Tell us about how you started using period materials. Did you take a class, teach yourself, or have someone else show you? What was the experience like?
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Capriol the Chaystest (Artemisia):
The only actually period thing I've tried is crafting a quill pen. I just read the how-to on it on this page. I figured it out myself not from having seen an actual quill pen, but from how I
know a pen should work. The only thing I really didn't do that the how-to described was to softenthe quill in water and harden it in sand. The pens I've made seem to work sufficently well for
my taking the notes of the shire meeting, but I'll have to try it the way the how-to suggests.
Eibhlin (AEthelmearc):
I was afraid to try raised gold leafing. I had been shown once, but didn't have a clue as to what the whole process was like. One day I just sat down, made up some gesso and jumped in head first. Putting the gold on really wasn't *that* different from flat leafing. Making the gesso was a real pain. I think I made every mistake possible....and people still said, "Ooohhhh". It didn't take me long to figure out what the problems were with the gesso and how to avoid or fix them. It really is easy once you have some confidence, but beware - you may never want to do flat leaf again and those tubes of gold paint may become relics. ;-)
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