by Dianne Sutherland
| The History and Use of Vellum Traditionally vellum has been the surface of choice by both calligraphers and botanical painters. In the past this choice was determined by the fact that vellum can be preserved for much longer than work on paper. The Magna Carta and the Doomsday Book, along with the beautiful mediaeval illuminated manuscripts were produced on vellum or parchment, and are testament to its longevity. Working with vellum requires a considerable degree of skill, small scraps were often used by novice quill-handlers and for the spines of books, while large books required hundreds of skins. For the same reason vellum was the used by the travelling artists that accompanied the great plant explorers. Botanical master George Ehret (1708 -70) produced much of his work on calf skin vellum, which can be seen today at the V & A Museum and at Kew. Aside from the practical use, the appeal has to be the unique luminosity that sets vellum apart from watercolour on paper and this unique quality continues to attract botanical artists and the tradition continues. What is Vellum |
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This makes the fleece or hair fall out, and helps remove grease. It is then rinsed and any remaining hairs are removed with a knife before being stretched on a wooden frame. The next stage requires great care; removing the flesh from the pelt with a sharp rounded knife called a strickle. After being degreased with chalk, the skin is finally smoothed with fine sand or powdered limestone, then left to dry on the stretcher before being cut to size. In the UK, William Cowley’s, is the only remaining parchment and vellum maker and one of only three or four producers worldwide. Established in 1860, Cowley’s remains a family business that still supplies the parchment for Acts of Parliament which are preserved in this way for archival purposes. In 1999 this tradition was threatened, however MPs narrowly voted against ending this centuries old tradition, a surprise result which was greeted by loud cheers and waving of Order Papers. Cowley’s most recent claim to fame was the production of the marriage certificate for the Prince William and Kate Middleton. |
My first encounters with vellum Much can be learned from observing the work of other artists that work on vellum. I first became interested through the work of the late Scottish botanical artist Rory McEwen (1932-82), whose paintings can be seen in the Scottish National Gallery. There can be no doubt that McEwen’s work has greatly influenced a number of contemporary artists to maintain the tradition, including, Kate Nessler, Brigid Edwards, Celia Hegedus and Sarah Gould. John McEwen, Rory’s younger brother wrote: ‘The greatest change in Rory’s work in the
1960s was to discard paper for vellum.....No paper can match
the smoothness of its surface or lend such translucency and
richness to watercolour. Rory painted on it with the concentration
of a watchmaker, using a sheaf of the tiniest brushes, a sheet
of cartridge paper as a colour tester and a delicate pen knife
to scrape away errors. He painted from cut specimens lying them
alongside the board on which he stretched the skin as tight
as a drum.’
A few years ago, around 2007, I decided that I would like to give vellum a try but had no idea how to get started or where to obtain vellum. I contacted artist Kate Nessler, to ask her advice. She was most helpful and gave me the contact details of suppliers. She also informed me that the Hunt Institute of Botanical Documentation occasionally gift vellum in their care from the estate of Rory McEwen to their exhibiting artists that express an interest. Later that year I exhibited at the Hunt Institute’s 12th International and was fortunate enough to be gifted a large piece of vellum from the Rory McEwen’s vellum courtesy of the late curator, James White. |
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Preparation and technique I initially ordered some small pieces of Kelmscott vellum 5 x 7 inches in size. A piece this size costs in the region of £5.00. Each piece is unique in its delicate markings. Kelmscott vellum is already prepared with a chalk wash and although slightly more expensive than other vellum, I highly recommend it to the beginner. For small pieces of vellum it is sufficient to tape the vellum to a drawing board. Larger pieces, say above 18 x24 inches, which cost around £90 should be stretched on a wooden frame or board and stapled to ensure a taught working surface. For the more adventurous, a whole skin can be purchased for under £200, and pieces cut to suit.
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It is important to be well prepared with your drawing before starting work on the vellum, too much rubbing out marks the vellum (although these can be removed with pumice). I prepare a detailed drawing on paper and then trace it onto the vellum using the bare minimum of pencil lines. I would recommend a small single flower, leaf, berry or seed-head to start with. My very first piece was a small study of a single flower from a Digitalis purpurea. When applying the watercolour the vellum will buckle if it gets too wet and so great care has to be taken. A light wash of your preferred watercolour should be applied first, if too much paint is applied it sits on the non absorbent surface and dries in a small pool with thickened edges, efforts to add more paint will lift paint and cause the paint to become thickened and ugly in appearance. If this happens allow it to dry and gently rub away with the pumice. Other errors can be removed using a scalpel and the surface smoothed using pumice. Most colours are easily lifted but a few may stain. If you do happen to get the vellum too wet, minor buckling can sometimes be rectified if you let the vellum almost dry and cover with paper and flatten between heavy books - I normally leave it at least a couple of days, preferably more. |
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After the initial wash, the subsequent layers should be applied to the dry surface using a dry brush approach. If too much water is used the previous wash will start to lift. I always have a sheet of cartridge paper for colour testing and to make sure the brush is not too wet, I also keep an old rolled up tea towel or blotting paper at my side to dab the brush on. I use a very small brush for this, Windsor and Newton series 7 sable, size 00- 2. The miniature brushes are best, Da Vinci also make a very good size 2, 1525 as does Rosemary and Co. The dry brush technique is a stippling type technique that uses a tiny amount of water, in fact the brush is barely damp, and this allows the paint to stick to the surface. It is worth spending time practicing this technique using scraps of vellum by creating squares of even and graduated colour, some colours behave differently than others and dark coloured subjects are the most difficult. The detail, such as lines and spots on your subject should be applied last and excellent level of detail can be built up on vellum and fine hairs show up particularly well, as shown here on a painting of Pulsatilla vulgaris. |
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A word of warning about storage
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