Journeyman Entry/Documentation Form & Instructions

Kingdom of Trimaris

Journeyman Documentation Form

Static Entry

ID #: ____________________________ Name:____________________________________________________________

Category: ______________________________________ Division: ____________________________________________

Title of Entry (What is the item?): _______________________________________________________________________

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Country or region item is from in period: _________________________________________________________________

Time period of item (within 50 years): ___________________________________________________________________

Intended setting of item (i.e., court, nobility, merchant class, peasant, farmer, sailor, etc):___________________________

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Source of Inspiration (Describe source of inspiration here and attach a photocopy, photograph, computer printout or other appropriate format to this page.): ________________________________________________________________________

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List the materials or ingredients used by period artists/artisans in projects of this type:______________________________

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List the materials or ingredients you used in the project: ______________________________________________________

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Briefly explain why you chose any materials or ingredients that are different from those used in period: ________________

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List the tools or equipment used by period artists/artisans in projects of this type: __________________________________

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List the tools or equipment you used in creating this project: _____________________________________________________

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Briefly explain why you used any tools or equipment that are different from those used in period: ________________________

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Describe how a period artist/artisan would have made this item: __________________________________________________

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Describe how you created this item: ________________________________________________________________________

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Briefly explain why you did not create this item the way a period artist/artisan would have:____________________________

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List all the sources you consulted in creating this project (including books, journal or magazine articles, class handouts, web sites, photographs, etc): _______________________________________________________________________________________

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Do you have any questions about this project or future, similar, projects that you would like the panel of judges to answer for you?

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INSTRUCTIONS

For

Journeyman Documentation Form – Static Entry

**NOTE – if you run out of space for any answers on the Documentation Form you can continue the answer on the back of the page or on an attached page. Be sure that you staple all your pages together when you are finished so that none of your pages get lost!

ID #: This is the same ID # you use on your registration form.

Category & Division: Look through the list of Categories and Divisions. Divisions are the sub-groups within a Category. Pick the closest appropriate Division for your entry. For example, a woman’s dress from the year 1150 CE falls in “Costuming: 1000 – 1300 CE”, so that is the Division. All of the Costuming Divisions fall under the Category “Textile Arts”, so that is the Category. If you aren’t sure where to place your item, take your best guess.

If you still aren’t sure, or there isn’t a Division that seems appropriate, contact the Kingdom Minister of Arts and Sciences. S/he will either find the appropriate Division and Category for you, or a Division will be created for you. The current list of Categories and Divisions isn’t meant to restrict the kinds of items that are made and entered into Art/Sci. The current Categories and Divisions simply reflect the kinds of items entered in the past, not what you are “allowed” to enter into Art/Sci.

Entries are assigned to Categories and Divisions in order to schedule judging times and to help ensure that all entries have the panel of judges who are best qualified to evaluate the project.

Title of Entry: The purpose of the title is to guide your panel of judges as they prepare to evaluate your work. The title doesn’t need to be anything fancy; just describe what your item is. For example: “Award of Arms Scroll based on the Book of Kells”, “SCA legal heavy weapons helm based on a 6^th century spangenhelm”, “Early 16^th century noblewoman’s gown”, or “Period Gingerbread from a 15^th century German recipe”.

If you’ve made a close copy of something based on a period example, the title would be: “Reproduction of (state period example)”. If your item is made from period instructions or a modern adaptation of period instructions, your title would be: “(Item) from (source)”. If your item is based on a period example, several period examples, but is not actually a copy, the title would be either: “(Item) in the style of (period example/examples)” or “Time period and/or country/culture) (item)”.

If your item has been adapted for use in the SCA, state that in the title. There are a lot of adaptations that we make for things we use in the SCA. Armor and weapons (for heavy weapons, light weapons, equestrian activities, etc), for example, have to meet SCA safety rules. “SCA legal (sport) (item) based on (period style or example)” is a good title for an SCA sport related entry.

Calligraphy & Illumination are also items that are frequently adapted for SCA use. Scrolls of the type given out for SCA awards don’t seem to have been given out in the Middle Ages and renaissance, but it is very common to enter award or prize scrolls in Art/Sci. Try using this formula for the item title: “SCA award/prize scroll based on (period example)“ or “SCA award/prize scroll in the style of (artistic style, period, country/region and/or calligraphic hand)”.

Other SCA adaptations may be less obvious. Costumes that were made in period out of many layers of heavy fabrics can be adapted for wearing in Trimaris’ heat. We often refer to adapted garments as “Tourney Garb” because when you wear something to a tournament you are outside in the sun, rain, wind, heat and dirt! So a title for a piece of garb that has been adapted for Trimaris might be: “Tourney adaptation of a 14^th century nobleman’s outfit”. Another kind of SCA adaptation is the embroidered favor many ladies make for their consorts. Favors of the kind most often made and worn in the SCA don’t seem to have existed in the middle ages and renaissance, but are common in the SCA. An embroidery entry could be titled: “Embroidered SCA favor using (stitch/stitches)”.

Country or region item is from in period: Where in the world is your item from? What culture is it from? People weren’t as well traveled in the middle ages and renaissance as they are now. Very few things from SCA period can really be described accurately as “European”, “Asian” or “Middle Eastern”. Styles of dress, pottery, poetry, music, food and even armor differed from one country or culture to another. A poem written in 10^th century style could be Norse, Anglo-Saxon, French, Persian, Chinese or any of a hundred or more cultural or regional styles. Sometimes you’ll even find people in one country or culture making imitations of styles from other countries or cultures. For example, we know that 16^th century women in England sometimes made and wore dresses in “the Spanish style”, “the French style” and “the Italian style”. Be as specific as you are able to be.

Quite often in the SCA we make things that are modeled on a lot of different examples that might not all be from the same place. Again, be as specific as you are able to be. If you used Italian, French and Spanish examples to make a pottery mug you can say “examples from Italy, France & Spain”. If you used examples from all over Western Europe, you could list where all your examples came from or you could simply say “examples from across Western Europe”.

Time period of item (within 50 years): When is your item from? If you’ve based your entry on a specific period example, give the date attributed to that example (for example, 1492 CE). If you’ve based your entry on several period examples or a particular period style you can give a more general range (for example, 1430-1450 CE or late 13^th century).

When referring to centuries, the years of the century are referred to by the following number. This is commonly misunderstood. The years from the death of Christ (the year 0) to the year 100 are called the 1^st century. The start date for the SCA is the year 600 AD (also called CE, or Common Era), so the century from 600-700 is the 7^th century. The years from 900-1000 CE are called the 10^th Century. The years from 1500-1600 are called the 16^th century.

“Early” generally means the first 50 years of a century, so “early 16^th century” means 1501-1550. “Late” generally means the last 50 years of a century, so “late 16^th century” means 1551-1600. You can be more specific by referring to quarters: “first quarter of the 14^th century” means 1300-1325 CE, “second quarter of the 14^th century” means 1325-1350 CE, “third quarter of the 14^th century” means 1350-1375 CE, and “fourth quarter of the 14^th century” means 1375-1400 CE. Sometimes you will also find a reference to the first or last decade of a century. A “decade” is 10 years, so “the first decade of the 14^th century” is 1300-1310 CE and “the last decade of the 14^th century” is 1390-1400 CE.

Intended setting of item (i.e., court, nobility, merchant class, peasant, farmer, sailor, etc): Who would (or will be) using the item you made? Did you make something for the Queen? Did you make something for your child? Is it for yourself? Who used the period examples your item is based on? In what context was it or will it be used/worn/eaten? Is this garb to wear to court, on the tournament field or while cooking in the kitchen? Is this the armor of a duke, a knight, a squire or a common soldier? Is this the bread served to the nobles at high table, the bread served to the monks in a monastery or the bread served in a merchant’s home?

Source of Inspiration (Describe source of inspiration and attach a photocopy, photograph, computer printout or other appropriate format to this page): What inspired you to create this item? There is no right or wrong answer for this question. Knowing what inspired you helps your panel of judges know what you were aiming for with your project. It also helps them figure out what kind of information will be most useful to you for future projects. If at all possible, provide a COLOR copy or photo of the original item that inspired you and any other sources of inspiration you used. All illustrations of period examples should have show the date of the item. If you print out an enlarged photo from a website that does not include the date, also print out the main page with the date of the item. Some examples of possible answers are below:

Example #1: “I was inspired by a photograph I found of a 14^th century embroidered pouch that is in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. I thought the scene of a man and woman would make a nice favor for my lord husband. I changed the colors of the garb and hair to make it look more like us.” [w/ color computer print out of the pouch attached]

Example #2: “I was inspired by dress worn by the Princess in the movie Braveheart. I wanted a dress like this so I looked in several costuming books and found a similar example that is from the Luttrell Psalter. I wanted my own heraldry on the dress, so I made an adaptation of that dress.” [w/ a still photo from the movie showing the original dress (if possible), the illustration of the dress from the Lutrell Psalter, and maybe also a copy of your arms.]

Example #3: “I was inspired by a wooden cart that I saw at Gulf Wars. I found the website put up by the guy who made the cart. He has some period examples there and some instructions on building your own cart.” [w/ a photo of the cart at war, if possible, and a printout of the website.]

List the materials or ingredients used by period artists/artisans in a project of this type: What is your source of inspiration made out of? If your original source of inspiration was not made in period (for example, a costume from a movie), what are/were similar items that were made in period made out of? What are other items similar to your source of inspiration made out of? Were they made out of variety of materials/ingredients or were they all pretty much the same? For example, were carved wooden plates from your chosen time and place always made out of a particular kind of wood, or were they made in a variety of woods? Were court gowns from your time and place always made out of silk, or could they also be made out of linen or wool? Tell us what kinds of materials were used in period. If your entry is made out of lot of different elements be sure to list all the period materials/ingredients used.

List the materials or ingredients you used in the project: What is the entry made out of? For armor the answer might be 14 gauge stainless steal, snap rivets, brass trim pieces purchased from a particular merchant. For a recipe the answer is all the ingredients you used to make the food or beverage. For pottery the answer is the kind of clay you used and the kind of glaze you used, if any. For a costume the answer is the kind(s) of fabric you used, the kind(s) of trim you used and any other notions you used.

Briefly explain why you chose any materials or ingredients that are different from those used in period: Did you choose cotton fabric because wool is too hot and too expensive? Did you choose to make your item blue instead of red like the period example because you like blue better? Did you choose to use stainless steel because we live in a very humid climate and you didn’t want your chainmail to rust? Did you make use a modern white gauche because real white lead is poisonous? Did you use brass instead of real gold because of the price? Did you use materials you had on hand because you didn’t want to spend a small fortune on an entry until you are better at your art or craft? Everyone makes decisions on what materials to use in their project – just tell your panel of judges what choices you made and why? By telling your judges why you chose the materials you did you let them know what was important to you when you made your material choices. They may know about other options that could be useful to you in future projects.

List the tools or equipment used by period artists/artisans in projects of this type: What tools or equipment were used by the people who made your source of inspiriation in period? If your original source of inspiration was not made in period, what tools or equipment were used to make items similar to your source of inspiration? What tools or equipment were used to make other items similar to your source of inspiration? For example, what tools did a period woodworker have available to use?

List the tools or equipment you used in creating this project: Did you use a dremel tool to do your carving? Did you do any of it with chisels and files? Did you use your modern (electric or gas) oven to cook your food? Did you use a blender or did you grind your ingredients with a mortar and pestle? Did you use a sewing machine? Did you do any hand-sewing? Did you make or buy a period needle and use that? By telling your panel of judges what tools you used you allow them to offer tips on developing your skill with those tools. Your judges can also suggest tools or equipment that you don’t have but would be useful to you and to recommend period alternatives to modern tools that you might be interested in obtaining and/or learning to use.

Briefly explain why you used tools or equipment that are different from those used in period: Did you use a sewing machine because a period tailor would have had his apprentices so all the simple straight seams? Did you use a modern oven because you don’t have a period brick oven to bake your bread in? Were you trying to save time? Are the period tools too expensive or difficult to obtain? Are the period tools dangerous? Tell us why you chose to use any tools or equipment that would not have been available to a period artist/artisan.

Describe how a period artist/artisan would have made this item: What steps did a period artist/artisan go through to create your source of inspiration? What steps did period artists/artisans go through to create similar items? Describe the process someone used in period to create an item like your entry.

Describe how you created this item: What did you do? List all the steps you went through. For example, if you made a pewter pendant you might say: “First I found several examples of cast pewter pendants and chose one I liked. Then I sketched the pendant on my piece of cuttlebone and carved the mold. Once the mold was finished I melted down the pewter over a butane burner and dipped the liquid pewter into the mold with an old steel spoon. When it was cool I broke the mold apart to get the pendant out and filed off the funky bits to clean it up. Then I strung it on a silk cord.“ Telling the panel of judges how you made your entry allows them to see what steps you might have missed that would improve your project, what steps or methods didn’t work well, and how you got your finished result. This means that they can suggest steps and/or methods that might work better, or give you tips on how to make some steps easier or more accurate.

Briefly explain why you did not create this item the way a period artist/artisan would have: This answer may be very similar to previous answers. If you did any steps differently from how a period artist/artisan would have done it, tell why you chose to do it differently. If a period tailor would have drafted their own clothing pattern to fit the person they were sewing for but you used a commercial pattern (or had someone one else help you draft a pattern) because you aren’t very good at drafting your own patterns yet, tell us that. If you did not distill your own alcohol to make your cordial because it’s illegal, tell us that.

List all the sources you consulted in creating this project (including books, journal or magazine articles, class handouts, web sites, photographs, etc): Where did you get your information for this project? If some of your information came from talking to someone you consider knowledgeable you should list them (i.e., “conversations with Master So-and-so”). If some of your information came from emails exchanged with someone you consider knowledgeable you should list those as well (i.e., “emails exchanged with Mistress Whosit”). List all the sources you consulted for inspiration or for information or advice on making the item. This allows your panel of judges to know what sources you have seen and what sources you haven’t seen. It’s very likely that there are a lot of very good sources available that you haven’t found yet. It’s possible that some of the sources you looked at aren’t considered “good” sources – your panel of judges can tell you which sources aren’t “good” and why, as well as which ones are “good”. If there’s an expert in your art or craft in the kingdom that you haven’t talked to your judges can get you into contact with them.

Do you have any questions about this project or future, similar, projects that you would like the panel of judges to answer for you?: This is your opportunity to ask specific questions and make sure those questions are answered. Even if you are present for the judging of your item, it’s not uncommon for entrants in Art/Sci to get nervous or caught up in moment and forget to ask the questions that they really wanted to have answered. The judges may answer your questions in the process of evaluating your item, but they might not. Writing down your questions ensures that your Art/Sci experience is as informative and useful as it can be.

You may have noticed that all of the questions on the Documentation Form help guide your panel of judges to give you the best feedback that they can. You aren’t asked to provide these answers in your documentation because the judges are nosy, or because they are looking for reasons to criticize you or your work. Good documentation, at every level of entry, lets the judges know what you know about your art or craft, what you do well, and what help and advice might be most useful to you.

As a Journeyman you are expected to do more research for your projects than a Novice. Many of the questions we ask you to answer must be looked up in books, journal articles and other sources of information. Ideally you will look up the answers to these questions while you are still in the planning stages of your project. If you do, you will find that the answers you already found will help you choose the materials and tools you want to use, as well as helping you plan the steps you will need to take. Entries that are created after the basic research is done tend to score higher at Art/Sci than those that are done the other way around.