Thomas del Broc (Writ for MoD)

Writ for Master of Defense
Bhakail Investiture (East Kingdom)
Awarded June 3, 2017 (AS LII)

Details:
Calligraphy by Isabel Chamberlaine.

Paper: Random piece of parchment I had in my horde.
Materials: Mitchell nib with oak gall ink.

Words by Nataliia Anastasiia Evgenova Sviatoslavina vnuchka
Let it be known to all here assembled that Thomas del Broc is summoned this day to the Presence of Ioannes and Honig, Imperial Majesties of the august Kingdom of the East. As it is right and just we command Thomas del Broc to sit at vigil to thoroughly and completely meditate upon Our desire to elevate him to the Order of Defense. We expect that after said contemplation that he will present himself to Us at Our Court at Pennsic War to notify Us of his decision. So sayeth We, Ioannes and Honig, this third day of June, anno societatis fifty-two at Bhakail Investiture.

Scroll ID: Isabel C 58
Time Invested: 5 hours
Completed May 13, 2017

Adrienne d'Evreus (Maunche)

Order of the Maunche
Market Day at Birka (East Kingdom)
Awarded January 28, 2017 (AS LI)

Details:
Calligraphy & Illumination by Isabel Chamberlaine.

Paper: Goat parchment (double-side finish) from Pergamena.
Materials: Mitchel calligraphy nib with Oak Gall ink. Kolner Miniatum with 23k gold leaf. Various W&N gouache.

Words by Mistress Aneleda Falconbridge and heavily inspired by the The Statute of Laborers; 1351

Their Royal Majesties Brion and Anna, from whom all Eastern powers flow, direct to the assembled members of the Court greeting. Because a great part of the people, and especially the of noble servants represented by the Order of the Maunche, have so suggested and ordered the consideration of the one named Adrienne d'Evreus, We, considering it is our honor and duty to recognize those skilled in the arts, have held deliberation and treaty concerning this with the prelates and nobles and other learned people sitting by us; by whose consentient counsel we have seen fit to ordain: that said Adrienne d'Evreus, be joined into the Order of the Maunche, to be recognised as such by every man and woman of our kingdom of the East, and to those beyond our borders even into the heart of the Knowne World, of whatever condition, whether bond or free, elder or younger, servant or noble, as one who has been bound to serve that Art which has retained her service for so many years preceding.

Provided, that in thus retaining her service, that she may be given fair reign to work her alchemy for the good of the court and kingdom, to serve without hindrance or interference, and to be granted access to all natural goods that she may require, without prosecution for poaching in the Royal lands, including but not limited to, buckthorn and iris, elderberry and oyster, walnut and oak gall, and any other such provisions as the lands may provide. Further, she is given Our permit to trade without molestation or impediment such alchemical and exotic supplies as may come from the great Ports of the Knowne World, including but not limited to, lead, alum, ochre, saffron, woad, indigo, lye, bones, woods of all lands, feathers, quills, nibs, pens, and other items which she may receive. Furthermore, and no matter what odor her concoction hath wrought, she may grind and soak, wash and rinse, pluck and work, elutriate and levigate at her will and whim.

And if a reaper or mower, fencer or archer, herald or minstrel, piper or tinker, mason or troubadour, other workman or servant, of whatever standing or condition he be, who is retained in the service of any one, do depart her from her selected service, without her leave, permission, or reasonable cause, he shall undergo the penalty of imprisonment, and let no one, under the same penalty, presume to receive or retain such a one in his service.

Likewise saddlers, skinners, white-tawers, cordwainers, tailors, smiths, carpenters, masons, tilers, shipwrights, carters and all other artisans and labourers, must be set to support her, and so they may recognize her, we hereby Grant her Arms that she alone may use: Azure, a fleur-de-lys argent, a bordure gules.

And if the lords of the towns or manors presume of themselves or through their servants in any way to act contrary to this our present ordinance, then in the Counties, Baronies and Provinces suit shall be brought against them for the triple penalty which shall be to live bereft of vermillion, ochre, cochineal, lapis lazuli, vergaut, malachite, saffron, verdigris, turmeric, gypsum, lamp black, Tyrian purple, malachite and their books of hours shall be left ever empty.

By the Powers of the Crowns of the East and in the support of the Society, it is thus ordained on the Feast of Saint Odo of Beauvais at the Royal Court of King Brion and Queen Anna at the Marketplace at Birka in the Barony of Stonemarche on the 28th day of January in the Year of the Society LI.

Scroll ID: Isabel C 56
Time Invested: 16 Hours
Completed January 2017

Pierre de Tours (Court Barony)

Court Baron
Bjorn’s Ceilidh and Baronial Investiture, Barony of Concordia of the Snows
Awarded November 8, 2014 A.S. 49 (XLIX)

Lillia de Vaux (Order of the Pelican)

Order of the Pelican
Pennsic War, Kingdom of Æthelmearc
Awarded August 6, 2014 AS 49 (XLIX) 

How to Care for Your Metal Dip Pen Nibs

Most modern calligraphy nibs are made of metal, and like most things they need a little tender loving care to keep them in good condition. Inks not only have the potential to clog your nibs as they dry, but some inks are actually corrosive and damage them.

Disclaimer: This is MY way of doing things and works FOR ME, others may do things differently. There is not "one true way", so find what works for you.

Cleaning:
There are commercial nib cleaning solutions available for purchase, however I've never used one as I don't really see the point. I consider my nibs disposable items and I fully expect them to deteriorate over time, needing to be replaced. That's not to say that I don't try to keep them in good condition, so here are my tips for cleaning metal nibs.

After use I either swish my nib in the rinse-water jar I've been using or use a pipette to squirt water over the nib, but I'm not overly concerned with getting all the ink off the nib. Afterwards I take the nib out of the pen holder so that it can be fully cleaned and dried. My next step is to take a Q-tip and dip one of the ends into rubbing alcohol (both can be purchased in any pharmacy or supermarket), then I use that wet end to thoroughly clean the nib surface. Using a Q-tip allows you to get into all the nooks and crannies on the nib, and the beauty of rubbing alcohol is that it dries VERY quickly through evaporation, leaving the nib mostly dry and reducing the potential to rust. Dried on ink will need more pressure than "fresh" ink, but be careful not to bend the nib ends.Once I've gotten off as much of the ink as I can I just let the nib and pen holder sit on some paper towel for a while so that they can dry further before I store them away.

Some nibs have attached reservoirs on them, especially if you're using the Speedball brand nibs that come in the variety packs at the local art/craft stores. These can be a little annoying when trying to clean your nibs as the reservoir creates a space where ink can get trapped, allowing it to dry and gunk up the nib. Personally I've found these reservoirs more trouble than they are worth as I find that not only are they difficult to clean but, for me, they also load to much ink on to the pen when writing. I've ripped the reservoirs off when ever they've been attached to a nib that I use. This is where the pipette comes in handy, use it to flush the rubbing alcohol under the reservoir. Another option is to try to side some paper towel between the nib and reservoir, be careful as you do this though as you don't want to pull the reservoir to far off the surface of the nib.

Nib Tune-Up:
You will need a whetstone, I bought mine from John Neal Booksellers - Hard Arkansas Stone.

My first step is to put a drop or two of water on the end of the whetstone and just rub it into the stone a little, I'm not 100% sure if it's actually needed but all the things I've seen and read tell you to moisten the stone with either oil[1] or water.

Step 1: Sharpen the very tip of the nib.

Step 1: Next place the very tip of the nib on the whetstone so that it perpendicular to the stone. You are now going to stroke the nib back and forth (sideways) a few times on the whetstone to achieve a straight tip. It's VERY IMPORTANT that you make this motion from your shoulder and NOT your wrist. Moving from the wrist will twist the movement and has the potential to round the edges of the nib, by moving from the shoulder this is less likely to happen.

Step 2: Smooth the edges of the nib of any burrs.

Step 2: I will then turn the nib so that the side of the nib is resting on the edge of the whetstone. Again, moving from the shoulder, stroke back and forth a few times to remove any burrs. Repeat this for the second edge.

Step 3: Smooth the back of the nib at a very slight angle.

Step 3: At this point I I lay the back of the nib against the edge of the whetstone and then angle it up a little, using the same back and forth motion to remove any burrs from the back.

Step 4: Sharpen the front of the nib.

Step 4: The last step with the whetstone sees me working the front of the nib. Lay the nib on the stone and then angle it up to about a 30% angle, use the back and forth motion a few times.

If you look closely (use a magnifier if you like) you will see bright clean metal around the areas the nib has brushed against the whetstone.

My very last step is to run the edges over the leather whetstone sleeve to soften them off a little.

It's important to remember that although you're "sharpening" you nib, you don't want it so sharp that it actually cuts the surface (paper, parchment, etc.) you'll be writing on. Once you've tuned-up your nib try writing with it, if it's catching on the surface you can dull the very tip a little by going back and repeating step one with a couple of strokes.

My habit is to tune-up my nib at the beginning of my scribal session. On occasion, if the piece I am writing is really long, I will need to pause part way through to give another quick tune-up. Once you've done this a time or two, you'll get a feel for how much or how little you need to tune-up your nibs. It's not difficult to do and it will not only prolong the life of your nibs a little but also help the nib move a little easier across the page.





Footnotes:
[1] Don't use oil on the stone your using with your nibs as you don't want that transferring to your finished page.

Sources & Bibliography:
Class taught by Eva Woderose at Known World Herald & Scribes Symposium in CT, 2012.

Other various sources of which I don't remember.

BROWN, Michelle P. & Patricia Lovett. The Historical Source Book for Scribes. London: The British Library, 1999. Print. ISBN 0-8020-4720-3

Diego Miguel Munoz de Castilla (Pelican)

Order of the Pelican
River Wars, Barony of Iron Bog
Awarded September 7, AS 48 (XLVIII)

My very first Peerage piece.

At some point after Diego received his Writ, Alys had him look through examples of manuscripts to get a feel for what he might like and of course he fell in love with the Sforza Black Hours she had received when she was made a Tyger of the East. Black Hours he would like, Black Hours he would get.

I've never attempted this style before, however Nataliia had just completed one. We managed to find time to sit down at Pennsic for a couple of hours so that I could pick her brain and play with the materials she had used. It was useful, and she was able to confirm many of the assumptions I'd initially had upon receipt of the assignment. To say I was intimidated is a major understatement.

Ms 1856, f.61

All of the Black Hours I've looked at appear to be written in silver with one set of notable exceptions, those contained in the Mira Calligraphiae Monumenta [1] housed in the Getty collection. These pages are usually folios of parchment dyed black during the stretching and scraping process.

Since real silver is likely to tarnish [2] I'm using my W&N silver gouache. The calligraphy is done in this same gouache, watered down so that it flows easily from the nib (Mitchell #5). Writing silver on the black paper wasn't as difficult as I had imagined it would be, although it did take almost twice as long as writing in regular ink. The biggest issue was that I needed to continually mix the gouache [3] and clean my nib every few words so that I could keep a fairly consistent and sharp line for the writing. I also had to use a larger nib than I had wanted since I just couldn't achieve crisp lines with my usual #6 nib. As a by-product the entire piece is larger than I had originally wanted it to be.

This project requires A LOT of gold. The few images I have available to me for the Sforza Hours suggest that most of the gold appears to be painted rather than gilded. For the guide-lines and the written gold words I used my Holbein gold gouache since it works in the same fashion as the silver and was just easier. However for the rest of this piece I wanted a more dramatic luminescence than the gouache offers, so I made my own powdered gold out of the 23k sheets I use for gilding (keep an eye out for a follow up instruction post for this!).

Ms 1856, f.32 verso

My next step was the illustration of the Pelican. I chose to use white gouache as I wasn't sure how much workable paint I would actually need and I just don't have that much lead-white here. My biggest challenge was remembering that when working on a dark ground you're essentially painting in reverse, you're painting the highlights and letting the black ground act as the shadows. I do love how this illustration came out, although I'm not sure I've really managed the correct medieval aesthetic. I would say that mine looks "heavy" by comparison, although this could just be the nature of filling the area with a giant white bird.

Just when I was completely sick of working in white I was finally able to switch to the 23k powdered gold I had created specifically for this piece. To accompany my dish of prepared gold pigment, I also have a small dedicated jar which contains distilled water to collect any scraps from my dedicated gold paintbrush. By doing this I'm always cleaning the dedicated brush in clean water and retaining any fragments during the process, these can then again be prepared for use as gold pigment at a later date.

The gold work actually became as annoying as the white work due to the length of time it ended up taking. It didn't go on nearly as smoothly as I hoped that it would, even though my paint was "wet". In hindsight I wonder if it needed he gold grains to be finer by more grinding.

The silver within the borders was done concurrently with the gold so that I would keep the flow looking consistent.

Next came the colours, all of which went on smoothly and easily. In testing I found that my Cadmium Red gave a much nicer colour than the Spectrum Red that I tend to use more often. My guess is that because the Cadmium Red leans towards orange/yellow it played well against the substantial amount of gold. The Ultramarine blue was cut with a little Permanent White as Nataliia had suggested during out time at Pennsic, it makes for a more vibrant colour than the base tube-colour.

Diego has served over many years in three separate Kingdoms which I was asked to represent on this piece, the roundels within the borders made an ideal location for these; from left to right - Ansteorra, Aethelmearc, and the East. The fourth is Sharc, an East Kingdom household of which Diego is a member. His arms are displayed in the decorated initial D.

Details:
Calligraphy & Illumination by Isabel Chamberlaine.
Inspired by the Black Hours of Galeazzo Maria Sforza as seen to the right.

Paper: Black 120gsm paper (I forget which brand).
Materials: Holbein "Pearl Gold" and Windsor & Newton "Silver" gouaches for layout lines, calligraphy, and select details. 23k powdered gold in a gum arabic binder for the majority of gold-work. Various W&N gouache for any of the coloured areas.

Text by Alys Mackyntoich
We, Gregor, by right of arms King of the East, and Kiena, his Queen, considering the great, long and earnest travails and labours sustained by Diego Miguel Munoz de Castilla in the service of the art of defence and the safe practices of same for some score of years and more, and after due consideration of the cause above-written and other good and thankful service done by the said Diego to our sister realms of Aethelmearc and Ansteorra, do therefore ordain, approve and confirm the elevation of the said Diego to the Order of the Pelican, and do convey therewith all liberties and privileges attendant thereupon. And we do further by these our present letters give, grant and convey to the said Diego the right to bear arms by letters patent in the following form:  Argent, on a bend sable three escallops palewise argent.  And we do further ratify and approve, for ourselves and our successors, that the gifts and grants made herein shall be in all time coming effectual, good, valid and sufficient perpetually in all and sundry points, and do hereby ordain the same to be put to due execution, and to have full force, strength and effect in all time coming.  Given at Iron Bog upon 7 September in the forty-eight year of the Society.

Footnotes:
[1] This was confirmed during a class I happened to take at Pennsic 2013 that presented findings by the Getty that the black hours contained within the Mira Calligraphiae Monumenta were actually created using a resist technique. Although I need to track down the original source from the Getty, the gist of it was that the calligraphy was written with some sort of resist on white paper, it was then washed over in black ink to create the dark page. The resist is then rubbed away to reveal the calligraphy as the white of the page.

[2] I really do need to test out the tarnishing of real silver on the work we do in the SCA. Just how long does silver-leaf take to tarnish?

[3] Both silver and gold gouache need to be regularly mixed since the metallic pigment has a tendency to settle.

Scroll ID: Isabel C XLII
Completed Sept. 5, 2013

Magnús hvalmagi (Maunche)

Order of the Maunche
Northern Region War Camp
Awarded July 6, AS 48 (XLVIII)

Black Sumi Ink

Black Sumi Ink purchased at my local at store.

This viscous black ink is one of my favourite recommendations for beginner scribes. It's very dark, and seems to write beautifully on any surface that I have tried it on. Word of warning though, it will do nasty things to your precious nibs if you're not diligent about cleaning them after use.

Recommendations for Beginner Scribal Materials

Does this sound like you...

"Mostly I don't know where to start. I like to look at all of the pretty scrolls but I don't know what basic supplies to get to start trying."

It certainly sounded like me when I first started, and even though I have an art background I had no clue how to get started or what supplies I needed. I spoke with a few people, found a few online scribal communities, joined some email lists, and asked a few questions. There was however a lot of trial and error and although I've gained confidence and skill I still remember those first tentative steps, so here are my recommendations for beginners on the types of tools and materials to equip themselves with.

Firstly, buy the tools and materials that YOUR budget will allow. Also, remember that materials (and by extension your art) end up being very personal, so what one artist loves another one dislikes. These recommendations are just MY opinion, try different tools and materials as your time and budget permit - if you love them, great. If not, then try something else until you find something you do like.

Strathmore 300 Series Bristol Board - In reality it's just thick, multi-medium paper and comes in a smooth  or textured finish. The smoother finishes are much nicer for calligraphy. It can usually be found in local arts and crafts stores, various online stores also carry it. Look for “acid-free” paper to prevent degradation over time. I have both a 9 x 12 and an 11 x 14 pad, one in the "smooth" finish and the other in the "vellum" finish. Both have successfully been used to complete scribal assignments.

Artist Paint Brushes - You'll want to build a selection of small, "round" brushes that have a point. Look for brushes that have at least one "0", preferably multiple "0000" or "3/0" - that's their size. Synthetic hair is fine, and cheaper. "Gold Scepter" is a brand that springs to mind that is readily available in the smallest sizes and perform very well.

Artists Goauche - I am a fan of the Windsor & Newton goauche ("artist" or "designer", rather than "student" grade). However there are other brands, for example I hate the W&N gold but I LOVE the Holbein brand counterpart (Pearl Gold - G641). I will say that if you're going to splurge on anything, gouache should be that thing and as a very general rule, the more expensive the tube the higher the pigment concentration. You can usually buy basic colour sets, or you can buy individual tubes of the colours you need. Try to stick to one manufacturer as much as possible so that the ingredients don’t “fight” over time. When I first started, I just bought individual tubes as I needed them and initially found the following W&N colours to be the most useful - "Ultramarine", "Brilliant Yellow", "Cadmium Red", "Permanent White" and "Jet Black"

Personally I find the "student grade" paints chalky so they end up looking pale or weird on the page. This is a personal gripe I have from my college days though, others may disagree with me.

Pens for Calligraphy - You can usually buy basic calligraphy nibs and holders in sets at the art store. Speedball brand is probably what you will find and they do the job just fine. Each set will have a variety of nib sizes to create different size letters, but make sure at least one of the nibs comes to a fine-point so that you can use it for drawing the lines for your art work.

Ink for Calligraphy - Art stores will usually carry a large selection of inks in various colours. Sometimes, you'll get lucky and find "Iron Gall Ink" or "Oak Gall Ink". If your store carries either of these then buy it and take pride in the fact that you have your first (depending on the recipe and production) period artist material. Iron Gall Ink is my default and I very rarely use anything else because I love the way it flows from my nibs.

Now, I haven't personally seen Iron / Oak Gall Ink sold in any of the stores I've been in (I buy it online), therefore my other beginner recommendation for dip-pens is Sumi black ink. It comes in a bright green, heavy plastic bottle with a black cap and the ink itself has a nice viscosity to it. A word of warning though, it is very corrosive on your nibs if you don't clean them properly. It's very black, and works really well for line-work. You can also find this ink in red (red bottle, black cap).

Pencil - Used for sketching out your artwork and drawing your calligraphy guidelines. When you're at the art store you'll notice that they are graded, "B's" with a higher number being the softest through "HB" which is the middle and then into "H's" which are considered hard. You're looking for a grade that won't damage the surface you'll be working on and that can be erased easily.

Personally I opt for a 2H as it works FOR ME, but choose a grade that will work for the type of pressure you're likely to apply while using it. To hard and it will damage your surface, to soft and you'll have a tougher time while erasing.

Rubber / Eraser - Many scribes swear by those blocky, hard rubbers you probably used in school, just make sure that it's white to avoid potentially marking the page. These can be purchased in a variety of places.

I personally find those hard white rubbers a little weird to use and dislike them. I tend to use what is known as a "putty rubber" or "kneadable eraser" as it works better for me. These are usually found near the pencil selection in the art store.

Straight Edge - You'll need some sort of ruler to mark out your page and draw the lines you'll need for calligraphy. Rulers can be purchased in a variety of materials, lengths and styles. Personally I recommend that you buy one made out of metal as plastic and wooden rulers have the potential of being sliced by your craft knife, thus ruining the straight edge. If you can find one that has a cork backing even better, as this raises the edge off the page a little and helps avoid bleeding or smudging.

Paint Palette - Cheap, multi-well plastic palettes can be found at arts and crafts stores. However, you could also use a dinner plate, ceramic tiles, muscle (or other crustacean) shells, a glass ashtray or any other number of household items you probably already own.

Other Random Supplies - Although you don't NEED any of the following supplies they're useful to have around.

• Distilled Water - I tend to use this rather than regular tap water to avoid the various additives combined at the treatment plants. One argument is that because it's "purer" it's closer to period water, but who knows if this is true or even really matters.
• Eye-dropper / Pipette - Found at pharmacies, they end up being very useful for adding very small amounts of water to your paints to thin them.
• Scalpel / Craft Knife - If you're buying the pads of Bristol paper you probably won't need a craft knife as they're already sized appropriately. However they useful to have around.
• Cotton Ear-Buds - Yes, the things you clean your ears with. They're actually very useful dipped in rubbing alcohol to clean your calligraphy nibs.
• Rubbing Alcohol - As mentioned above, rubbing alcohol is great for cleaning your calligraphy nibs.
• Magnifier - Helps you not strain your eyes! 
• 100% Talc - Wash your hands, dry them and then coat them in talc. It's stop your hands from sweating while you work.
• Scrap Paper - Rest your hand on some scrap paper while you work as it will protect the page you're working on from getting greasy and picking up smudges. Hands are dirty!

Useful Links - There are numerous online resources for the things I have mentioned in this post, below are a few of the websites I find useful. Remember to check your local arts and crafts stores as many of these items can be found there.

• John Neal Booksellers - http://www.johnnealbooks.com/
• Dick Blick Art Materials - http://www.dickblick.com/
• Windsor & Newton Goauche - http://www.winsornewton.com/main.aspx?PageID=107
• Holbein - http://www.holbeinhk.com/

Alexandre Lerot d'Avignon (Tyger of the East)

Tyger of the East
Mudthaw and Baronial Investiture, Barony of Settmour Swamp
Awarded March 23, AS 47 (XLVII)

Estrella Gift Scroll

Estrella gift-scroll to be presented to Atenveldt

Well, the annual Estrella War was held out in Arizona this past weekend. A while back, I received the assignment to produce something that could be present by Their Majesties to the Kingdom of Atenveldt, this is that piece. It was on display at Birka, however I felt it was inappropriate to post until after the event.

Lachlann Graheme (Grant of Arms)

Grant of Arms
Coronation - Divestiture / River War
Awarded September 25, 2010 AS XLV (45)

Gift of Words

Her Royal Highness, Thyra, presented a gift of words to Her Royal Majesty of Calontir, Queen Conna. The poem was written by Master Toki Redbeard.

Founding Charter EKRCP

Founding Charter for the East Kingdom Royal College of Performers
Coronation, Court of Edward II & Thyra
October 13, 2012

Details:
Calligraphy by Isabel Chamberlaine.

Paper: Pergamenata
Materials: Iron-gall ink, Mitchell #4 nib

Words by  Lord Tristan le Chanticler de Champaigne

Scroll ID: Isabel C XXXIII
Completed October 6, 2012

Bruni (Writ for Pelican)

Writ for Elevation to the Order of the Pelican
First Court of Edward and Thyra, Coronation
Awarded October 13, AS XLVII (47)

Ferall von Halstern (Kings Cypher)

Kings Cypher
Bergental Baronial Investiture
Awarded September 15, 2012 AS XLVII (47)

Joseph the Bold (Rams Horn)

Order of the Rams Horn (Concordia Backlog)
Sumer Archery Shoote
Awarded June 27, 2009 (AS XLIV - 44)

Alys Mackyntoich (Herald Extraordinaire)

Herald Extraordinaire
Known World Heralds and Scribes Symposium, Barony of the Bridge
Awarded June 23, AS XLVII (47)

Preparing Pergamenata

NOTE: I will update this post with photo's as soon as I can.

When reading about pergamenata, it's often described as not needing any further surface preparation. However, experience has taught me, that isn't necessarily true and I offer this post to address the problems I have encountered, and the solution that has worked for me.

When painting on the surface, from time to time I would come across what I can only describe as oily spots. Paint would roll back from these areas like it had a mind of its own. Could it be oil transferring from my hand onto the surface, yes. However I also believe that some oils, or surface coatings from the manufacturing process remain and cause the problem areas.

Ingredients for pounce.

After much discussion with various people, both off and online I have found that preparing the surface by roughening it with pounce works wonders. Pounce, for this purpose, is a combination of ground Gum Sandarac and fine Pumice which has been mixed together and contained within a small piece of linen, held together with a rubber band. Both Gum Sandarac and Pumice can be purchased through John Neal Booksellers and a little goes a LONG way.

My process is as follows:

1. Mix together a small amount of Gum Sandarac and Pumice, maybe a 1/2 teaspoon of each.
2. Combine the mixture in the middle of a small linen square and secure it closed with a rubber band or other appropriate closure.
3. With clean dry hands, lightly rub the linen pounce sack, first, up and down, then left to right on your surface area. You are basically trying to gently rub away any residual oils from the surface and raising the nap a little for better "tooth". I usually finish off with large circular motions.
4. The surface is now covered in pounce dust, gently brush this away with a large, soft brush. I've been told that makeup brushes work wonderfully for this purpose, although I use a 2" artists brush I found at a craft store. If you're feeling frugal you can actually collect this dust for reuse.
5. DON'T TOUCH YOUR SURFACE WITH BARE HANDS from this point on as you will transfer oils back onto your working area. Instead, cover everywhere except the area you're working on with a barrier. Glassine paper is my preference and can be purchased in rolls from an art store.
6. Now work as you usually would, drawing your design then applying ink and paint.

Random Notes and Tips:

• I've found than I tend to wash my hands a lot when working, to keep them clean from oils and random mess. I like to apply 100% talc to my hands every time I wash them.
• Pounce is also great for cleaning up calligraphy mistakes. After I've scraped away the mistake with my knife I will carefully rub the area with my pounce sack.
• Occasionally I will discover a small area intended to be painted that I didn't prepare properly, I'll just grab my pounce sack and give that small piece a light rubbing.