but is it true?

I "chatted" to Tim Noad by e-mail. He was saying that these days even parts parts of the Peerage patents are printed on parchment, and they don't have anything like the quality of the handwritten illuminated texts.

he said: "As you know, 'parchment' is more often used for sheepskin which is indeed greasy and hard to write on and not used much these days. I am certain that the speech is printed, I can't imagine them paying someone to write it at short notice and it would be harder to read (I have to admit!)" 

I agree about how difficult it would be to read fluently considering the content.

Now calf vellum is wonderful to work on and when it has been properly prepared - called "raising the nap", it feels velvety like a fine suede or velvet. The colour is gloriously intense because of the light penetrating between the particles of paint on the velvety surface. Also, you can erase mistakes completely.

Here is my very first sample of a fine detail painting on prepared vellum - photographed from the same set of books that you saw on Friday. I hope the photograph does the colours justice. It is a copy of the tail of the Q from an illumination in the Winchester Bible.

While I was doing the traditional skills course through CLAS in 2001, we had to make egg tempera.

I am convinced that egg tempera is applauded because in earlier years the intensity was much better than gouache. However I think that colourmen have made huge strides with colours so I wonder if egg tempera is still brighter. And this is only comparing Schmincke - there are still other fabulous makes such as Linel.

I did this panel about 10 years ago to see how the colours aged (albeit in a book).The big plus with egg tempera is that the white highlights do not bleed. Also it feels amazing to make paint! If you visit Cornelissens in London you will see the large jars of coloured pigment powders. Alas, I only buy Armenium Bole to make transfer paper and to colour gesso.

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The Queen's Speech

Yesterday was the Queen's Speech in the House of Lords.

I loved watching the pageantry on television and I thought the Queen looked beautiful in her regalia.

I had a phone call at about 5pm to ask if I would chat on Radio Oxford for a 5 minute slot about the goatskin vellum that she read her speech from. I suggested they ask Tim Noad but he wasn't available so I took it on. (Gulp!) So I await your comments about the accuracy of what I said.

I said that vellum really means the skin of a calf whereas parchment is a generic term for skin that is prepared for writing. Goatskin "Vellum" is difficult to write on and impossible to erase – chatted a bit about the preparation of the skin and went back to goatskin not being very pleasant to write on unlike calfskin because it remains a bit shiny and you can't raise the nap. Then he said he believed that the ink took 3 days to dry and I concurred, saying that it would take a long time. So far so good.

Last night after going on air, I saw the Queen holding the document and it dawned on me that it was probably printed (of course, not handwritten) on sheepskin parchment. The interviewer and I had not questioned the probability of printing. Can anyone inform me?

The interviewer asked about my position as Hon.President of Oxford Scribes" and this was a good slot to talk about Oxford Scribes and how we are open to all levels of calligraphy etc etc. and then he asked if we e-mail. "Oh no, of course not", I said, "we all write to each other in Gothic – on vellum!" 

As we do.

Some photos of my vellum samples from my notes after my visit to William Cowley a number of years ago.

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