June Workshop - Monastic Scripts

The June meeting is in two parts: in the morning there is an illustrated talk from Professor Richard Gameson of Durham University on the subject of "Monastic Scribes and Scripts". In the afternoon Susan will lead a workshop where we all try our hand at reproducing the aforementioned monastic scripts using the script from the Bible of Hugh of Le Puiset as an exemplar. Please bring your usual calligraphy gear and paper for the workshop. Usual time, usual place - see you all there.

More marbling, and stamps too

The methods Marise and Mari demonstrated were simple and quick - scribes were able to make beautiful patterns after a few minutes and some of the designs made are shown in the photo.

The afternoon session changed tempo and we had a go at stamping and using templates for making envelopes and cards with the marbled papers. Mari had a board for folding cards and envelopes that was indented with standard paper sizes so it was easy to use with a bone folder.

Everyone was very taken with the large roller stamps with interchangeable rollers and different patterns. Used with multi-coloured stamp pads you could make really effective borders on envelopes and cards.

Marvellous marbelling in May!

For our May meeting we welcomed Marise Hewitson and Mari Topping from North York Calligraphers, who were demonstrating backgrounds for calligraphy, mainly marbelling techniques. Scribes waited no time in donning natty aprons and gloves in order to get stuck into the reasonably messy business of creating beautiful patterns with the inks and materials that Marise and Mari had bought with them.













A further element to the demonstration was about making and lining envelopes, using some of the patterns we had created and from the many handy templates which the two 'M's had provided. A great time was had by all and we will undoubtedly see the evidence in due course, not only in our summer exhibition, but surely also expressed in our Christmas Cards?!

Durham Cathedral Library Visit

A great treat awaited scribes who went to see some of the ancient manuscripts held by the library. Using the connection with Bede as the theme, the librarian put out on display seventeen items ranging in age from a 6th century manuscript through each subsequent century to the late 15th. It was a journey that started with the oldest, written in the 6th century - a fragment from a copy of the Book of Maccabees - which had been "recycled" and used as a flyleaf in a much later (12th century) book, and believed to be from the library assembled by Benedict Biscop and almost certainly known and used by Bede himself.

Durham possesses an unrivalled collection of early, complete manuscripts and though most of the exhibits had been re-bound at some time, the contents were entirely the original thing.

An 8th century Gospel Book, written somewhere in Northumbria, was on display as was a Commentary on the Psalms, by the monastic founder Cassiodorus, which was acquired by Abbot Ceolfrith for his twin monastery - it could have even been copied by the hand of Bede himself.

Next came an 11th century copy of Bede's Ecclesiastical History, which is the earliest surviving copy of Bede's major work owned by the Library, and is one of sixteen of his books in their collection.

A work by St. Augustine, written in the distinctive Caroline minuscule hand used at Canterbury, somehow found its way to Durham by the year 1200; a copy of one of St Jerome's works, made in the Durham Scriptorium, showed lively drawings sometimes featuring fantastic creatures.

Then came something a little different, and a bit gory - an early 12th century book, "Medical and Astronomical Treatises" which described in drawings and writing how various medical operations were performed at the time.

As each century progressed, so the style of the books showed how sophisticated such items had become , especially in the integrating of text and commentaries in biblical works.

The brightness of the colours of the illuminations and the sharpness of the calligraphy with fine hairlines and some tiny letters and drawings could only be wondered at. The margins and lines were still visible and ready ruled - probably by some little apprentice - and not erased, but left under the writing, rather like faint scaffolding.

May Meeting

Our May 15th Workshop will be held at Sunderland University (Sir Tom Cowie Campus). Marise Hewitson and Mari Topping will be visiting us from North York Calligraphers. They will be demonstrating backgrounds for calligraphy, mainly marbling techniques. They are providing the essential materials for each person, but you can bring any papers/card you would like to use, white and any other colours. Black is especially effective.

Part of the day will be about making and lining envelopes; if you have any tissue paper (any colours), it would be useful.

This might be a messy session - involving oily paints, inks etc as well as water - so Marise and Mari will provide plastic aprons and plastic gloves, and will bring table coverings.

This promises to be an unusual and interesting session and we hope you will find the journey to Sunderland worth it!

April Workshop... Italics - theme and variations

We welcomed back Celia Kilner for our April workshop, where she treated scribes to some Italic Variations, in her interesting, and often amusing, style.

March meeting of Northumbrian Scribes

In our March workshop we will be looking at text interpretation with Angela Dalleywater.

Scale, letterform, letter-weight, colour, space, texture and contrast - these are all elements available to help interpret your chosen text, so that the piece gives an impression of what it's about, before the viewer even reads the words. We'll be exploring all of these things and more.

Please bring:
Usual calligraphic equipment, in particular a variety of nibs, ink, layout/practice paper, ruler, pencil, a board to lean on, and colour (gouache).

Angela will bring lots of short texts for us to work with, but if you have some favourite words with which you'd like to work, then do bring them.

The Society of Northumbrian Scribes meets on the third Saturday of the month at Bede's World, Jarrow, Tyne & Wear.