Laurel for Master Galfrid atte Grene

Presented at Ponte Alto Investiture, March 30th, A.S. LVIII (2024). 

This scroll is based on medieval brass effigies, often life sized carved brass images of a person set into the stone of a tomb or a church floor. Galfrid atte Grene studies and recreates the 14th Century and he runs the Effigies and Brasses website (and the Manuscript Miniatures website, which I have used extensively for scribal and garb research).

When I heard Galfrid would be getting a Laurel, the hightest arts and sciences award in the SCA, I JUMPED at the opportunity to make a scroll for him. His work is an inspiration and he is a friend. I was nervous about attempting an engraved brass scroll, a much less forgiving medium than I usually work with, but I was also really excited. I think it turned out well.

In Progress:

This was my first time designing a scroll in Procreate. Historically, I've worked in a combination of Microsoft PowerPoint and hand drafting. It was really fun and helpful to give digital drawing a go.

I started with uploading the inspiration piece into Procreate and adjusting the size of the canvas to fit my brass sheet (6"x12"). I then used layers to draw the various elements of the design on top of the inspiration image. I used Galfrid's own armor (that he made himself!) to base the clothing on the design off of. 

I experimented with the design until I was satisfied, getting much better at using Procreate along the way. Layers were so helpful as I tinkered with different ideas and workshopped. 

I even used Procreate to make a ductus (an alphabet of letters used in the hand). The inspiration for this piece is a rubbing of a brass or stone effigy and the letters aren't all terribly clear. So I pulled all the text into it's own file, captured and enlarged as many letters as I could find in the alphabet, and then traced over them to make clearly shaped letters for my use. 

About 10 hours into this process, I realized I didn't have a way to get my carefully made design onto my brass plate. I did a bunch of research on carbon copy paper, the use of Circuit cutters, and even considered laser engraving. A coworker actually reminded me of the technique I eventually used, one we were both familiar with from elementary school: tracing from an overhead projector. 

I borrowed a much more modern projecting device from my friend and fellow scribe, Meisterin Kolfinna, and set to work with a sharpie. 

With the scroll drafted, I had some additional experimenting to do: how to engrave this scroll. I had a hand-me-down set of hand gravers, a vintage power engraver, and a Dremel Stylo. While I really enjoyed the hand gravers, mine were not really sharp and the sharpening process alone would have taken me a month to figure out. Using them also would have also been more prone to an accidental slip, something I did not have time for. Eventually, I decided the Dremel was my best tool and a bit more experimentation the Dremel 105 Engraving Cutter, 1/8" Shank as my best bit.

Bending around the light source to trace the scroll wasn't easy so I elected to hand draft the letters around the edges. Drafting and engraving the lettering was the hardest part of this project so I took it in stages, doing one side of lettering before taking a break and engraving the fun interior of the scroll. 

I also found that using a piece of wool felt under the work helped me turn it easily, avoid scratching the back, and dampen the vibrations from the Dremel through the piece. 

With the scroll nearly finished, I needed to figure out how I was going to mount it. I briefly considered mounting the brass to a stone tile but reconsidered when I hefted one in the home improvement store. I did want Galfrid to be able to hang it! I found a convincing stone-look laminate tile instead and chose to use that as my "mat" inside a frame. 

I knew that some brasses were secured into the stone they were mounted to by pins and I had some brass nails that were the right size for the job. So I tested out pinning through the materials and bending the nail over. As I feared, I couldn't get the nail to bend flat against the backing. 

After talking to two people from my local group, Aurelio Vitrisoni, a gem cutter and jeweler, and Nicolo Santorio, who's a jack of all trades but most recently made my Laureling book, I tried cutting the nail off and peening the end to secure it, but my brass was too hard and didn't really flatten out well. I also tried a bookbinding technique that involved chiseling a channel before bending the nail into it. This definitely got the bend flatter, but still not enough to frame. In the end, I think my backing material was too soft to really cut a strong 90deg bend. 

The final solution was a modern compromise. I cut the nails short into little pins, scuffed the back of the artwork, and used e6000 to glue the work to the matt and the pins in place. 

I never thought my scribal work would require so many tools!

Finished Scroll:

I am absolutely tickled with how well this scroll came out. Working in brass was nerve wracking but totally worth it in the end.