I was the Summits Royal Scribe for the Reign of Antione and Katherine. At the end of their reign I wanted to make them something special as their Vicounty “scrolls”. The idea was to create a triptych, such as some religious iconography uses, so that they could display it or close it up and store it. Most of this project was WAY outside of my skill set, but I was willing to learn.
Woodworking
I am not a woodworker, but my friend Felix is. He invited me to his shop and showed me how to create a template, cut the wood, sand it and shape it. Of course I picked Purple Heart, which woodworkers know is SUPER hard and brittle wood… but hey, it looked pretty! By the end I did about 40% of the woodworking, and Felix did the other 60%. But I now know enough that I will probably never use Purple heart again. 😉
Gilding
I wanted to gild these pieces, similar to traditional religious triptychs. I purchased thin sheets of 24c gold, got the gesso, watched a lot of videos and talked to my artist friends. While the gold is on there, I had a great deal of problem with getting the gesso consistently smooth which is why the gold has a textured appearance.
Painting
This part was the easy bit for me. For this piece I used acrylics so that it would be a little bit tougher than more traditional mediums. If I had enough time, I would have preferred to use oil paints, but I only had a few weeks by the time I got done with the wood working bit.
Finished Project
The final pieces definately looked hand-made, but I am still proud of them. And even more importantly, the recipients were thrilled.
