Golden Rapier for Lucien de Wyntere
This was a super secret project for my own cadet Lucien. I received the news of his elevation 3 months before it was going to happen so I had plenty of time to paint to my heart's content and do it up something nice. And it was done early so that it could go to the royals for the special signature in white ink. This is the piece of artwork that I kept track of in my "So how long does an artistic piece really take?" which came to 16 hours. My cadet was worth it.
So I worked on the words first which I based on the Charter to Sir Walter Raleigh: 1584 which you can find here. The Avalon project is really great for actual documents during the historical period that I am studying. I adjusted it for the needed content, kept the period spelling and viola.
Edward, and Thyra by the good Grace of the East, defenders of the realm, to all people to whome these presents shall come, greeting:
Knowe yee that of our especial grace, certaine science, and meere motion, we haue given, and by these presents for us, our heires and successors, for great skill and willingness to defend our selues from harm, we giue to our trustie and welbeloued seruant as our will and pleasure is, and wee do hereby declare that Lucien de Wyntere, be inducted into the Order of the Golden Rapier. In witness whereof, we haue caused these our letters to be made and Witnesse our selues, at Birka, the 24th. day of January, in the nine and fortieth yeere of our Society.
I did the words, the calligraphy and the illumination. The calligraphy is getting easier, and the white ink is not fighting me as much. I also used several practice sheets of the black paper to make sure that the flow was right.
I chose for the illumination the Sforza Black Hours, by Master of Anthony of Burgundy, 15th Century, illumination on parchment. You can find it here and here. I also have several of my own books with sample pages of the Black Hours, so I used several elements.
So I start with the finished product.
This was a super secret project for my own cadet Lucien. I received the news of his elevation 3 months before it was going to happen so I had plenty of time to paint to my heart's content and do it up something nice. And it was done early so that it could go to the royals for the special signature in white ink. This is the piece of artwork that I kept track of in my "So how long does an artistic piece really take?" which came to 16 hours. My cadet was worth it.
So I worked on the words first which I based on the Charter to Sir Walter Raleigh: 1584 which you can find here. The Avalon project is really great for actual documents during the historical period that I am studying. I adjusted it for the needed content, kept the period spelling and viola.
Edward, and Thyra by the good Grace of the East, defenders of the realm, to all people to whome these presents shall come, greeting:
Knowe yee that of our especial grace, certaine science, and meere motion, we haue given, and by these presents for us, our heires and successors, for great skill and willingness to defend our selues from harm, we giue to our trustie and welbeloued seruant as our will and pleasure is, and wee do hereby declare that Lucien de Wyntere, be inducted into the Order of the Golden Rapier. In witness whereof, we haue caused these our letters to be made and Witnesse our selues, at Birka, the 24th. day of January, in the nine and fortieth yeere of our Society.
I did the words, the calligraphy and the illumination. The calligraphy is getting easier, and the white ink is not fighting me as much. I also used several practice sheets of the black paper to make sure that the flow was right.
I chose for the illumination the Sforza Black Hours, by Master of Anthony of Burgundy, 15th Century, illumination on parchment. You can find it here and here. I also have several of my own books with sample pages of the Black Hours, so I used several elements.
So I start with the finished product.
But let's go back to the beginning. Black 240 pound paper. Pencil layout. Several practice sheets, and I was able to create the calligraphy for the final piece below. You can just barely see the pencil sketch for the overall illumination and portrait.
I wanted to set the words apart, so I encased it in a mosaic gold arch. This is a better photo of the pencil sketching that has the general design as well as the portrait. I also started the layering process with the portrait of Lucien. This was taken from one of his online portraits, with his signature hat.
I worked on the portrait details, putting Lucien in a white shirt to have the white start moving about the page. The next step was the Golden Rapier badge in lapis lazuli.
I used a crow quill pen to make vines move all over the page, using mosaic gold painted on to the quill. With the portrait and badge, it was now time to move to all of the beautiful floral decorations. I alternated with the mosaic gold, white and burnt umber starting with the leaves, after I had laid the layer of the vines.
I started at the bottom and worked up, alternating the colors as I went.
Large floral leaves all the way around the border of the calligraphy, with some flourishes of bulbs and flowers.
Next came the white leaves, and then I added green leaves around the Golden Rapier badge and throughout the design to lead the eye from portrait, to the top, and then back down to the badge.
Final details, let the art rest and boxed up for shipment with instructions on the special white ink signatures. I also sent some extra black paper for practice as I know how nerve wracking it can be at this point when you worry that one problem is going to ruin a beautiful piece of art.
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