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 | 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 | 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 | Jul 2, 2015 | Blog, Materials and Techniques
It’s been a long time coming but I finally got round to turning my home-grown verdigris pigment into paint. Cennino Cennini, writing in fifteenth century Florence, says about verdigris: ‘It is very green by itself. And is manufactured by alchemy, from...
by Toni Watts | Jun 19, 2015 | Blog, Materials and Techniques, Workshops and demonstrations
Just a quick post to let you know that I’ll be doing a (potentially messy!) practical demonstration for the Fine Art Trade Guild on extracting pigment from rocks, roots and berries at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum in Coventry in July – booking...
