The History of the Kingdom of The West
Scrolls

Painting the text with aluminum paint.

Photo and Contribution
by Tatiana Nikolaevna Tumanova

How Not To Hold a Pen (Or Brush)

"This is why my hand cramps; I had to rest after each line was lettered. Then go over it again and rest again. I cannot make my hand relax when doing calligraphy -- I know the death grip on the pen (or brush in this case) is not necessary but my hand persists in doing it. The aluminum paint was not easy to work with, and it was difficult getting an even appearance to the letters, where each letter was the same shade of "white". As with all metallic paints, at certain angles it looks like you've got good coverage because the light is refracting off the metal particles -- hold it at another angle and suddenly the background shows right through the paint and you can see that it's too transparent. Too much pigment and it becomes blobby, not enough pigment and not only is it transparent, the paint won't burnish.

"You REALLY have to like doing this a LOT ..." -- Tatiana Nikolaevna Tumanova

The West Kingdom History Website was created by and is maintained by Hirsch von Henford (mka Ken Mayer).