Please also visit my other website at:
Art For Sale - Saint Michael Miniature Pen and Ink Drawings
including:
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Our Lady of Guadalupe, stippled ink on genuine sheep skin, a (finished) Work In Progress |
As war escalates around the world, please remember each day to pray for Peace.
including:
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Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, Inc.
The Society of Tempera Painters
Marians Of The Immaculate Conception
Parchment and Vellum
Parchment and vellum were, and are today, made from animal skins. After quite an extensive tanning process, the skin is further refined to accept ink and pigments in (most commonly) a gum arabic binder. I will be posting more on the information of creating vellum or parchment, but in the meantime, below you will find scans of three types: goat, sheep, and calf skins.
These are fully refined and are ready to accept illumination or text. I purchase my supplies from Talas. On all animal hides, there is a smoother side and a rougher side, from either the interior or exterior of the skin. If finished correctly, both sides can be used, and they often were both used in medieval manuscripts that were in book form. Parchment, I have been told, refers to either sheep or goat skin while vellum refers to calf skin.
In addition to the information below, please click here for a page on dyeing parchment and paper with the traditional purple dye made from brazilwood.
Goat skin
Below is a scan of the texture of goat skin. This is actually the smoother side, and although it looks bumpy, it isn't. The markings are from the skin pores.
Sheep skin
The sheep skin is less marked with skin pores, and below is the smoother side.
Calf skin
Calf skin is usually what the "best" manuscripts were written on. I have been told that if I wanted to create a piece similar to an authentic medieval manuscript I would have to use calf. Calf skin is more expensive than either sheep or goat.
My scanner does not really show the velvety texture of the three skin types, but I think it shows how they vary in texture. Below is a scan with the three next to each other; from left to right, goat, sheep, calf. You will notice the calf skin is much more translucent.
For comparison, below are two modern papers that resemble parchment. On the left is vegetable parchment, and on the right is standard tracing paper.
