Traditionally the finest material for calligraphy, vellum's nature is inherently different to that of paper. It requires special treatment in preparation and presentation. The workshop will cover methods of preparation of vellum for writing and painting (nap raising/flattening), writing and painting on skins, making corrections/erasures, stretching vellum to remove cockling, and presentation mounting techniques (drumming over a prepared board).

Unusual techniques such as layering translucent vellum over written/painted background designs will be encouraged, and Denis will discuss his own unique approaches to working with skin.

Note: This workshop inevitably raises dust while sandpapering vellum, & may be unsuitable for those who are sensitive to airborne dust. This may also be a concern for classrooms in pristine spaces.

Tools and Materials:

• Vellum*, see note below
  
• Bring a prepared calligraphy layout, size including margins: exactly 5" x 8", ready
  to be written onto vellum during the class- There will not be sufficient time in the workshop to design this piece, so it must be prepared at home in advance by every student. The design can be very simple- a few lines of text or short quotation is one suggestion, with full consideration given to letterform, layout and color, plus author accreditation . The design can be either portrait or landscape format but the exact size specified is very important. All the rough work and trials should be done and the final design on paper should be almost the quality of the finished work. (Tip: keep it reasonably simple- you will only have an hour or two during the workshop to complete the final version on vellum!)
  
• General calligraphy tools, (dip-pens, pencils, ruler, gouache paints &
  palettes, layout pad of paper, etc)
  
• Medium & fine grades of sandpaper or "wet or dry" abrasive papers
  
• Powdered Pumice
  
• Finely powdered Gum Sandarac
  
• Craft knife/ utility knife plus cutting mat.
  
• Scalpel with curved blade, (for making erasures on skin)
  
• Steel straight edge or steel ruler.
  
• A sheet of Silicone release paper 13" x 10". (Silicone release paper is a non-stick, slippery paper as sometimes used for lining of baking tins).
  
• Two pressing boards cut from 1/2 inch thick, melamine faced, chipboard or similar, 10" x 13" each.
  
• 1 piece exterior grade plywood, 1/4 " thick, cut to 5" x 8"- (this is for drumming vellum over.
  
• Tip for guilds/organizers: It may be easiest to get a DIY supplier to cut to size enough boards for all the class in one go, i.e. the pressing boards & the plywood)
  
• 6 pieces of blotting paper, cut to 10"x 13"
  
• A waterproof plastic sheet, 10" x 13" (e.g. cut out from a polythene plastic bag)
  
• A piece of white or ivory colored conservation quality mount board neatly cut to 5" x 8". Also bring some off-cuts from this mount board.
  
• Heavy/thick colored paper, at least 5" x 8", (to line the back of your stretched vellum design... a color matching your prepared layout is good.)
  
• PVA glue plus 3/4" glue brush. Tip- a good quality 3/4" decorator's bristle paintbrush can also be used
  
• A plastic bottle with a trigger-vaporizer-top.(This is to spray water vapor to moisten materials).
  
  
  *The instructor will supply samples of vellum for a materials fee of Euro35.00 (c.US$ 50 at time of posting) per student. Each student will get several small pieces of a variety of types of vellum. Students will also need to have a larger piece of vellum to complete a class project. (Some students may complete 2 projects in classes of 4-5 days duration and may thus need more than one larger piece of vellum). The instructor will have skins available for sale (price guide: €30 euros per half skin of finest slunk calf vellum or €55 euros per full skin of finest slunk calf vellum).
  
  
  OTHER REQUIREMENTS TO BE PROVIDED BY ORGANISERS:
  
• The instructor will require a piece of 1/4" plywood & a piece of conservation mount-board both cut to 5" x 8", plus a set of pressing boards as described above, for use in his demonstrations. He may also need to borrow use of various other tools/materials that are impractical to carry on workshop trips abroad.
  
• A large mortar & pestle will be useful- not every student needs one but if just one is brought to the class it will facilitate demonstrations of grinding gum sandarac.
  
• Only for 4 and 5 day versions of this class: A staple gun that can be shared among the class will also be required , plus an old wooden board that can be stapled into. These will be used in demonstrations of dyeing and stretching vellum.
  

   

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