by Toni Watts | Jun 13, 2017 | Blog
20th May 2017 was the 800th anniversary of the second Battle of Lincoln. Said to be one of the most decisive battles in English history it secured the future of the Plantagenet dynasty. It has been celebrated in the city by a host of events, not least of which is a...
by Toni Watts | Aug 13, 2016 | Blog, Materials and Techniques
Several people have contacted me over the past week asking me where I buy my manuscript gesso from. The answer is that it is not, as far as I am aware, commercially available here in the UK, so I make my own. Here’s the recipe: 8 parts of slaked plaster...
by Toni Watts | Feb 7, 2016 | Blog, Workshops and demonstrations
My March workshop at the Heritage Skills Centre, Lincoln Castle, booked up so quickly that several new dates have been added – and several new workshops. New Manuscript Illumination Course Dates. I will be running my...
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 | May 12, 2015 | Blog, Recent Work
This is a picture I’ve wanted to paint for years, since seeing Fra Angelico’s Annunciation at the Convent of San Marco in Florence. That is a fresco, and about two metres high – mine is just 17cm, and on paper. It’s done in the style of...
