SCA specific scrolls

Award scrolls are created when the Royalty decide to acknowledge an individual and direct a scribe to make the piece. The King and Queen, Prince and Princess, or Baron and Baroness get in touch with the person in charge of handing out scroll assignments. This can be the Signet officer, Minister of Scrolls or head of a guild. In some cases the scribe gets the assignment directly from the Royalty. The information contained in an assignment varies, but the bare minimum is ...

• Who is receiving the award.
• What the award is.
• Why the person is getting the award.
• What event the scroll will be given out at.
• Who is giving the award.

Sometimes the assignment will contain specifics like, "His favorite color is blue" or, "She has a fondness for hummingbirds". Occasionally the blazon for a device makes it into the assignment.The scribe then decides what style of scroll it will be. Often the scroll is matched to the persona, but not always.

Then begins the real work.

Most award scrolls are created on acid free, hot press watercolor paper. This helps insure that the scroll will last for many years. Many different kinds of paints can be used. The most popular are gouaches (similar to watercolors), watercolors, and period pigments. The paints will fade over time. Some may actually change color completely. Where you display your scroll will affect it, so think carefully about it's placement. Direct sunlight will destroy a scroll in as little as a month.

In Ęthelmearc, all of the scrolls produced are original pieces of art. This is quite unusual in the SCA. Most kingdoms use preprints or copies of a layout for at least some awards. They are filled in with the appropriate, sometimes standard, wording and painted. This is because the demand for scrolls is higher than the limited number of scribes can produce. Ęthelmearc has been blessed with a wealth of talented scribes, therefore every recipient receives a unique scroll.

The amount of time it takes to create a scroll varies from a couple of hours to a month or more. That does not mean you have to devote your life to being a scribe. Assignments can be broken up much like the guilds of old. If you can not paint, but can do calligraphy, you could be directed to a person who can't write in anything but chicken scratch but can paint like Michelangelo. If you are not gifted at either, but beautiful words float from your lips, you could offer to compose the text. How do you know you can't do any of these things until you try them?

If you would like to find out more about the scribal arts contact any Signet officer, Minister of Scrolls, guild, scribe, or an Arts and Sciences officer. If you do not know any of these, feel free to e-mail me and I will put you in contact with someone who can help you get started.

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