..

Wisest choices

Gryphon's Pride scroll

I never did make it thru the IRCC last year. Real life kinda snuck up on me, which it tends to do A LOT. Makes me wonder if I'm just lazy (most likely) or I really do have a busy life that prevents a lot of things to be finished.

*sigh*

In any case, I started looking thru the pages of the entrants of this years IRCC and am kinda sad I didn't enter the challenge. In the end though, I really think it was the wisest decision before me. I'm still currently the scribal Coordinator for Their Majesties, Sean and Nisa, and that's taking enough time as it is. I find it hard to ask people to do last minute scrolls, so I end up doing them myself. The Gryphon's Pride scroll was done in about 3 days and it has my very first ever gilded versal. I <3 Gilding.

Now there are two different challenges coming up that I'm going to participate in. I wrote about the headgear one yesterday but Mistress Bethany has offered a "scribal blank" challenge for our barony. It doesn't start until May, but it certainly does give me time to consider what I want to do..
Kind of exciting actually..

I need to finish the gryphon banner.. Its KILLING me. I'm not finished with it yet but its just taking forever. I'd say I've got about 1/4 left of the original embroidery to do, then it has to be attached. I know its something that I could get finished if I'd just concentrate on it.. but... *grumble*

Atop your head...

So its been discussed several times in our kingdom to start a "project of the month" challenge ala Realm of Venus Mini challenges, but it never quite took off.
With the possible demise of the Occulas Candide yahoo group looming, several of us chimed in about how we really did want to start getting back to the group projects. Enter in Miss Maysun who has a thing with head coverings and so the first ever Mini Challenge has been started.

We have from today until the end of May to complete a head covering of our choice, with minimal documentation. I've been kicking this plan around for a bit so I already knew what I would make.
Lyvy needs something for her head for colder weather and when she isn't wearing Perkish. Since Auntie Cha-cha has already made her a fabulous Persian hat I figured she should have a warm hood to wear with her other garb.

Enter in the Lyvy hood!!

how to be a hoodlum has given me lots of advice and I was just looking in my The Medieval Tailor’s Assistant: Making Common Garments (if you don't have this book but want some basic/early period directions and pattern starts, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU) last night for more direction --told you this has been planned and plotted for a bit.

Since this is for Alyvia however, it will be a bit more simple and probably out of something fun color/pattern. I like the idea of wool, but need to make sure shes not allergic to it. I also was going to make her some layered Norman-esque dresses to wear so this will be a perfect appropriate top to it.. I might be able to even hide a "toddler helper" leash in the tail ;)

Turned out WAY better than I expected ~or~ How I got super lucky with a scroll

During the final hours of 12th night back in January, I was asked to step up to my LiW duties until Her (then) Majesty Clare and help out during final court. No issues, says I and away I head to the royal room. As we are discussing things, and I'm doing normal LiW stuffs (yanno standing around, ready to help out if needed) we discuss a scroll assignment that went astray.
Being the budding and humble scribe that I am, I of course offer to help fix this issue and commit to getting said scroll completed by Coronation.

Did I write this down? NEWP. Did I remember? Nuh-uh.

Fast forward to about a week and a half before Coronation in March and suddenly the thought of scrolls triggers a memory. HOLY SHIAT, I'm supposed to make a back scroll. Thankfully I start doing some prep work right away and am happily well into research by the time Good Queen Clare sends me an FB message to ask about said scroll..

Am I gonna get it finished and have it at Coronation? You bet your sweet shiny crown I will!!

Even though the good recipient is of a.... European persona persuasion, as I continued to do more and more research for illuminated Suns (of which there are NOT many) I kept returning to a tile mosaic from Calat Al-Hambra (the red fortress). I did Sal's AoA scroll based off a wall mosaic from there back in the day and really liked the style and pen drawings.

The original is red and blue and of course I have the link saved on my work computer and can't find it here at my laptop. :|

Enter in Thursday night after work and dinner is over and I start blocking a scroll. I had sketched exactly what I wanted it to look like at work that day (sadly that purple paper went the way of paper ripper Lyvy). This is the first time I really bothered to grid out my paper and it super duper helped.

About 2ish hours in,
You can see the paint cues.

No work for me the next day, but I do have another pressing craft project that HAS TO BE finished and of course (as anyone who is excited to work on their scroll at home will attest) I just wanted to get back to the scroll dammit! But I press on and get that project done to the point where I'm satisfied a bit with it and VOILA its painting time..

Houston we have a problem.
See the cap to my gold glittery-ish ink broke a few months back when Sal tried to open it for me.. with a pair of vice-grips. Not having anything to put the ink in, i put a plastic baggy over it and then the cap back on as best I could. Well.. Gold ink is now one big block of gold brick.
CURSES!
Its okay, breath, its okay! Its only 4:22. Ogden BluePrint doesn't close until 5. I can certainly make it down there, purchase what I need for less than $5 and get back to paintin' yo.

Lettering inked
Gold laid down and some of the
Diapering being tested.

Blessed be Historic 25th street and the stupid movie industry that likes to use it... The whole 100 block is closed, and not just to traffic, at this late hour its also closed to foot traffic as well. Unless your a cop, or a person with the movie, you are persona non grata. Stoopid heads.
So I travel down to Michaels, and spent about 30 bucks on stuff that MIGHT work.

Home again home again giggity giggity and away we go. I mix a couple bits of this and that together and actually come up with a gold I was super happy with.. Meanwhile though I have to lay the gold then wait.. and wait and wait for it to dry completely before I can add the black.

So I play some War in the North PS3 with Ty to pass some time.

Eventually though, I get to start laying down the black and REALLY trying out the diapering that I have been chomping at the bit to try. The original mosaic had some cut tile work and filigree in it that I couldn't duplicate so I did some research and determined that diapering would be the ideal for this project. I found this epic lesson on the anatomy of diapering and away I went.

Almost done!

My hand got steadier as I did it and I found I absolutely LOVED the detail it provided..

Also, the same talented scribal artist turned me on to a new trick that I now can't live without.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE a drop or two of gum arabic in my paint. OMG it does wonderful stuff to it, makes it easier to spread and work with. Makes it super shiny, just makes the colors pop so much more. Seriously the final result of this scroll looked layered and dimensional as opposed to flat art work.. I cannot go without this magic liquid any longer..

In the end the entire scroll took me about 16 hours. That doesn't count the down time in between ink/paint setting. Unfortunately I wasn't in court when it was given to the lovely lady, but she didn't email me later to tell me she missed everything afterwards because she kept staring at the scroll. Makes my heart glad.

I really really dug this scroll and was happy to get a chance to make it..

A bad pic, but the scroll was awesome if I humbly say so myself..