Preparatory drawing
Part of preparatory drawings for helmet pincel. Gold and silver leaf and black paint, on conservation paper. Brasil tint.
Preparatory drawing/gilding for pincel
Initial preparatory drawing for client commission of a silk helmet flag. Final piece had different design for the firestriker.
Trial gilding onto silk, sent to client for style approval. The silk is not pink, that is a result of my photography.
Silk and paper prep side by side
2nd stage sampler for silk helmet flag, The onscreen colour is not far from the actual colour. Gold leaf and black paint for the modelling.
View of centre of pincel, note the different striker style from the original sketches.
Close up view of the pincel, hoist end.
Close up of the hoist end.
Finished pincel on client's new armet. Please note stunning gilded orb and sun, not made by me.
In progress shot of a banner, 15thc style, antique linen, vermillion (synth) lamp black, silver leaf and modelling.
section of a cloth badge, antique linen, real azurite, gold leaf and black paint
Full view of gilded and painted late medieval badge. Hand ground azurite for the blue, gold leaf. Modern acrylic varnish, they did varnish their work, especially that which was exposed.
Close up of the raised gesso crescent, before shaping the profile.
Front view showing the profiled raised gesso crescent, with silver leaf, burnished and with text, prior to the figuring.
Close up of the ecranche shield showing figuring over the red background.
Close up of turned wooden orb with gesso layer, unsmoothed. This method is applicable to both orbs in this album.
Helmet orb, 4cm dia, oak, gesso modelled, water gilded varnish.
Close up of helmet orb, dia 4cm oak, modelled gesso, water gilded, varnish. Commission.
Wooden orb, gesso, egg yolk medium, synthetic vermillion, synthetic lead tin yellow. The orb is gilded first, then the paint is applied over the gold and scraped off to reveal the gold underneath, this is known as sgraffito.
Small joust favours/badges, silver leaf and black paint for the crescents, over brazil dyed silk.
Close up of sample silver gilded crescent on brazil dyed silk.
Gilded red silk, black paint with egg medium for the modelling, test piece
Close up of tail of York Lion.
Dyed goose bone, from l. iron gall, brazil wood, madder, undyed.
Dyed goose bone, from L. iron gall, brazil wood, madder, undyed.
Close up of Brazil wood dyed goose bone, showing penetration of dye through the bone.
Close up of madder dyed goose bone, showing penetration into the bone.
Close up of iron gal dyed goose bone.
Close up of replica medieval needles.
Prototype of medieval inspired heart buckle, for anniversary present for my wife. Milliput, brass sheet and brass rod. Final product bronze cast.
Prototype of medieval inspired heart buckle, milliput, brass rod.
Pavise (standing shield), in process of being recovered.
Top view of pavise beak, showing join to side boards. Since this was made nearly 20 yrs ago, we have discovered the beaks are a separate piece simply glued and or pegged on.
View of gutter, nail holes and residual gesso. Lime wood.
View of base of pavise, showing join of gutter to the boards.
Italian style pavise, made 1993, lime wood, gesso, egg tempera, gold leaf.
View of round profile gutter of Italian style pavise.
Discovered under wallpaper in my youngest child's bedroom, professionally sign written. Wall shows signs of rule and pencil guides.
Close up of my Saints Barbara and Catherine woodblock.
Woodblock of Last Judgement, based on Swabian. Note my use of modern milliput in the repairs. I seldom cut woodblocks in public displays, as I use a few modern items, namely gouges, until I can find a reference for medieval ones.
Poison labels, the left is a copy of an original, the right is based on it using a different death figure.
Late medieval playing cards. Block printed, stencilled. Paper is conservation grade, wheat pasted four layers into card. Very production intensive.
Reproduction of 15th century woodblock, sycamore wood, from single cut sheet. Inspired the cartoon.
Close-up of woodblock, Sycamore.
Mary as Queen of Heaven, single cut print, 1440, German.
Mary as Queen of Heaven, early 15th Century wood block. The original was coloured very similar to the above, but I added the gilding.
Late 15th century woodcut of Macrobian world map.
Belial returning to Hell, old testament story in Das Buch Belial, Augsburg 1470.
My version of the Nuremburg Vernicle, woodblock on parchment, pigments, gold leaf. Brazil lake used for the nimbus, note transparency of colour.
Zodiac man from York Barber Surgeons, late 15th early 16thc, parchment, oak gall ink, various pigments.
Drawn version of an early 16th century wound man, oak gall ink, pigments, parchment. Commission.
Detail of previous.
Model drawing of Christ crucified.
Cartoon for crucifixion, based on 15th C german woodcut
Detail of cartoon of Crucifixion.
Lower angel catching blood of Christ. Detail cartoon.
St Matthew, detail of Crucifixion cartoon
Emblem of St Luke, detail of Crucifixion cartoon.
Emblem of St John the Evangelist, detail of Crucifixion cartoon.
Detail of acanthus modelling, showing the addition of highlights and outline. Based on Göttingen model book.
Based on Göttingen Model book, how to paint acanthus leaves, the six stages.
Detail showing oak gall ink damage to paper. Drawn circa 1991, damage appeared a couple of years later.
Detail of azurite capital, this was ground by me and an egg yolk/gum medium was used. Bright azurite has large particles, so the binder has to be more viscous. As the mineral is ground further it loses its intensity.
15th century urine chart, parchment, oak gall ink, azurite.
Package and letter, conservation paper and parchment, plus sealing wax and hemp string.
Commission, pilgrim letter. Parchment, oak gall ink, rosin and beeswax sealing wax, coloured with synthetic vermillion.
mid to late 15thc letter with a seal ring, cast from original with st Catherine on the face
Assembly of pieces for Chester Writers Exhibition. The slope is mine. The papers, parchment sheet, wax tablet, bone stylus, pumice, rule, penknife and pen were all part of the display.
Calf leather, brazil dyed wrap book
Close up of device
Wrap book, medieval colours, calf leather, conservation paper, linen. Probate inventory, conservation paper, oak gall ink. Knife J Buttifint, cloth Historic Enterprises
More of the Fight Earnestly text.
Wrap of my painter's book, calf leather, indigo stained.
Painter's book, calf leather, indigo stained.
My painter's book, latin section summary of colours.
Detail of painter's book. This is a collection of genuine medieval recipes and instructions taken from a number of treatises. Conservation grade paper, brazil red for the rubrics, oak gall ink for the main text. Goose quill.
Detail of painter's book, this is part of a recipe to make a fenestral, which is a cloth window, in this case a stained (painted) version.
Painter's book, models of small decorative devices.
Painter's book, section on gilding, note the sketch of the burnisher.
Reproduction of mid 16th Century probate will, York.
Detail of Mid 16th century probate will, York.
My version of a 1479 will, Isabel Grymstone, York.
Detail of Grymstone will.
Probate inventory of Nicholas Bramall, York, mid 16th Century.
Detail of Bramall probate inventory.
Paston letter, my take.
Probate inventory, mid 16th Century, York.
Verso of Probate inventory, York.
Left hand page recipe to temper iron and a recipe to blacken horn and bones. Right hand page first part of 'Fight earnestly' a 15th century tract on fencing
Bronze stylus, used for metalpoint drawing and or wax tablet.
Inventory, late 15th century, showing goose quill, capillary pen and brass shim pen.
Detail of inventory, showing tips of goose quill, capillary and brass shim pen.
"penner" pen case, made by Karl Robinson, storage for pen knife, pens and small sundries.
Detail of penner opening, showing assortment of writing tools.
Close-up of a sample of some very well used pens, note the variations in the black ink, different batches will react accordingly. Also note red staining on some from use in rubricating.
Array of pens. All goose except for the pen left of the red stained quill, which is swan.
Ink horn (cow) and goose quill.
Close-up of tubular brass pens, these are reproductions of a number found in London. They are metal versions of feather quills, simply made form a rolled sheet and then shaped and slit. The nib does not wear in the same way but offers less flexibility than a feather nib.
Detail of reproduction capillary pen, in my opinion the grooves are too wide, but when they work they work well.
Three medieval penknives made by the late John Buttifint. The bottom knife is blunt for public handling, it is antler horn with a knurled knop. The middle is sharp, bone handle, the top is black horn, brass shoulders and a canted blade and is mine.
Pen knife made by the late John Buttifint, steel, horn and brass. I use this a lot.
Hand made and prepared brushes. From left, sable in quill, hog's bristle in quill, hogs' bristle bound to stick.
Detail of fur brushes, top two are squirrel, floppy, bottom sable, firmer.
Hog bristle brush, covered in wet chalk dust to prevent insect attack.
Hog bristle brushes.
Hog bristle brush.
Close-up of a squirrel hair brush, very soft but not very springy, useful for lifting small pieces of gold or silver leaf.
Reproduction medieval shears. Useful for cutting paper etc.
From left to right, pen knife, general knife, woodblock knife, shears.
Woodblock knife, made by Todstuff, steel and holly wood. I carved the acorn.
General knife, made by the late Jon Buttifint, for scraping and multi purpose.
Close-up of some brass rod punches, 3mm diameter to 4mm dia. Used for leather or gilded gesso grounds (powdering).
Close up of some mild steel punches, leather or gilded gesso ground (powdering).
Cow shin bone, showing conversion to paper rubbing tools.
Sampler for gilded linen. Burgundian Firestriker device, gilded, silver for flint. Stencilling of device shape prior to laying gold. See stencil picture with pink ground.
Close-up of a parchment stencil, note the pink colour, this is a mixture of bole and white, which is the ground for gold leaf. See gilded striker pattern cloth.
Test piece, grisaille - oak gall ink, gold leaf for nimbus, silver leaf for moon. Underdrawing of Virgin and child show through the paint layer. Fine loose linen. Unsized. Black paint for detail on gilding.
Detail of Virgin and Child, showing ink discolouration, was originally black when laid down.
Close up of brush detail of border piece. Oak leaves and acorns on a vine, three tone plus white. Green earth for background and mid tone, malachite for bright green and white for highlights. Gum water. The watery gum paint does not sit readily onto wool, hence the broken up texture.
Close-up of border piece, black wool. Oak leaves and acorns, three tone, yellow ochre for deep and mid tones, white for highlights. Gum water.
Detail of borders, gum water, top two, yellow ochre and white, bottom green earth, white and malachite
Test piece for stencilled crowned hearts. Synthetic lead tin yellow for crowns, yellow ochre for modelling. Brazil red for hearts, indigo and black and silver leaf and black versions. Gum water, light linen.
Close-up of crowned heart, silver leaf and black modelling.
Sampler for block printing on to wool. The devices were printed in red then painted or gilded. Gold leaf does not sit well on wool, despite following Cennini's method. I suspect they were not meant to last very long.
Detail of balls, showing lift of the leaf, note I used a lot of gold leaf to get the coverage I achieved.
Detail of gilded daisy wheel device, plus modelling in black paint.
Fabric print test piece, antique linen dyed with weld yellow, printing ink, tinted in vermillion, ochre, malachite.
Block printed wall cloth, black ink for the lozenges, size and egg yolk medium for the red and the ochre. Antique linen.
Demonstration piece to show water work, based on late 16th century design. Saffron, brazil red, green earth, lamp black, indigo and white.
Detail, showing saffron, lowlights and highlights.
Detail of green earth, indigo modelling and black outlining.
Tester for commission, late 16th century block print on to antique linen. Green earth, malachite, saffron (faded), synthetic vermillion, yellow ochre and white. Black ink for flower.
Detail showing peppermint green of the malachite.
Tester for commission of late 16th century block, showing the use of green earth, indigo, synthetic vermillion and saffron (faded).
Sampler of device for Tudor joust, simple painted lead tin yellow over brazil wood dyed silk, egg and gum medium.
Floral pattern based on French manuscript border pattern. Green earth, lead tin yellow and synthetic vermillion.
Detail of floral pattern.
Stencil pattern of fleur de lys, indigo and white.
Detail showing three tonal values, dark, mid and highlights.
Stencil lozenge pattern, yellow ochre, black and white. Egg and gum medium.
Detail.
Painted hanging, flax canvas, synthetic indigo, yellow ochre, red ochre, titanium white - substitute for lead white.
Detail showing scale and texture of stencilled fleur de lys Painted hanging, flax canvas, synthetic indigo, yellow ochre, red ochre, titanium white - substitute for lead white.
Detail showing texture of stencilled fleur de lys Painted hanging, flax canvas, synthetic indigo, yellow ochre, red ochre, titanium white - substitute for lead white.
Close-up of prick holes in medieval tracing paper pounce sheet. Red ochre is applied by using a bag or rubbing it in, the pattern then shows up as a series of dots.
Pounce sheet lit from the back, showing heron pattern,
Pounce sheet showing the traced lines with the prick holes over them. Tracing paper is paper treated with linseed/rosin varnish.
Stage drawing of heron, pounced on using previous sheet, some dots are just visible near the beak.
Detail of heron being modelled using red ochre over the yellow ochre. Note the spread of colour over the edge. Other colours include green earth, malachite and white.
Cheap drum skin parchment, no good for writing on, but good for stencils and pot lids.
My satchel, made by Karl Robinson, I carry my writing and drawing kit in there, plus bits of bread etc.
An old friend, my apron, every stain tells a story, this is a genuinely used protective garment, it has seen me through a lot of projects, including painting, writing and printing. The top is pinned through the doublet, it does not have a neck loop.
Detail of ingrained ink and colours in the linen apron.
Salt dough Ox of St Luke, commissioned for a medieval festival. Red ochre, black and gold leaf.
Salt dough eagle of St John the Evangelist, commissioned for a medieval festival. Indigo, white and silver leaf.
Salt dough lion of St Mark, commissioned for medieval festival. Red ochre, yellow ochre, indigo, gold leaf.
What's in the bag?
Loads of things in one bag. writing tools, bits of paper, book, knives, vernicle, stencils, needles and pins, piece of gilded glass.
Silverpoint test pieces, silver point, whitened paper (titanium white)
Tudor statute cap, dyed with oak gall and iron salts.
