I was one of three people asked to make scrolls for the most recent Queen’s Champion event here in Ansteorra (author’s note: this has been in my queue so long that it was no longer the MOST recent Championship. *hangs head*). My compatriots picked the other scrolls, and I jumped on the chance to make the Champion scroll myself. I knew I wanted to make something late-period, since that’s when rapier fighting takes place. I was inspired by the Mira Calligraphiae, a germanic manuscript that’s known for it’s incredible calligraphic hands, super-impressive cadels (the decorative initial letter), and realistic watercolor illustrations.

I used a pretty cadel that comes directly from the Mira, and painted the gold in with a mica-based gold paint before inking in the black lines. Thank heavens for light tables, seriously. I painted a trompe l’oeil banner with the Queen’s Champion insignia on it, looking as though it was stuck through the paper. The Mira has several plates like this, and on the other side, you can see where the “flag” is stuck through the paper. Love the illusion. A shot showing the lovely sheen of the gold. And a little maker’s mark.