PART II.Part II.
PART II.
S
Several obvious reasons combined in mediæval days to make vellum the almost exclusive vehicle for illuminated writing. It was the substance on which most manuscript books were written: it was durable, and it took both ink and colour well. It is still largely in use for the purposes of illumination, and may be had properly prepared at almost any stationer’s, as well as at all artists’ colour shops. Any drawing paper with a smooth surface may also be used; but the best substance of all is the ordinary Bristol board, not too thick, for there should be some little elasticity—three sheets thick is about the most useful.
So much in illumination depends on (1º) the brilliancy and (2º) the durability of the colours employed, that too much care can hardly be displayed in their selection. Instances are numerous in which work on which hours and hours of care and pains were bestowed, a few years ago, is now so faded as to be almost unintelligible; the reds have flown, the whites turned brown, and a few hazy, blue marks are all that are left. It is clear that they of old surpassed us in the preparation of their colours. Some of the paintingsin the ancient temples of Egypt, which have been proved to be only water colour, are as brilliant and fresh to-day as they were when laid on three thousand years ago. The exquisite miniatures and elaborate ornamentation of numbers of Oriental manuscripts, five, six, seven, and more centuries old, retain all their original beauty and gorgeousness; and the mediæval office books, and other MSS. of England, France, and Italy, especially those of the 14th century, are at this day as much marvels of brilliant colouring as the stained glass windows of the same periods. To the beginner, of course, the character of the colours employed is not so important, as to more forward artists. Still it is wise to exercise judgment in selection, even from the first, especially as in nine cases out of ten a cake of colour will last for years. The best course is to make the purchases at one of the best artists’ colour shops, to eschew all ‘made up’ colours, and to rely on the eye for producing at home the several gradations of hue, by mixing the primal colours on the slab. Comparatively few are really required; and as illuminating is a very different art from ordinary water-colour drawing, and requires a peculiar texture of matter, the colours most fitted for it are not always the same as those in ordinary use. The following will be found the most serviceable:—
Decorative design.
The pencil being only used for sketching the subjects, those marked F, H, and HH, will be found sufficient. A few ordinary fine-pointed steel pens will do very well for outlining. For the benefit of any learner not conversant with the use of the pen with colour, it may be added that the method is, to mix the colour, very liquid, in a saucer; and then filling a camel’s hair brush with some, to draw the brush across the shoulder of the pen, which is to be held with the open part upwards. It will be found that enough colour is thus scraped off, as it were, to charge the pen: by a similar method the drawing pen is charged.
It will be well to have a drawing pen, a pair of compasses with pen and pencil legs, a few drawing pins; a drawing board, 2 feet by 18 inches, or smaller; aTsquare; three set squares (one 45°, the other two 70° and 20°) and respectively 3 inches, 6 inches, and 9 inches in length. The latter will be found more practically useful than all sorts of parallel rulers; but as their use is not generally familiar to any but architectural and engineering draftsmen, it may be useful to add an explanation of it.
Having adjusted the cardboard by means of theTsquare on the drawing board, secure it by pins. To draw any number of parallel lines it is now merely necessary to lay theTsquare across the cardboard, in a direction perpendicular to that of the desired lines, taking care, of course, that the cross piece of theTis well against the edge of the drawing board, and kept firm by a weight; and then keeping one side of the set square against the side of theT, to slide it up and down as occasion shall require.
It will be found very useful both for keeping theTsquare steady, and for tracing and other purposes, to have a couple of small weights—lead is the best material—about the size of a child’s large toy brick, or—say—3 inches long, 2 inches wide,and ½ an inch deep. Any plumber can cast them. Cover each of them with a piece of foolscap, or other paper not too smooth, folding it up like a parcel, and sealing the ends down on the upper side. The advantage of this plan is, that the envelope can be removed and renewed as it gets dirty. Handles to weights, or thick weights, are a mistake; they catch the hand.
As greater neatness and accuracy in curves are sometimes necessary than can be attained by any but the most practised hand, it will be found useful to have a few French curves; these can be procured at any artists’ colour shop, or drawing instrument maker’s.
Three brushes will be enough. Washing, as in water-colour drawing, being never used in illuminating, no large brushes are needed; the largest need not be more than half the size of a lead pencil, the second of course smaller, and the third a very fine one. They should be of sable; and carefully selected for firmness, compactness, even point, and absence of straggling hair.
A slab or palette for the colours, and a separate saucer or slab for Indian ink should be provided.
It will be necessary also to have an ivory point for tracing off, and a small agate for burnishing and other purposes; both are to be procured at the artists’ colour shop.
Of course tracing paper will be required—the French is the best—as well as a sheet of red paper for tracing off. Red paper, though readily procurable in the artists’ colour shops, and perhaps most conveniently so, is nevertheless simply and easily constructed. Any one who is desirous of making his own, has merely to take a sheet of foreign post paper, scrape a piece of red chalk over it, and then rub in with a piece of soft chamois leather or wadding, until the paper is evenly covered, not making it too thick, or it will trace off clumsy lines.
T
The beginner being now furnished with all necessary materials, the shortest and most comprehensible way of instructing him in the use of them, will be to take two or three of our own examples, and ask him to follow us through the process of executing them. To take a very simple one first, we will select any one of the letters in No. 3. The piece of cardboard is supposed to be laid on the drawing board, and kept steady by a single pin in the centre of its upper side, there being no need for perfect rigidity as there are no squaring or parallel lines in this illumination. Proceed to trace the initial from the example by laying a piece of tracing paper over it, with weights to steady it, the same weights may be easily so arranged as to keep the book open as well. Run over every line with your softest pencil with a fine point, and a light hand. Remove the tracing paper, and adjust it over the cardboard, so as to bring the tracing over the desired spot. Adjust the weights, slip the red paper underneath, take your ivory point and begin tracing off; and of this, let it be remarked, that nothing but practice can give the beginner the requisite skill to make a good tracing. A heavy hand, or a broad point will produce a coarse tracing; too light a hand, too faint a tracing, and too fine a point will cut through the tracing paper. It will be well to make a few trials first, and even during the progress of a tracing, especially if it be an elaborate one, to lift the lower corner of the tracing paper carefully now and then, so as not to disturb the weights, and to see that all is going on as it should. The tracing being complete, proceed next to outline it in Indian ink, with a pen. For this purpose prepare some ink in the manneralready described, on its separate slab. The ink outline should be complete—strong and weak where needed, as in the outline illustration of our specimen, and should be clean and firm—all this while keep acleanpiece of paper under the working hand.
The outline being completed, the next thing will be to prepare the colours. For either of the initial letters in Example 3, red, green, and gold are the only colours needed; and this may be the most suitable place for introducing a few words about what is technically called ‘body colour.’ Body colour is very largely used in all ancient illumination, whether English, French, Italian, or Oriental; but is most prominently observable in the Italian. It is obtained by simply mixing a small quantity of some opaque substance with the colour. Zinc, or Chinese white, are most commonly employed for the purpose; and the best mode of construction is to have the white in one of the metal tubes, squeeze a drop about the size of a pea on to the slab, and then rub the colour over it. Of course it will be necessary to introduce some colour a little darker than the hue desired, as the white will lighten it: thus for instance, in order to obtain an ordinary blue, it will be necessary to add a touch or two of permanent blue, or the ultramarine will turn out too pale. The advantages of body colour are twofold—first, any body colour will lie flat; next, being opaque, it can when needful be worked over other colour.
For the purposes of the illumination now under consideration then, it will merely be necessary to rub in scarlet vermillion and emerald green. Be careful to rub plenty, for it is a rule in illuminating that the colours should be laid on thick and powerful; there are no faint transparent tints, as in water-colour drawing, but even in miniature scenes, light colours are obtained not by diluting the colour with water, but by adding white to it. Another rule is, to lay on the largest body of colour first: thus in the instance before us—first put in the reds, taking care to lay on plenty of colour, to keep within theink outline carefully, close to it but not encroaching on it, and to see that your colour lies evenly or ‘flat.’ Next, put in the greens, observing the same rules, and finally the gold, for it is another rule to leave the gold to the last to avoid rubbing as much as possible.
Our next example will be No. 7. Trace and outline as before. Proceed next to put in the ultramarine blues in the acanthus and flowers; next the permanent blue in the darker hues of both as well as in the initial, taking care, both in acanthus and flowers, to keep the curves clean and bold. Now colour the green leaves with emerald green, the darker lines as directed with permanent blue. The reds in the flowers follow next—all, except that in the right hand lower corner—with crimson lake, the darker hues being touched in with permanent blue, which, combining with the lake, will produce the neutral tint before referred to. The excepted corner flower will require crimson vermillion, shaded with sepia and lake. Crimson vermillion will also furnish the colour for the red flowers in the initial. Lastly, put in the golds, shading with sepia and lake.
The last Example we select is No. 9. Here, as in No. 3, proceed to trace, &c. as directed, only in this case theTsquare and set squares will come into play for the outlines of the border, both in tracing, tracing off, and in outlining—use the drawing pen for the last. The fruit, flowers, &c. must next be carefully executed with the requisite colours, according to the table given above; the gold then laid on, and afterwards the shade workedoverthe gold with a neutral tint, made of sepia and lake, as directed.
Decorative design.
Decorative design.
T
There are a few ‘Tricks’ which will be found generally useful to bear in mind. The agate is a useful auxiliary; with the side of it you can burnish your golds and silvers (platina) by gently rubbing them until they acquire the requisite brilliancy; and with the point of it several very pretty methods of breaking and enriching a flat gold or silver surface may be put in force, either by covering it with dots, or with dots in combination with straight or curved lines, or with a sort of Arabesque work, or—indeed, with any sort of pattern according to the designer’s fancy.
Sparks of white may be with advantage introduced to throw up the edge of a leaf, or the most prominent portion of a stalk, or even to bring out the lighter edge of a letter from the background. In the latter case be careful not to obliterate the outline. The white should come just outside it, and between it and the background.
A large initial or surface of heavy colour may be very easily lightened by the introduction of a powdering of minute gold dots. These may be produced by laying on the dots, first of all, with either Chinese white, or with an article sold in the artists’ colour shops, called the gold medium; and in either case touching the dots, when dry, with shell gold. The effect will be that they will stand out in strong relief from the ground on which they are laid, and will produce a very rich effect.
Finally, whilst observing the general rule to keep your work as flat as possible, be careful that it do not degenerate into tameness—rather than this—and especially with foliage, fruit, flowers, &c. do not be afraid to introduce into the deepest corners of the heaviest shades good, strong, telling touches, of almost black colour.
But above all, when in a difficulty, study the specimens enumerated above; rather err on the side of imitation than of invention.
The second point is the parallel of the first, in connexion with what may be called the manipulatory part of the treatise. Here again we must warn our readers that the book is but a Primer. The work already referred to contains no less than seven and twenty imperial octavo pages, about colours and gilding, and brushes, and other practical matters. This will furnish some idea of the magnitude of this part of the subject. But our little volume merely pretends to put beginners in the way of acquiring the power of learning more. And let us here remark, that in some particulars the colours selected, and the directions given differ, we observe, from the recommendations of other writers; and without therefore pretending for one moment to sit in judgment on those who differ with us, we will take the liberty of informing readers that our directions are based on the experience and observations of many years’ extensive practice of the art in question. We may also add that, though the Primer is intended to enable beginners to teach themselves, (and if its directions are carefully attended to, will have that effect,) still it is advisable, when practicable, tocarry out those directions under the eye of a master at first, even if such supervision only amount to submitting to him the results of the earlier efforts, that he may point out the secrets of any failures.
Above all, the golden rule for the student of illumination is, not to attempt too much at first. Far more real progress is made by carefully, patiently, and accurately completing a single copy of one simple letter, such for example as the N in Example No. 3, than in hurrying over half a dozen more ambitious studies, in a way which may produce a certain effect at a distance, but will not bear looking into. Like Burke, rather aim to be ‘slow and elaborate,’ than dashing and effective; but be industrious, and let your motto be,—“Festina lente.”
In conclusion, it maybe as well to impress upon the reader two points: the first is, in great part, a mere repetition of the introductory sentences of our little volume, but cannot be too repeatedly urged on his attention. There is no pretension whatever in this slight practical essay, to give anything approaching to a complete dissertation on the art of illumination; such a task would occupy a score of such volumes as ours, and be then capable of almost illimitable further expansion. We have indeed already remarked that the subject is inexhaustible; and the last notable work published on the art well observes, that ‘men of the profoundest learning have devoted, some whole lives, and many of them long years, to the study of those precious pages, on the decoration of which the highest efforts of the illuminists of old were lavished; and have yet one and all confessed the partial and incomplete mastery of the subject which they, with all their labour, have been able to acquire.’ It is not to be expected, therefore, that within the comparatively tiny dimensions of a Primer anything more than the merest outline was practicable, all that has been attempted then has been to furnish just such a description and dissertation as is absolutely essential to the due comprehension ofwhat the art is, and of what it is applicable to, leaving the student to search for further information among such of the larger and more abstruse works on the subject, as may be accessible to him at the reading room of the British Museum,[13]or elsewhere. Even at the risk of being accused of repetition, it has been thought wise to impress this point strongly on the reader’s attention. His motto should be an amalgamation of two well known ones—
nec temere nec timide semper labore.