Drawing I: Exploring techniques from the Middle Ages

Professor Don Martin had the opportunity to visit the Catholic Monastery on the St. John's University campus where he helped supervise the recreation of the St. John's Bible using traditional techniques from the Middle Ages. 

Martin brought what he learned back to Flagler and his Drawing I class got a chance to experiment with these traditional techniques using hand-carved quills made out of turkey feathers. He explained the process the feathers undergo in preparation to be made into quills and demonstrated the different nibs styles used to produce various lines.

The St. John's Bible will conveniently be on display in the Proctor Library for the next couple of months so that students have the opportunity to see professional calligraphic work rendered through the same traditional techniques they learned in class.

Martin explaining the anatomy of a carved quill

Aftermath from the demonstration on various nibs and their unique marks

and here are some students at work!