<<perhaps perfuming items so that they permanently smell a certain way>>

While player made perfumes would be interesting (and alchemy) they in no way could be made permanent with out the use of magic. If a scent was permanently attached to an item it would never be smelled since it need to get into the air. Oil and Alcohol are both volatile compounds used as a medium. The reason they are used in perfumes is that they are able to evaporate and transmit the scent molecules (also volatile compounds) to the air.

It could last for a time, but with out reapplication, would fade to nothing. Like how perfumes work in DR already.

Yamcer

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"You know, while I understand the importance of seeing the (personal) validity in other's arguments, it's impossible for me to believe fully that others are correct. If their argument was correct, I'd change mine." - My GF

>perfume rag chloroform.

my eyes are weeping.

I <3 Bleach. ~Sircha
MY Blue Naga http://dragcave.net/view/unW7
MY Pink Dragon is dying! http://dragcave.net/view/kd0t
MY Summer Dragon is growing up! http://dragcave.net/view/ZfhN
Unknown Egg?! http://dragcave.net/view/OlB6

Okay, let's try this again.

Why don't we add a special shop to the game. This shop would have bolts of cloth, all cloths all colors. Silk, velvet, brocade, fur, leather, canvas, flax, cotton, cashmere, wool.

General Crafting

An artist could cut the cloth and add it to a box, or sew into a pouch.
If they need more cloth, they either cut more and add it to the project or study a pattern and cut it.
As an artist works, the system from time to time will prompt the artist as for what's needed next.
Do you want to add a lining to the project? Yes or No?
Then the artist would cut the bolt for lining, and sew it in.
Do you want to add a strap to the project? Yes/No?
Then the artist would cut the bolt for a strap, they could then adjust the strap to determine how the pouch/item is going to be worn, once it's decided, the strap can be later adjusted/changed by a skilled artistan.

As an artist works on a project they can determine what features can be shown in the TAP and what features are not shown in the tap. It may take an artist some practice to figure out a method that works for him/herself.

Painting

As an artist can adjust what is seen on the tap of a particular item, they can choose to have just a tap of a painting showing. Each painting typically consists of the following three features. Border, background field, main subject portrait.

As light and dark colors are painted on, they offer sharp and stark contrasts giving many portraits ghastly, even grotesque appareances before the final portrait is finished. If a player wanted, they could keep a portrait of harsh, nearly nightmarish appearance and contrasts of painting work, and have it laquered into a final piece.

A painting intended to be Hodierna's unicorn wearing a wreath of roses proudly around it's neck in the sunlight might appear in grotesque form (before color is added) a stark nightmarish horse with a knobby bone protuding from it's forehead and a wreath of crushed bones around it's neck.

Further customization, might suggest a simple 'paint by numbers' option that allows the artist to choose the colors of each detail from the color and style of roses around a horses' neck to allow ultimate customisation.

In addition to this, an artist could add decorative borders such as flames, backgrounds from different areas, such as the ice ridges on Falachui Ikeme. Decorative borders such as flames, roses, could also be painted as single components with a border. For example one might consider a large flame-red rose painted in full splendor on the center of an instrument case, but an artist might also add a border to the description of many smaller briar roses surrounding the centerpiece with their own colors.

Paint Mixing & ink sticks

Allow people to mix their own paints together, but remember when you add two substances together you get more of the new color, because your adding color 1 + color 2 and that includes net weight as well. I imagine it might very difficult to program over 200 colors, but I think people really like variety, don't forget the 'colors' white, light gray, medium gray, dark gray, warm gray, and cool grays, and of course warm black, cool black. Most people perceive cool black as 'dark as night black' and most people perceive warm black as 'brown-black' cool grays contain a little bit more blue, warm grays contain a little bit more red, also don't forget the nice metallic inks you pearl bronze, pearl copper, pearl silver, and pearl gold, nor the brilliant (and expensive) gem inks from the medieval period which were created from grinding down gems into powder and adding accacia gum.

Inksticks

They didn't use pre-mixed ink in medieval times because it was too hard to seal a pot of ink and make it air-tight back then. So what they did instead was they would make ink sticks out of their ink. When they wanted to use the ink they would grind off a little bit of the inkstick into a seashell filled with a few drops of water, creating a watercolor pigment. This would involve finely ground ink powder, a bit of fine clay + tree pitch, and accacia gum. The ingredients are collected, rolled together, and then laid into small twig-sized bricks. They needed time to cure or oxidize often 6 months, for reference 1/6th the time it takes to properly cure/oxidize new soap. I don't know if it really needs to go that far, but I thought I would mention it. A few last notes, the finer you can make the ink dust, the higher quality the ink becomes.

Gesso and Hammered Leaf Gilding

Hammered Gilding is when you first draw out your pattern, then you lay on gesso which takes about 24 hours to properly dry. Gesso then needs to be re-energized often with a simple breath of air. Exhaling on it would reactivate the glue. Hammered Gilding can be done with copper and bronze but is much more likely to be seen only with gold, aluminum or silver. Now medieval times, pure silver would oxidize badly and it would quickly within a few years become black by all appearances you wouldn't know it was silver once upon a time. Hammered gold always maintains it's beautiful polished appearance as does Hammered aluminum which most modern day reenactors of medieval scribes use in place of silver. Hammered gold and silver is made from gold and silver leaf, which only comes from Italy, irl. It's often purchased in books of 50 to 100 from special vendors. Usually an artist marks a pattern upon the leaf and then carefully cuts it out, and later applies it upon the reactivated Gesso. One exhale is all you need. If you drop your leaf or mishandle it, it will disintigrate into fine golden or silvery dust that floats away on the wind, if your lucky you might be able to catch it, and transform it into pearl gold using the basic ink recipe provided. Then have to go back to your book and start drawing and cutting all over again. I've dropped three leafs in my time as a Medieval Scribe for the SCA.

Basic Ink Recipe

6 parts accacia gum
2 parts water
2 parts ink dust

mix, makes 10 parts ink

Basic Ink Stick Recipe

40 parts basic ink
7 parts tree pitch
3 parts air-dry clay

mix, kneed dough for 30 minutes, push into brick pans let dry 6 months.
Makes ink stick with 50 uses.


I <3 Bleach. ~Sircha
Bardic Academy Founder http://www.elanthipedia.com/wiki/Bardic_Academy

I'm thinking we'd be better off weaving the cloth from raw materials. Yep yep! At least I sure hope so.


Regards,

Sortny/Braunwen