Give a generous coat of the shellac solution to the front and back of the paper. If conditions are cold it will take longer to dissolve. Using a screw top jar add the flakes and alcohol and let it stand for 24 hours give the mixture an occasional stir. Its a beautiful book, and provides a good basic overview of some styles of manuscript illumination over several centuries and walks through how to make. To make up the solution take 1 part of shellac flakes to 4 parts alcohol.īe aware that the alcohol does give of fumes, best to do this in a ventilated room. Now is the time to apply the shellac, in doing so the paper fibres become encased in shellac resin, it changes not only the tone of the paper, but also changes the papers characteristics, in effect the paper looks and handles very much like genuine parchment. But don’t worry the gold will stay in place. Make sure your hands are clean and grease free, take your index finger and rub over the gold leaf in a circular motion, this removes the surplus leaf, you may have to do this quite firmly. When it comes to removing the surplus gold leaf from the illuminated letter. Now lift up one of the pieces including the top layer of tissue, and lay it down in place over the large capital, the top layer of tissue paper protects the gold while you rub down firmly. Remove one of the leaves together with the front and back tissue to support it, and cut it up into appropriate sizes with your craft knife. When the gold adhesive is ready it is time to apply the leaf. Using a small paintbrush, paint the capital letter with the gold size. When you have finished creating your document in Word, print out however many copies you want to create. If you want to use a large drop capital you can do so in Word by going to Format/Drop Cap/Dropped.Ĭhange the colour of the capital letter from black, to pale pink we do this in order that we can see the letter to be gilded. If you do not have such a type face installed on your PC you can easily obtain them as there are many websites that offer free fonts. Lastly you will need a craft knife and ruler, plus a cutting mat, or a sheet of thick card.Ĭompose your document in Microsoft Word if you want the look of a medieval illuminated letter choose an Old English typeface. Some small paint brushes and a 1 or 2 inch paint brush. Methylated Spirit is needed to dissolve the shellac, this is a 90% proof alcohol made to smell and taste very bad. This is for the illuminated letters.Ī bottle of gold size, there are many different varieties, I suggest using an acrylic size like Miniatum or Simple Scribe as they are easy to use.īlonde de waxed shellac. Using this method it is very easy to create a convincing gilded manuscript that has the look and feel of genuine vellum or parchment.Īn inkjet printer, Microsoft Word software or similar and a good quality off white or cream paper to print onto.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |