by Toni Watts | Dec 8, 2015 | Blog, Materials and Techniques
This brown ink is easy to make and can be used with a dip pen or brush. There are lots of recipes on the internet, all with different additions to stop the ink going mouldy and flow more easily, but before I get to that, here’s the basic process. ...
by Toni Watts | Nov 26, 2015 | Blog, Materials and Techniques
We were down in the beautiful Forest of Dean earlier this year and came, quite unexpectedly, across Clearwell Caves. The sign outside stated that the caves were mined for pigments and iron ore, so we just had to go and have a look! It is said...
by Toni Watts | Nov 6, 2015 | Blog, Recent Work
Tapestries, new and old – a starting point. A tapestry hangs above the door of Lincoln Cathedral’s treasury. I must have passed it a hundred times and never noticed it until it was pointed out to me by Joan Smith, one of the Cathedral’s invaluable...
by Toni Watts | Sep 20, 2015 | Blog, Medieval Manuscripts, Recent Work
As promised, here’s the manuscript in which I found the illuminated ‘S’ from my last post. It is Lincoln Cathedral’s MS 174, a twelfth century gloss, or commentary, on the Psalms. It is a large book,...
by Toni Watts | Sep 17, 2015 | Blog, Materials and Techniques
Shell gold – gold mixed with gum Arabic to make a paint (like watercolour) – has been used by illuminators both in the Western world and the East over many centuries. It works best when applied to a very smooth surface in relatively small areas and can be...
by Toni Watts | Sep 1, 2015 | Blog
The summer has flown by and suddenly September 1st has arrived – my first day as Lincoln Cathedral’s Artist in Residence. Lots of people have asked me what an Artist in Residence is – or does. The term is actually a misnomer as I don’t need to...
