I have a few books on the topic of calligraphy and medieval art styles and methods of painting. I will have to pull them out when I return to my dwelling this evening. I even have a vellum resource for you (though I can't remember if they sell pigments). I just don't have access to my 'bookmarks'.

You will need gold leaf if you are planning on doing a full blown illuminated manuscript; quite a hefty undertaking.

Pigments are another story and can be quiet expensive if you go with the "real deal", meaning natural minerals and such rather than "synthetic" pigments.

But I hope to be able to address all of this later when I have access to my resources.

Glad Ben got you to join. Welcome!

I can't help you with the physical calligraphy ssupplies but you may find this info useful:

Well, after doing a little more checking, and emailing, etc, I got a really cool response from an Assistant Professor from the University of Chicago specializing in medieval handwriting! Here's what he sent me with some references we could probably find if we all look around for them:

Well, your list has the right things in it. The best candidates for "average people" at Bruges in 1470 (that is, modestly literate burgers) would be Bastarda or Littera (semigothica) cursiva. You are interested,
probably, in the writing found in documents (versus formal books).
Bastarda
is what the name implies: a bastard mix of cursive and gothic script (referring to characteristic letterforms, not just pen-technique -- one doesn't lift the pentip much in cursives). Bastarda was an important
formal book hand, but not for all books (e.g., not for litugical ones, but possible
in personal devotional books). Documentary hands were cursives.

Secretary is a particular English derivative of the Italian Littera Cursiva; it emerged in England from about 1375 (see M. Parkes, English Cursive Bookhands). The Italian cursives were widely influential and inflected handwriting in France and the Low Lands and Germany. Even famous scholars,
who should know such things, will confuse cursive handwritings from different regions in your period. The names, grades, and classes of the many styles of writing in that period are complex (even if it all "looks
the same"). On the subject, with plates and nomenclature galor, see Gumbert and
Lieftinck, Catalogue des manuscrits dates conserves aux Pays Bas.

I hedge a bit to pronounce because the issue is complex. But something like Bastarda (for books) or Littera cursiva (for documents) is what you are looking for, given an appropriate date (and 1470 is not 1425, I can tell the difference instantly). The scripts (i.e., the basic types) had long histories. For something reasonably accessible, have a look at Rutherford Aris, The Unfolding of Letterforms. I think that he has plates for your period, perhaps from your region. The various catalogues of dated and datable
manuscripts would be of greatest help (a.k.a. "Manuscrits dates"), but they're not
in every bookshop. Try Andrew Watson, for the British Library and the Oxford Colleges.

Best,
M.I.A.
Michael I. Allen
Assistant Professor
Department of Classics
The University of Chicago
1010 E. 59th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60637
e-mail: frechulf@uchicago.edu
home tel. 773-288-1507
Office in Ann Arbor, 1997-98
tel. 313-647-3342
Fax 773-702-9861

This was collected by a gal named Tamsin in AM's group (La Maisnie)

Welcome aboard ! It is my understanding from various readings (I'll have to do some rummaging about for references) that MANY of the artists who produced the illuminations for manuscripts were women, at least in France and Burgundy - unfortunately we know little about particular people, as the work was considered a craft, and is unsigned. I think it would be a fantastic portrayal!

Keep in mind many of the pigments used in actual medieval paint were poisonous, and I think a modern pigment could be added to a historical carrier without anybody considering it a terrible innacuracy - nobody is about to do mercury gilding of objects in this day and age either.

I'm pretty sure egg tempra is the normal medium for manuscript illumination - it is fantastic, as you thin it (water being the thinner) it has a translucence and makes possible jewel like tones. Gilding, while quite nice, would only be used on the highest quality books - I'm pretty sure (although not positive) many illuminated manuscripts surviving are not bedecked with gilding. You could do quite a believable presentation of the craft with little to any gilding necessary.

Gaulker Wares makes a bronze dip pen modeled on surviving examples of 13th - 15th c. pens, quills can be aquired easily (trim off the feathers), and Mark is now making silver points as well, at reasonable prices.

Here is a link
http://www.medievalwares.com/

Hope this helps.

Oh, before I forget: I'm not completely merciless. I'm really rather nice. And I don't bite (unless you ask _really_ nicely!)

I have a book that describes Egg Tempera and other Medieval painting methods and the mixing of the media, and yes...eggs are involved.

As chef de chambre (my other half) said, many of the real pigments or methods of affixing 'leaf' are poisonous, so a little modern is not a bad thing, especially if you want the document to last. When I was thinking about it last night, I had to tell myself not all books had gold in them, they are just the ones we are accustomed to seeing.

I was also amused by your signature. That happens to be one of my favorite romantic paintings.

Jenn

Mark (Gaulker wares)does indeed sell stuff, and is a distributor for a guy who makes period pigments as well.

Also, Marks wife Linnet is VERy knowledgable about such things, having produced girdle books, and even veronicals . You can reach her through him, I'm sure.

Check out cennini....a period book on how to paint and how to make your own pigments, etc.

good luck! though one must think WHY a period person would be doing that kind of thing at a camping event?

She's mentioned having both an upper class and a lower class portrayal, so she's certainly OK doing fancy calligraphy sort of stuff.

Writing & Illuminating & Lettering by Edward Johnston (ISBN: 0-486-28534-0)

This book covers the how to's of gold leafing, technique for the different times, cutting of quills, etc... It covers some musical notation.

The Materials and Techniques of Medieval Painting by Daniel V. Thompson.
(ISBN:0-486-20327-1)

Discusses carriers and grounds, binding materials, pigments (by classifications and color), and metals.

"The Renaissance Artist at Work" by Bruce Cole. (ISBN: 0-06-430129-X)

This book deals with the artist in society from 1250-1550; it covers how the artist learned their craft, workshop organization, guilds they belonged to, and how they were treated by customers and patrons.

Taken together it gives a pretty good look into medieval artists and their work.

Hope this helps.

I think that what you'll find on this board is that people will be extraordinarily generous with resources and leads so you *can* do your research. I also believe that anyone who says "I don't want to do research, give me information I can use" will be met with a resounding :P !!!

Even if you live in a backwater and can't afford to spend thousands of $ / £ on books, you can take a book name and ISBN to your local library and say "Can you get this for me?" It's called an inter-library loan, and I believe it's common practice in first-world countries.

Ask away, and you may be showered with far more resources than you can possibly use in a year. But that's what this is all about, right?