It was so nice to work with watercolors again, and I throughly enjoyed the workshop in class. I have not used them in over two years since my AP Studio Art days in high school, and it took awhile to get use to them again. The water to pigment ratio drastically changes the richness of the color, as well as the mixing of other colors such as black. Some people complain there are not a lot of color options on a watercolor palette, but if you are creative, a variety of shades can be conjured. The biggest adjustment was the time constraint of class, and realizing that it was not about finishing, but enjoying the process. Of course, I had to remind myself to not get too caught up in the flowing designs of my illuminated letter while working with the felt pen, otherwise I never would have started on the watercolor. I did not finish the piece in class but I look forward to working on the piece later this week and incorporating the gold leaf.
So how does this workshop relate to the readings we have been doing in class? It has given me a new appreciation for miniaturists. We have color at the touch of our fingertips, and with a little bit of water, the possibilities are endless, and that doesn’t even include other types of paint. Paintbrushes are manufactured in countries far away in a fraction of the time, for a fraction of the cost, compared to medieval methods. While it required lot of labor for miniaturists to produce the materials, it was part of the process that made it so special. It’s also important to remember miniaturists had a lot more tim, than say a college student, to make their tools. I’m slightly jealous that miniaturists could spend the entire day working on their art. I wish I could have stayed working on my letter all day instead of being called away to another class. Even though I had to leave, at least I can look forward to working on it more in the future.
I too found myself wishing I could spend all day finishing my letter! At first, I wasn’t sure how illuminators could devote so much time to the intricacies of their work, but the exercise helped me relate to and understand that dedication, as I found myself wanting to keep working.
I think that the time and effort that illuminators put into the work is what makes the manuscripts so special. Just looking at the details in them you can see all the work that went in, and it’s magical to behold. While we didn’t put as much effort into ours, we still got a taste of what it’s like to put that work in.