So I have just finished my last non-commissioned scroll. I have enjoyed taking names off the backlog, but I think I am ready now to tackle making scrolls custom to the recipients. I have two in the works right now and I really don't know how long they will take me. My hope is to have them done by the end of summer, but as I am just in the design stage I guess I will see.
So more on this one. I found the inspiration in the Illuminating the Renaissance book from the Flemish exhibit at the Getty. I love that book and am kinda sad I won't be using it for awhile. I was struck by the architectural style of the two pages and got tickled by the idea of combining them into one scene. The effect was somewhat Escher-like, but the original had some of the same brain bending perspective so I felt okay about that. Anyway Photos and pics of the source material after the cut...
( Pictures )

Just finished my third scroll another Dolphin. I think this may be the last of this style for awhile. Even though I enjoy the type I feel the need to stretch a bit. I have another an AoA drafted and after that I guess I will look around for someone who wants one done. This one was based on the Master of James IV of Scotland from the Illuminating the Renaissance exhibit at the Getty again. It was originally intended to be a Harp, but finding an appropriate recipient proved to be too difficult. I am going to turn it in at Coronation I don't know when it will be presented.

( Picture )

So I finished my second scroll. I am pretty pleased in that it only took me 3 weeks from assignment to completion. I am liking awards scrolls that don't need arms on them much shorter text. I have a design or two in mind one for a woodworking harp and one for an AoA so I am hoping to do some more maybe this summer. My plan was to try and get 4 done a year, but who knows I might up that a bit. Anyway click on the link if you want to see more.

( Read more... )

This was more work than I thought, but kinda interesting what people find important to put on the list.
( Answers... )

I have been meaning to post this for awhile.  I finished a new set of pattens and I wanted to write down my process.  I would love to teach a class on these someday, but I don't think it could be a hands on class as while they are easy to make they are a bit tool intensive.

( Continue for a step by step with pictures )

So I finished my first scroll, it seems silly now that I haven't done any in the past. There were some interesting challenges I had to learn a new somewhat funky calligraphy hand for it and it has been so long since I used gouache I had to relearn some of the control I have with other mediums. All in all I am happy with it and looking forward to getting another assignment sometime soon.
( Picture )

So here is the painting I mentioned earlier. I had a lot of fun with this one. I had no real plans starting out, I had some extra canvas in an odd shape so I decided to stretch it to be really tall and narrow. After I did that I came across a painting of Durer's that looked too amusing not to use. It is the left panel of the Paumgartner Altar and the casual way St. George is holding the dead dragon just made me laugh. When setting it down on canvas I had some extra space up top so I added in some angels mostly inspired from some woodcuts by Durer. I also redid the face on the St. George since Durer's not surprisingingly just looked too German. I have recently been reading some books about how many Renaissance artists didn't concern themselves as much with likeness to their subject, but Durer's paintings all look as if they are someone specific. Well enough rambling I guess, see everybody soon.

( Picture )

It has been a long time since I have posted. Looking back I am kind of surprised since I have been doing projects just not talking about it I guess. I also have a ton of things I want to do including, garb for myself, scrolls, a painting for Cormac that he still needs to get me pictures for and maybe some garb for Moira.
The first thing I did dating back to December I guess was a small painting of a Nativity scene. It had the dual use of being a Christmas Card and a gift for my Uncle who is notoriously hard to shop for. I will include a picture for those who didn't receive one, though if you didn't get one please email me your address so I can add you to my Christmas card list.
Second was sewing a whole bunch of clothes for Conor up in Nordwache. Two complete outfits including extra chausses that took more time than it really should have since I always stress about sewing for other people. Of course being a total goob, I failed to take pictures of anything, but hopefully either Conor or Caroline will take some and I can post them later.
Perhaps of less interest to some, but I also put together a really cool two handed sword for heavies from some gear I picked up from Sir Stefhan Von Hessen love the hilts and the sword.
Lastly I am working on a really cool painting with some canvas I had left over from another project. It is going to be about five feet tall and maybe two wide and I found a great source image of St. George holding a dead dragon by its neck. It is such a casual pose I just had to paint it. It is such a fun shape, size and image that I may just bring it to festival to show off.
I need to get a scroll assignment, as both Moira and I are really inspired after going to the Getty. I am hoping that once I get in the swing of things I can turn out several. Anyway I hope to see people soon, it has been awhile.

( Painting )( Painting )
 </div>

Well woke up this morning and found out mother nature had revised our weekend plans. I hope everybody in the effected areas is safe and I hope to see everybody soon.

Well I finally got all our photos up from GWW. I had grand ideas of editing and organizing, but they have sadly fallen to the wayside. I do have a couple of favorites that I wanted to share specifically. Otherwise for those who are curious I have a small gallery on LJ and a larger one on Photobucket.

http://pics.livejournal.com/fitzjames/gallery/0001f56g

http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm273/Fitz_042/GWW%202008/
( Pictures )


All for now, everyone have a great weekend.

1. Comment on this post.
2. I will give you a letter.
3. Think of 5 fictional characters and post their names and your comments on these characters in your LJ.

Cormac gave me a Y so I had to fudge a little.

Yosemite Sam: Bugs Bunny Cartoons (I know not literary... but give me a break I got Y)
Yggdrasil: The world tree in Norse myth (Its kind of a character and it does have a name)
Sir Ywain: One of Arthur’s knights in several of the Arthurian stories.
Yorick’s Skull: Hamlet yeah well he doesn’t have any lines but he is referred to.
Yog-Sothoth: The Lurker at the Threshold from H.P. Lovecraft

So apparently Moira is one of the "lucky" people who ends up getting the Chicken Pox twice. She noticed what looked like bug bites yesterday and went to the doctor today. On the plus side she is home for a week to help me sew up the rest of her dresses.

So I haven't posted in awhile, but I have been keeping busy. Several project needing to get done before GWW. First which I don't have pictures of, getting Moira ready for camping. Since we both have lost a bunch of weight, she needed a full new wardrobe. So the typical prewar sweat shop has been turning out one outfit after another. For which I must say that while I have done a lot of work she of course deserves most of the credit. For myself my main two projects were getting a dress done for my fencing student and putting together a new bed for war. Really happy with how both have come out, but the bed is definitely in a mk. 1 stage for now. Anyway looking forward to hanging out with people at GWW and back to the sweatshop until then.
( Pictures )

Since I never actually put the three paintings I did together, and I likely won't see the final product until GWW I thought I would mash them together to see what they would look like. Not sure which order Montaigne will put them in, but this one seemed to make sense.  Feel free to ignore if you are tired of me posting the same pictures over and over.  The final dimensions of this monster are 70"x60"
( Painting )

I know several of you out there are into the Steampunk thing, and even if you are just mildly curious about it you really need to check this website out, the stuff he is doing is really cool.

www.sillof.com/index.htm

Well I have finished the last panel of my big project. Looking forward to doing something new in a different style. Especially in a smaller size, it is troublesome when I can't see the TV when I paint :)
Well here is the picture, sorry the image is very slightly blurry, not my best photo job.

So I have finished the second panel of my large project. Just one more to go, I am looking forward to seeing them all together and mounted everyone cross their fingers for me. The last one is a bit of a puzzler, I of course left the hardest for last. It is an interior/exterior scene, that I am going to attempt to join so we will see how that goes.

If you have mentioned a project to me I should be able to start it soon as long as I get some reference photos so please contact me.

Looking forward to seeing everyone at crown, it will be nice to finally get to an event after so long.

I am getting a lot done. I hope to put up a new painting a week for at least the next couple. Here is the first panel for the large project I am doing. The images come from King Rene's Book of Love, though I am doing some major changes to fit dimensions. These will be glued to a panel and then mounted on top of a canopy bed. I am a little concerned since that is a bit closer than I like most of my paintings to be looked at, but the concept is cool so I am going with it. Hopefully when all are done the effect will be worth it. Hopefully I will post again soon and I hope to see everybody at an event coming up.( Picture behind the cut )

Well semi new, this was supposed to be done in March for a friends birthday, but health problems have certainly sent my schedules into a spin.  The painting depicts the Sacred marriage of Saint Catherine of Sienna (the recipient's favorite saint) along with herself and her husband.  Apparently this was a common theme in period and I did not have to do too much different from an original.  One aspect i did find interesting was that I found quite a few examples with both Catherine of Sienna and Catherine of Alexandria in the same pose.  I am not sure if this was a medieval confusion or if the two saints really did get the same story told of them and then the same painting made.  Hopefully I will have more to post soon.  For those who know them the "patrons" in this piece are Sarah Minet and Brendan Morgansbane.

I know I have been horrible about posting lately... I really have no excuse generally I have fun doing this, but I have been very spacey about actually getting something down on screen so to speak. So here is like six months of book list. Only the first part is annotated, I have pretty much given up on that, though I love talking books. Main thing I am noticing is next year i definitely need to set a goal for non-fiction, it just isn't getting read like I hoped.