Joan of Arc by Randy Asplund

The Life of Jeanne d'Arc
(Saint Joan of Arc)

www.RandyAsplund.com Randy@RandyAsplund.com

(734) 663-0954 2101 S. Circle Dr. Ann Arbor, MI 48103

Booking jobs now for Fall, 2006!

This 3 inch high miniature book about the life of Jeanne D'Arc was made for a private client, and was presented at the September 10, 2006 Annual Conclave of the International Miniature Book Society in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is made with authentic 15th century tools, materials, and methods. I bound the book between beechwood boards covered in blue leather, complete with gilding, clasps, and bosses.

Hearing The Voices

Folio 2r

Goatskin, 23k gold leaf, 22.75k shell gold, oak gall ink, madder lake, elderberry juice, woad, malachite, white lead, lamp black, hematite, red ochre, vermilion, minium, and iris green.

This picture is of the drawing stage. The picture was drawn using a lead/tin metalpoint stylus, then inked with a quill using dilute oak gall ink. The metalpoint lines were then erased by rubbing with bread. As you can see, with minor changes, the final painting follows the original drawing quite closely.

This is a typical text page from the interior of the book. Each chapter starts with a decorated initial. The borders sprouting from the initials are acanthus, while the remaining borders are varied flower and leaf designs.

An illuminated bifolia of the book. Jeanne recognizes the true Dauphin.

This is the book being sewn onto white leather supports with linen thread using an integral sewing pattern.

The thongs supporting the text block are to be laced through piercings and channels cut into the quarter sawn beech wood boards.

After board attachment the channels bearing the thong ends are gessoed over to create a smooth surface. Notice the pegs securing the ends of the thongs.

The pages must be trimmed flat. In the midle ages a drawknife was used, not the tool known as a plow.

After attaching the wet leather cover to the spine with wheat paste the book is tied up to set the creases delineating the raised bands of the sewing supports.

The book is finished with a coat of arms made of gold tooled vellum, bosses on the back, and a clasp consisting of a armored arm reaching around and grasping a miniature sword that sits in a vellum scabbard. The sword has a bone handle, and the sword tang passes through the handle and pommel to be peened over, just like a real sword.

To learn more about medieval book illustration techniques, please visit the links below.

Making Medieval Paintings
Articles about making illuminations, pictures of tools, and more

Making the book
Ecclesiastes
A page about making a real medieval book with all authentic materials and techniques.

Illustration Portfolio (Art Directors click here)

The Store

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Teaching:

Randy is available for lectures and demos on the technology of making medieval books and on the subject of
medieval knights