I retired from teaching in June of 2023. Suddenly I had a lot of time on my hands and began to take pictures on my walks around the local bike path. Here are some samples of my work. I even set up an instagram account to keep track of some of the lovely work I have been doing.
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Looked up my block and realized that I hadn't posted in two years. Need to remedy that. January, 2024, Mael Eoin mac Echuid's Tyger of the East Award of the Tyger of the East award for a dear friend. The Tyger of the East was established April 26 A.S. 37, 2003, by Darius II and Roxane II, and may be awarded by The Crown to the individual who most embodies and personifies the ideals of the East Kingdom. Words: Latin: Dies hominum breves veloci et insperato fine terminantur, quia mors, universitati generis humani ex consuetudine invidens, tempora multorum prevenit, et quos incautos invenit omnino necat et subruit, ita ut, omnium facti inmemores, et de vita periclitari nichil prorsus possint aut ad memoriam reducere, aut eloquio proferre. Moris itaque prudentium est studia sua, vel opera seu que cumque disponi possunt scripti memorie commendare, quatinus et a modernorum memoria elabi sit impossibile, et successores viriliter teneant et imitentur, quod antecessores suos fecisse in memoriam derelicte scriptorum pagine protestantur. Nos, autem, Matthias et Æsa feilinn, rex et regina orientalis, precedentium antecessorum industrie nos conformans, notum facimus gitur omnibus, tam futuris quam presentibus, quod valde et magne aestimus nostrum servum Mael Eoin mac Echuid, eum reputans et magnimissum et dignamissum et honestissimum virorum, et per litteras patentes donamus et concedemus ei et agnitionem et status et dignitas tigris orientalis, cum omnibus privilegiis beneficiis usibus libertatibus manubiis levationibus et rebus rectia pertinentia quod ei pertinentia in toto modo. Volumus et velimud hoc donum instituere et pie et valde et vere, ut praedictus Mael Eoin sit possidere praedictus status in perpetua legitime et placide et sine pertrubatione, et ut declaratio huis doni nostri more humuno non dissoluat, pagine huic in fine nomines noster signavimus et testes veridicos visus et auditus adnotari precepimus. Hae litteras fortificatae et confirmatae sunt prae nostra curia convocata datum octavo epiphanie dicte tredecem Ianuarii anno societatis quinquaginta octo English The brief days of men are ended with swift and unexpected finish, since death habitually envying the whole of human kind, anticipates the times of many, and those it finds incautious it altogether destroys and overthrows, so that unremembered by all, nothing from their life can be proved again or brought to memory or put forth in speech. Thus it is in the custom of wise persons to commend to the memory of writing their studies or works or whatever can be so disposed, so that it is impossible to erase it from the memory of moderns, and their successors may hold it virilely and imitate what their ancestors are testified to have done in the memory of the page of writings left behind. Therefore, We, Matthias and Æsa feilinn, King and Queen of the East, conforming to the diligence of our ancestors make it be known to all, future as well as present, that We hold our servant Mael Eoin mac Echuid in the greatest and highest of esteem, deeming him the most fit, most worthy, and most honorable of men, and do by these present letters gift and grant unto him the renown, status and estate of a Tyger of the East, with all with all privileges, benefits, usages, liberties, profits, easements and rightful pertinents in and by all ways pertaining thereunto. We will and wish to establish this gift piously, strongly and sincerely, so the above-named Mael Eoin might possess the said status in perpetuity legitimately and peacefully and without disturbance, and, so that the declaration of this our gift may not be dissolved ever by human usage, We have signed our names at the end of this page, and ordered trustworthy witnesses to note what they saw and heard. These letters were fortified and confirmed before Our assembled Court upon the Octave of Epiphany, being 13 January in the fifty-eighth year of the Society. Words by Alys Mackyntoish Latin Translation by Alexandre Lerot d’Avignon Calligraphy and illumination by Nataliia Anastasiia Evgenova DOCUMENTATION The Aberdeen Bestiary Folio 8r - Lions, continued. Tigris/ the tiger. Seemed appropriate for a Tyger of the East. PROGRESS OF THE ART Calligraphy first Next, illumination. Blocking in the colors that I will build on. Used Mosaic gold for the background. Use Holbein goauche for the rest. Did a period style Tyger of the East badge. Mosaic gold background, Holbein gouache for the painting. Adding more detail and layering. I referenced the original quite a bit so that I was getting the right feel for the period example. Final details in the rubricated letters, white work on the frame, the armor, the cloak, the rings being tossed to the tiger, the reins, the horse itself. Making sure that there was balance in the composition. Addition of black highlights in a variety of places, again to emphasize the detail. I kept going back to the original source to make sure that I was getting the layering and the details correct.
In March I did a Laurel scroll for a good friend, Vivian de Dunbar. Her research was Ottoman era, so I chose something that would fit her personna. The example is below Reference: https://www.meisterdrucke.uk/fine-art-prints/Ottoman-School/659616/Folio-from-a-Quran,-sura-71:9-28;-sura-72:1-9-and-part-of-10,-detached-manuscript-folio,-2nd-half-of-16th-century-(ink,-opaque-watercolour-and-gold-on-paper).html 16th century I had a lot of help with this scroll. Text by Alys Mackyntoich Arabic Translation by Sara al-Garnatiyya Illumination by Nataliia Anastasiia Evgenova Calligraphy by Æsa feilinn Jossursdottir Rejoice! For upon this 26th day of March in the 56th year of the Society, Ioannes and Ro Honig, Imperial Sovereigns, invested and endowed Vivian de Dunbar with laurels and high accolades, showering praise like rose petals upon her head. A wreath of laurel leaves they gave her, and gifts of great value, and, that her worth be known, also Arms by Letters Patent, Purpure, a decrescent and on a chief argent three sprigs of heather palewise purpure. Rejoice! Arabic: نبتهج! في هذا اليوم السادس والعشرين من شهر مارس في السنة السادسة والخمسين من عمر الجمعية ، استثمر إيوان ورو هونيغ ، الإمبراطورية السيادية ، ومنحها فيفيان دي دنبار أمجاد وأوسمة عالية ، وتملأ الثناء مثل بتلات الورد على رأسها. أكاليل من أوراق الغار التي قدموها لها ، وهدايا ذات قيمة كبيرة ، ولكي تُعرف قيمتها ، منحت مكانة خطابات براءة اختراع ، أرجوانية ، متدلية وعلى رأس ثلاثة أغصان من هيذر أرجوانية باهتة. نبتهج! Transliteration: Nabtaji! fi hadha al-yawm al-saadis wa leishrin min shahr maris fi al-sanat al-saadisat wal-khamsin min eumr al-jam-ee-ath , aistathmar 'iiwan wa ru hunigh , al'iimbiraturiat al-siyadiat , wamanahaha fifiaan di dinbar 'amjad wa'awsimatan ealiatan , watamla al-thana' mithl bitlat al-ward ealaa rasiha. 'akalil min 'awraq alghar alati qadamuha laha , wahadaya dhat qimat kabirat , walikay tuerf qimatuha , manahat makanat khitabat bara'at aikhtirae , 'urjuaniat , mutadaliyatan waealaa ras thalathat 'aghsan min haydhar 'urjuaniat bahitatun. Nabtaji! The above picture is to show off the glittery gold. Damn, Feillin.
Black hours scroll for a fellow artist. Companion of the Maunche for Aurelia Colleoni a'Buccafurno, including portrait and over the top gold and silver leaves. I'm pleased with my calligraphy on this one, it is improving as I practice more, and I used black arches paper, gold and white goauche, and Dr. Ph Martin's bleed proof white for the calligraphy. I used a regular calligraphy pen and painted the Dr. Martin's ink - which is super thick btw - onto the pen with a little bit of water onto the pen to help with the flow.
Calligraphy and illumination by me Words by: Liadan ingen Chineada (LEE-a-din IN-yen keh-NAH-dah) Based on a sonnet. Yes, it seems that it has been tough to really keep anything as we tromp through the pandemic, but here we are. My plan is that I'm just gonna throw down some good stuff I've been doing and fill in things later. All work is based on an exemplar. When I have had the brain space to pull and upload the research, I certainly will. Hopefully. One of the tough things is that I have been struggling throughout the pandemic to do anything creative. I have found others are in similar spots. My art went a little backward and I'm trying to bring it around again and increase my abilities. Without practice my art muscles atrophied. This is not an excuse, just an acknowledgement that I am in a different place than I was two years ago. I'm still working on improving my calligraphy and often farm it out to my gifted calligrapher friends. I'm also my harshest critic. I love that the art that I have been able to do because it feeds me, and it is a new beginning. So to new beginnings. First up - Maunche for Joannes von Braunsthweig given a short time ago and is in the hands of the recipient. Formal date of presentation is March 5, 2022. I loved the happy, little swirls and detailing. Next up. Golden Rapier for Wentlyanna Bengrek, a very good friend and comrade in arms, given out at Bhakail Yule in December of 2021. I found a rapier manual that showed several poses and that looked all the world to me like our modern melee tactics and put Wentlyanna front and center. I had to put clothes on them first because, well, it was Agrippa and Agrippa is a clothing optional manual. I really wanted to have a nice portrait of Wentlyanna and was able to find a picture of her that looked so lovely and I was quite pleased with how it came out. I used white goauche, grey goauche which I thinned a little to capture the shading of the face. I used pen and ink for the rest of the scroll. In late 2021, I did a Silver Crescent for Alexandre L'Espangnol de Orleanz which had to chase him for a while. It was supposed to go out at Crown in November, but didn't catch up to him until Bhakail Yule in December, of 2021.
Another collaboration.
Words by Sir Matthias Grunewald, Calligraphy (so tiny, so beautiful) by Duchess Thyra, and illumination mine. This piece went out at the Coronation, in the last court of Tindal and Alberic. I consulted with his lovely lady and she said: "If someone wants to go overboard, the Borso d'Este Bible is a fine example of over the top." Thus, that is the exemplar for the piece. The pandemic really got to a lot of people. Especially me. I haven't posted since June 2019, a couple of months into the pandemic and now it is 2021. Artistically I had a difficult time and I did a few things but I felt that my work could have been better. We are our own worst critic. I hope that the people who received these pieces are pleased because that is what matters. The Artwork: The first one is a piece that I made for a Silver Tyger which I think came out nice. This was for a Zofeia Jodurqin with a Mongolian personna. It is modeled after a mongolian travel pass. It was given out October 11, 2020 in an Ethereal court. Simple, to the point, gold gouache paint on black paper. Words on safe passage Tindal and Alberic, Mighty Khans East, Give to ZZofeia Jodurqin Silver Tyger Award her Arms Words said in court Tindal and Alberic, Mighty Khans of these Eastern Lands hereby greet our visitor from afar with mighty rejoicing, The Warrior before us has illustrious skill in armored combat and brings great fame to the Northern Army horde. Zofeia Jodurqin will be honored and Awarded arms to be carried by her alone Per bend sable and gules, a Bactrian camel statant Or maintaining under its front hoof a wolf's head cabossed argent, a base rayonny Or and furthermore, induct her into the Order of the Silver Tyger, thus giving her this paize for safe passage across our lands, done in the fall of our reign at our Ethereal Court. Words, calligraphy and illumination: Nataliia Anastasiia Evgenova Another piece of artwork was for a good friend Cezilia Raposa. I had the honor of working with a great word person, Countess Meggie, and we made some real beautiful art together. It was given out February 21, 2021 at an Ethereal court. My photography skills don't necessarily put this piece in its best light. It is on pergamenata, with black goauche for the background. I included personalized items, such as the compass rose and Cezilia's beloved cat Winston. That's it for now. More later.
Much as I have tried to not have the Signet job take over my art life, well, here it is in all it's glory. I haven't posted since October of 2017, and it is now June of 2019. Okay, then. Let's catch up. From present backwards into time here we go. For a dear friend, I made a Silver Rapier scroll for his elevation given on June 8, 2019. Matthew Miller is the nom de plume of Ysmay that she uses for fencing. I went straight to our good friend George Silver for resource material and the play on words was for fun with a very Italian Queen and a very English subject. The words are as follows: O that men for their defence would but give their mind to practice the true fight indeed and learn to bear true British wards for their defence,and that those imperfect Italian devices with rapier and poniard would be clean cast aside save for the protection of Us and Our persons, King Ozurr and Queen Fortune, most giving, loving and trusting of Their subject Matthew Miller, though he be English, do say this day that therefore with the zealous and unfeigned love that We bear for his true knowledge of this noble science and the excellence of the rapier fight, do we induct Matthew Miller into the Order of the Silver Rapier on this eighth day of June, A.S. Fifty four at our Southern Region War Camp in our Barony of Carillion. From George Silver’s Paradoxes of Defense Words, calligraphy and illumination by Nataliia Anastasiia Evgenova Illumination done in pen and ink on opaline vellum, which is a vegetable composite to replicate animal skin vellum. Prior to that I made a scroll for another fencing, Midir, who is at our fencing practice. This was given out at Balfar's Challenge in April of 2019. The top illumination represented the Sultan's sigil, so I looped the swords in there, as well as .............. ...............the initials of the Royalty giving the scroll, Ozurr and Fortune! A scroll for our beloved Zsuzsy done in pencil on pergamenata with Higgins eternal ink for the words. I thought that Zsu would like a portrait and I worked in one of her hanging earrings that she loves. This was done for East Kingdom Fifty Year in June of 2018. There was a writ for a Laurel for Raziya that I was able to do. This was a gigantic leap for me as calligraphy is not my gig, but for Raziya, I'd do it. December, 2017. Based on calligraphy in the Mira Calligraphiae monumenta. Silver Brooch for Antoni for his metal work. A portrait that I snagged off of the devil of all sources, Facebook, and some nice pencil work, and voila! I know that I did do the calligraphy but don't have a picture of it. Drat. Given in October of 2017. More to come as I find more. Share yours!
I called dibs on a Silver Crescent assignment for Caoilfhionn. She, along with Brennan, gave me my Master of Defense, so there is a little bit of a desire to give her something special. I also want to encourage her in her endeavors in fencing. I was given quite a bit of latitude on what I could do. I was told that she liked my fencing manuals but would love anything that I did. I wanted to make something stunning. I did a lot of thinking and some research. I found a medieval representation of a mermaid. Caoilfhionn also has blue and white flowers as her badge and I wanted to incorporate that into the design. I used Black Arches paper, 80 pound, with miniatum ink not regular miniatum because I wanted to make fine lines. The white ink was Dr. Martin's White Ink and the paint was Holbein or Windsor Newton goauche. The Dr. Martin's white ink definitely made a more consistent layer on the black paper. My calligraphy is getting better, but I can still see some slanting here and there. The pencil layer is visible, and the layer of miniatum layer is almost invisible against the black paper on the left hand bottom of the paper. First layer of gold leaf on all that miniatum. Second layer of miniatum, and some buffing. You can see the shine in the upper portion of the photograph. I started to add details and white accents. Layer of ultramarine goauche, Windsor Newton. I continued to put several more layers of blue to even out the color. As you can see from the photograph, there are dead spots where the paint was just soaked up by the paper. Helpful hint for those doing Black Hours scrolls, always make more paint than you think you will need and leave time to do several, several layers.
It has been since June that I posted last, and boy has there been a lot going on. First up - I received the honor of receiving a Laurel in July. Yay. Next, I took over as Tyger Clerk of the Signet for the East, and that has cut into my process photos of artwork and documenting my progress. Luckily I have taken some pictures, which I will share here. Laurel scroll for me by Mistress Isabelle Chamberlain. Wow, just wow. Summer ended up with me teaching the drawing class again at Pennsic. Below are pictures of the portrait class. Count Ruslan is one of my regular models. ![]() My fabulous model, Mistress Anastasiia Gutane. |
NataliiaMy avocation is artist. This is where I leave art, the process of art and my discoveries. Archives
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