Symonne de la Croix

Cochineal experiments  By Symonne de la Croix 1.2.20 Tried to make a Carmine Lake with Cochineal without success.  I got my ingredients together : https://sunsikell.wordpress.com/2011/01/10/how-to-make-a-lake-pigment/ Ground the Cochineal to a powder: Prepared Alum and cream of tartar by addingto boiled water. Then adding the crushed Cochoneal which I then simmered for an hour. The next step was to mix up the sodium carbonate with hot demineralised water then add to alum/Cochineal mix. This was supposed to start frothing immediately but nothing happened. Not even a bubble. It did change to a purple colour.  From discussions on fb my mix was perhaps too acidic, or someone suggested maybe not enough alum.  I wonder about that as the colour became quite purple which is usually a sign of a lot of alum. Disappointed but going to try again.  More Experimenting.... With the unsuccessful dye I decided to experiment with still trying t

                    DRAGONS BLOOD FAIL                    By Symonne de la Croix                                    29.1.20 Decided to try and make Dragons Blood paint from the resin.  All good in theory but it turned out to be fake. I believe the supplier used an incense type of oil from perhaps the real thing and poured it over a cheap clear resin.  Buyer beware. The link is to my Google docs journey of the process. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WAZH29Ku-zy6Jp7PxD4VTPYFH18198V4WRuP4kYGJNE/edit?usp=drivesdk Now where can I get some of the Genuine stuff........

T'OROS ROSLIN GOSPELS Inspiration Manuscript By Lady Symonne de la Croix 27.1.20  Recently I posted of my Kingdom A&S win at 12th night in Mordonvale. Someone suggested I put up a couple of blogs about it so here goes. I wanted to try egg tempera on a rabbitskin glue gessoed box.  And I was looking for a way to incomparate it to fit with the Kingdom competition. I decided to use a Russian manuscript  (to fit the theme: Eastern Europe.  It is a beautiful and intricate image that I broke in pieces (not literally) and put on different parts of the box (front,top and sides). I found it interesting that the manuscript was still being used as a model book, 500yrs after its creation. Here is part of the information that I included in my documentation about the manuscript. T'OROS ROSLIN GOSPELS  This manuscript was made in 1262 by an extremely prominent illuminator, T'oros Roslin (Armenian, active 1256-1268),who extended the range o

                  VERDIGRIS BATH           By Lady Symonne de la Croix                            16.1.20 I decided to have a go at making some period pigmentsand have been researching and sourcing ingredients. I bought 99.9% copper as it was the purest form I could source that was malleable enough for my use. I cut the copper into manageable pieces with kitchen scissors then placed them onto a large clean glass Maconna Coffee jar. I poured about a cup of double strength vinegar into the jar  Then I labeled and dated the jar and put it in a safe place. I am looking forward to see the progress over the upcoming weeks. Symonne de la Croix 

                    Winning Entry                  Tempera and Gilded Box                By Lady Symonne de la Croix I decided to enter the Mordonvale 12th night Arts & Science competition 2020. I had been wanting to try EGG TEMPERA with PERIOD PIGMENTS on a MEDIEVAL RABBIT SKIN GLUE/WHITING GESSOED base for awhile and the competition gave me the motivation to try it. I also wanted to try other mediaeval techniques of WATER GILDING on Armenian bole, making 23 carat SHELL GOLD and making GLAIR which all worked well with this project. I chose to paint a wooden box as opposed to a wooden panel that would normally have been used in period. I chose a Russian manuscript from the T'ORIS ROSLIN GOSPELS (1262 Walters Mamuscrip W.539,fol 7v) to fit into the category : EASTERN EUROPE.  The PERIOD PIGMENTS I used were lead white (highly toxic), red ochre, malachtite, minium (highly toxic),vermillion, madder lake, verdigris, terre-verte. I also used a modern u

         DURER STYLE WOODCUTS          Lady Symonne de la Croix I  have been researching Durer woodcuts fir a little while but today I took the plunge and decided to try it. It was a little frustrating as bits chipped off where I didn't want them to plus it hurt my hand but I enjoyed the process. Might try to shellac the wood before carving next time. Or try a different wood.

            MY ART IS ON PEGASUS COVER                    by Lady Symonne de la Croix How exciting! My Persian Artwork was chosen to be on the Cover of the Society for Creative Anachronisms Magazine, PEGASUS. Very happy. I handmade the shell gold and hand mixed mostly period pigments for this work.