Winchester Bible Workshop - Materials & Preparation

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The following materials will be needed for the workshop. Some will be needed from the first session, while others will be introduced as we progress through the five weeks. Detailed recommendations and purchase links are provided in the sections below.

You are welcome to choose materials to suit your budget. Traditional materials and more affordable alternatives can both be used successfully.

If you are working on vellum, I recommend purchasing my mounted vellum. This will arrive ready to work on. If you choose to purchase unmounted vellum, you will need to mount it onto greyboard (3mm) yourself before the first session, as vellum mounting is not covered in this workshop.

• Vellum or paper 
• Grey board (3mm), stapler & craft knife/scalpel (if using unmounted vellum) 
• Masking tape 
• Ruler 
• Tracing paper 
• Carbon paper 
• HB or mechanical pencil 
• Small round brushes 
• Paint palette 
• Water jar 
• Ink or walnut ink 
• Gold materials 
• Paints/pigments

You can choose to work on either handmade calfskin vellum or a smooth, hot-pressed watercolour paper. Both options can be used successfully for the workshop.

Paper:

• A4 hot press (smooth) watercolour paper  - 300gsm, preferably cut to 15 x 15 cm

Vellum:

I will be working on vellum during the workshop, and it provides the closest experience to the traditional surface used for medieval illuminated manuscripts.

•  Vellum  - 15 x 15 cm (mounted option recommended)

If you purchase vellum from my website, I recommend choosing the mounted option. This will arrive ready to work on. If you choose unmounted vellum, you will need to mount it onto a suitable board before the first session, as mounting vellum is not covered during the workshop.

Please note: vellum can be made to order and may require additional preparation time. If choosing this option, please place your order well in advance of the workshop.

Working on paper is also absolutely suitable for the workshop, so vellum is not essential.

The painting contains larger areas of gold as well as fine gold details. You will need to choose one option for the main areas of gold, while shell gold or gold paint can be used for the finer details. 

For the main area of gold - Choose one:

• Genuine gold leaf - x2 books of 10 leaves for traditional gilding 
• Gold paint - a more accessible alternative to genuine gold leaf

If using genuine gold leaf, you will also need:

• Gum ammoniac  - for adhering the gold 
• Soft gilding brush or soft make-up brush - for removing excess gold

For fine gold details:

• Hand-ground 23.75ct shell gold  - ideal for fine details

Shell gold is not intended to replace the gold leaf or gold paint used for the larger gilded areas.

My recommendation: For the closest experience to traditional medieval illumination, I recommend using genuine gold leaf for the larger gilded areas, with shell gold for the finer details. If you would prefer a more accessible option, gold paint can be used instead.

For those who would like to work with the same materials as me, here is a list of the materials I will be using throughout the workshop.

Surface

*If you’re working with gold paint rather than leaf, you’ll simply pause and watch while I gild during the session. The painting steps will still align perfectly, and you can continue as normal once the gilding demonstration is complete.

Surface

• Handmade calfskin vellum (mounted)

Drawing & preparation

• Walnut ink 
• Mechanical pencil 
• Carbon paper 
• Tracing paper 
• Masking tape
• Ruler

Paints & pigments

• Handmade Cobalt Pigment
• Zinc White Gouache
• Lamp Black Gouache
• Ultramarine Gouache
• Indigo Gouache 
• Alizarin Crimson Gouache
• Vermilion Gouache
• Yellow Ochre Gouache
• Cadmium-free Lemon Gouache
• Winsor Green Gouache
• Vandyke Brown Gouache
• Cadmium Red Watercolour

Gold

• 23ct gold leaf 
• Handmade 23.75ct shell gold 
• Gum ammoniac 
• Soft gilding brush
• Plastic pot (Collecting loose gold)

Brushes & tools

• Pro Arte, prolene, synthetic brush Series 10: Size 4/0 + Size 2
• x1 old brush (for mixing)
• x4 palette's
• Water jar 
• Kitchen role
• x1 sheet of paper

You do not need to purchase every material listed here. The Essential Materials and individual sections above explain what you will need for the workshop and provide recommended alternatives.