I wanted to create a mock-scroll to practice my skills. I decided on a bar-and-ivy style, and wanted to practice using a blackletter hand. The subject of the scroll itself is a bit of an inside joke with my brother, who is known for his avid posting of Star Wars prequel memes.
I first laid out the basic shape of the scroll on sketchbook paper. It tooks several tries to get a layout I was happy with and to work up a passable hand. I've been painting for years, but I really am a calligraphy baby. I used a brown ink and a red ink for the rubrication. I learned my lesson about thoroughly cleaning my pen nib between colors!
After the text was laid out I sketched the design in pencil. It was tricky to find a balance with the figures between the flat, historical style of portraiture while still attempting to make them recognizably Anakin and Sheev.
Finally, time to paint! I kept the color palette simple. It likely would have looked better with gilding instead of gold gouache, but I'm not brave enough yet.
Finishing touches, some whitework, and a good clean outline to everything. I'm particularly happy with Sheev and Anakin, and the cute little battle droids! Roger roger!
I got a lot of wonderful tips for this project from reading the "Basic Manuscript Flora" document by Baroness Ekaterina Volkova. You can find the document on a google search, if you're interested in reading it!
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