Learn about vellum and how to paint on it

This page covers:
  • ​Vellum and Art - traditional and contemporary painting on vellum - including an overview of the techniques
  • What is vellum -  what it is, how it is sourced; how it is made 
  • Different types of vellum - and an explanation of their  names ​
  • How to paint on vellum including a summary of tips from experienced botanical artists
  • How to mount vellum - and relevant suppliers
  • Suppliers of vellum and pumice in the UK and USA
The processes described on this page for the production of both vellum and parchment are essentially the same. 
  • vellum is derived from the skin of calves - and historically has been used for paintings by a number of the past masters of botanical art (particularly Ehret and Redouté) and the more important illuminated manuscripts. 
  • parchment comes from the skin of sheep - is typically whiter and has been used for centuries for important legal documents, calligraphy and illuminated manuscripts.
Vellum - Originally, a translucent or opaque material produced from calfskin that had been soaked, limed and unhaired, and then dried at normal temperature under tension
NOTE: All vellum and calf production highlighted on this page is ethically responsible. ​It only uses the skins of animals who have died naturally or are generated as a by-product of meat production.
Picture
Rolls of vellum and parchment at William Cowleys - the last vellum and parchment maker in the UK
Banner image: Four tulips (Boter man, Joncker, Grote geplumaceerde, Voorwint) painted in watercolour on vellum by Jacob Marrel - a public domain image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Merian was the step-father of Maria Sibylla Merian and taught her how to paint on vellum.

Botanical Art on Vellum
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Vellum is far more durable than paper over time. 
​In the past - and the present - it has been used for legal and religious documents as well as for painting. The rationale is that the document needed to last for as long as the asset. Laws in the UK were also always written on parchment. 

In terms of art:
  • Vellum was used for all non-wall paintings prior to the production of canvas. 
  • Vellum was also used for illuminations in medieval manuscripts and books and was a common base for miniatures.
  • Botanical painters in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries - such as Marrel, Ehret, Merian, Robert, Aubriet and Redouté- typically used vellum for their paintings.
A lot of the artwork by Ehret and Merian that can be seen online is in the form of engravings of their paintings.

​However their original watercolour paintings were painted on vellum.  See also an image by Maria Sibylla Merian below - dated 1693.
Picture
Pancratium by Georg Dionysius Ehret Watercolor and gouache, with traces of black chalk on vellum (Sheet: 18 9/16 x 14 13/16 in. (47.2 x 37.6 cm). Collection: the Metropolitan Museum, New York

Contemporary botanical painting on vellum
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Painting on vellum has become increasingly popular in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
About 20% of the paintings in the first exhibition in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery in 2008 were on vellum supports (the rest were on paper or card and a very few on canvas). The discovery of such a high proportion of artists using vellum was intriguing. Why would they choose this difficult and expensive material instead of paper? 
​​The conservation of botanical illustrations on vellum: past, present and future
Rory McEwen revived the interest in vellum as a support for contemporary botanical painting. 

He routinely painted on vellum and it seems likely this is because he started his studies of botanical painting with the past masters who also painted on vellum. 

For example, he studied the techniques used by Redouté when he had the chance to view the two portfolios of 52 original watercolour paintings on vellum acquired by his brother in law Lord  Hesketh. This turned into a long-standing commission to paint roses for Lord Hesketh.
On his death, his Estate gifted the unused supplies of vellum owned by McEwen to The Hunt Institute of Botanical Documentation. In turn, these sheets of vellum are now gifted by the Hunt to talented botanical artists who are interested in working on vellum. Artists who have received McEwen Vellum include: Bobbi Angell, Susannah Blaxill. Jenny Braiser, Richard Carroll, Patricia Dale, Rosalia Demonte, Elisabeth Dowle, Jean Emmons, Linda Funk, Yvonne Hammon, Mieko Ishikawa, Katherine Manisco, Kate nessler, Jenny Phillips, Pamela Stagg, Jessica Tcheripine and Carol Woodin.

I've seen some simply stunning contemporary botanical paintings painted on Rory McEwen vellum!
Picture
Crop of Fritillaria Caucasicaa (1981) - one of the last paintings by Rory McEwen
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Catalogue of the 2016 exhibition by Brigid Edwards of her new paintings on vellum
Encouraged by (McEwen's) example, a new generation discovered the qualities of vellum: smoothness, luminosity, glow, depth, ivory or cream colour, are all remarked on; ‘like painting on butter’ said one of the artists interviewed, ‘the brush just flies’, said another. The translucency of watercolour pigment against vellum, creating the luminous quality of flowers, is therefore a major factor in the choice of support.
The conservation of botanical illustrations on vellum: past, present and future
Vellum is the perfect material for exploring the surface topography of plants. I often stretch it on board, and its response to watercolor and light can’t be found in any other material. Each piece is unique, and its warmth and modulation of color combine perfectly with the rendering of plant life.
Carol Woodin
Other contemporary botanical painters on vellum include:
UK Ireland USA Australia
REFERENCES
Botanical Painting on Vellum is now taught in a variety of ways.
You can find it as a module on some Diploma Courses and in some online / distance learning Courses plus of course short workshops and classes (see Education section). A number of the artists identified above (identified *) teach painting on vellum.

Below Sarah Morrish illustrates an overview of the various stages and techniques used when painting on vellum in a teaching video she prepared and used used for a course about painting on vellum.

What is vellum?
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Picture
Vellum is derived from the stretched skins of calves (Visit to Cowley's 16.03.18)
​This guide focuses on vellum made from skin.
​The word vellum is derived from the Latin vitulus (calf), and its diminutive vitellus.

Vellum can be defined two ways:
  1. TRADITIONAL (Skin) - Genuine vellum is a smooth and durable surface traditionally made from the hairless skin of very young calves or a calf foetus. 
  2. CONTEMPORARY (Paper) - Vellum is a term used by paper manufacturers to describe the surface of a PAPER (i.e. not skin). Modern "paper vellum" is synthesized from vegetable matter and is used for fine art paper, plans, technical drawings, and blueprints. 
...parchment in general refers to any type of animal skin turned into a paper-like material from physical action, including the removal of extraneous flesh, fat, and hair......
Here’s a simple formula: All vellum is parchment, but not all parchment is vellum.
Pergamena

How is vellum sourced?
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Vellum as a generic term is a surface derived from the skin of a calf.  

IMPORTANT points to note are:
  • No animals die to produce vellum.
  • Skins are typically sourced by ethical manufacturers from farms where livestock has been reared for wool, milk or meat.
  • ​Skins would otherwise be disposed of as waste products.
​
Picture
Skins at an early stage of processing. Photo of vellum at Cowley's by Sarah Morrish

How is vellum made?
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This video is about a visit by the BBC to William Cowley & Sons and an explanation of how parchment is made.

It demonstrates
  • how skins are selected and kept in salt preserve,
  • lime washed to remove the hair on the outer skin,
  • how the skin is stretched and knives used to remove any tissue (fat etc) on the meat side;
  • how skins are stretched to dry in a warm environment.

​Vellum is essentially made in the same way.

Types of natural vellum
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There are a variety of names for vellum - and these can vary between different places. Confusion over names goes back a long way.
That stouffe that we wrytte upon, and is made of beestis skynnes, is somtyme called parchement, somtyme velem, somtyme abortyve, somtyme membraan.
Vulgaria (1519) William Horman
The word Vellum dates back to the 15th Century. The Old French "velin" means from velin of a calf, from veel (veal)
Processed rolls of vellum and parchment
Processed rolls of vellum and parchment - each is individual and each has a unique DNA Photographed at William Cowley & Sons by Sarah Morrish
Below are the descriptions of different types of Vellum and Parchment. Each has its own unique characteristics.
  • ​Calf vellum is thicker and less translucent than parchment. The skin tends to be creamy and may have veins. It needs to be degreased using a very fine pumice in a fine mesh cloth prior to painting.​
  • Calfskin manuscript vellum - this type of vellum is typically prepared on both sides to make it suitable for use in books or any use where you want to paint on both sides. There are four grades of skins - from 1 - 4 - with 1 being fine (favoured by botanical painters and 4 being the coarsest.
  • Classic vellum is only bleached and prepared on one side. 
  • Natural vellum is not bleached and does not have a chalk wash surface. It is prepared on one side only. Consequently it is a natural (warmer, browner)  colour and also more transparent and slightly more shiny. You can also see the different characteristics of the skin of the animal eg venation. No two skins are absolutely alike.​
  • "Slunk" refers to the skin of an unborn, stillborn or prematurely born calf. The surface is very fine, lacks the flaws found in older calves and is translucent. Requires little or no preparation.
  • Kelmscott Finest Vellum - the name given to vellum prepared by William Cowley & Sons in the UK where the vellum surface is prepared with a specialist organic coating. It's made from the calf skin (or goat skin) and is prepared with a special plaster of paris surface wash to give a very smooth surface for painting or calligraphy - eliminating the markings on the skin. This makes it the heaviest of all the vellums. The coating also adds depth but does not diminish the luminosity of colour. Erasure is done via scraping the surface.
  • Goatskin vellum - the grain structure is more marked in this skin.
  • ​Parchment - for writing purposes - is traditionally derived from the skins of other animals - usually sheep or goat. 
REFERENCES:

A video about vellum

A BBC Countryfile Video featuring Anita Rani and Gail Sellwood (Vice President of the Society of Botanical Artists). It includes a visit to William Cowley & Sons in Buckinghamshire - the only supplier of Vellum left in the UK
Picture
Study of Capers, Gorse, and a Beetle (1693) by Maria Sibylla Merian. Watercolor, white gouache, on vellum (sheet: 14 x 10 5/16 in. (35.5 x 26.2 cm) Collection: the Metropolitan Museum, New York
Three of the images of art on this page are from the Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
​Each image is linked to the page on the website which tells you more about the individual painting.
To find out more about Maria Sibylla Merian see her page in the History section of this website

​How to paint on Vellum - Including how to prepare vellum for painting

(see below) Today vellum is still used by both miniaturists and botanical artists who are painting in a very precise way - typically working with 'dry' watercolour using a stippling technique or very small strokes
The references (see below) give explanations about :
  • the nature of vellum and how it behaves
  • what it is like to paint on
  • how to prepare it for painting by using fine grade pumice to degrease and remove marks from vellum 
  • how to mount vellum on card or board
  • how to paint on vellum (see a summary of tips below)

Summary of Tips for Painting on Vellum
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The following tips have been derived from reading every source I can find - online and off - about painting on vellum. See the end of this section for references to specific articles which include useful tips. As you might expect many repeat the same tips!
"If you've never painted on vellum before always start with Kelmscott."
Dianne Sutherland
Thickness of the surface
  • The thickness varies depending on which part of the skin is used. Skins are thicker along the spine and around the haunches and the neck. They're much thinner where they covered the ribs. Depending on how your skin has been cut it might include both think and thin skin. This is less of an issue for small works but is a factor which must be taken into account for larger works.
  • The thinnest vellum is Slunk - but it's still very strong when compared to paper

Sensitivity to humidity
  • vellum is very sensitive to environmental humidity levels - this can mean painting when humidity levels are low or painting in an air-conditioned environment

Colour of surface
  • Very much a personal choice - do study the pictures of different kinds of vellum before you order your first vellum. You can also get samples from Cowleys.
  • Natural vellum has a creamier surface and Kelmscott has a whiter surface. 
Because of the nature of animal skin, parchment and vellum objects have acutely hygroscopic properties and are liable, even over a very short period of time, to unevenly change shape in all dimensions. 
Victoria and Albert Museum
How to stop distortion and bending
  • It's a skin - and it's not used to lying flat!
  • ​It has a natural tendency to bend and you need to counteract this. Thick vellum which has been rolled is going to need a lot of work to unbend the roll. 
  • Moisture helps to promote bending so avoid keeping vellum in any area where humidity is high.
  • Pergamena recommend keeping skins gently rolled up (head to tail - along the spine) in a stable @ 55% humidity environment. Then unroll and roll the other way before use.
  • Do NOT use heat to press flat.
How to paint without distortion
  • Work small and keep it flat by placing under a heavy object (eg a book) when not working on it
  • buy vellum pre-stretched and mounted on supports. This is more expensive but eliminates concerns about distortion
  • Make vellum and parchment flat by mounting on a board to work - or more permanently ​. You can stretch the skin and mount it yourself (requires a lot of skill and is NOT for beginners) - see instructions (next)
  • work in harmony with the natural distortions in colour and natural skin; integrate these into compositions
Mount on a board
  • Use tape to stabilise the vellum as it can tend to bend with moisture in their air.
  • Tape the vellum to a more stable surface - such as card - prior to painting proper. This makes is easier to paint. Use a white card as you'll be able to see the colour of any support used through the skin and anything coloured may distort your view of the paint colours used.
  • You can actually stretch and mount vellum to a more rigid surface prior to painting. This tends to need an expert.
  • Materials used for mounting - boards, hinges, glues etc - need to be archival (i.e. non-acidic)

See technical REFERENCE section below
Picture
A Flowering Cactus: Heliocereus Speciosus by Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759-1840) Watercolor on vellum, Framed- 27 5/8 x 22 1/2 x 3 1/4 in. (70.17 x 57.15 x 8.26 cm) LACMA Collection
Preparation
  • Any oil transferred to the surface will resist paint. Use a pounce pad to remove all oil and grease.
  • Make your own pounce pad using pounce or fine grade pumice (grade FFFF) in muslin / stockings or a 'footsie' in a circular motion to clean the surface and remove any sign of hair follicles, grease or marks
  • Also make sure you have removed all oil from your hands and forearms. Do NOT use hand cream prior to starting to paint! 
  • (see "Pumice" section below for explanation and retail and online suppliers) 
How to make a surface smooth again
  • Use pumice to resurface any vellum surface where there has been erasing. 
  • You can restore Kelmscott Vellum (vellum with a very smooth plaster of paris surface finish) by (1) scraping any marks off using the point of a scalpel or sharp knife and (2) smoothing the surface using an agate or bone folder 
Sarah Morrish paints a sequence of Samaras on vellum using watercolour and a Rosemary & Co Brush No.2
What Elizabeth Smith learned about painting on vellum in a workshop with Carol Woodin
Which side to work on
  • Work on the hair side. This is generally smoother
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Drawing
  • Keep under-drawing in graphite to a minimum because it is difficult to erase it from vellum cleanly
  • Fine mechanical pencil leads tend to create the best result.
  • Use a small brush and a lightbox to outline in a pale paint​​​
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Painting
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This is NOT like painting on paper.  
  • Colours can glow on vellum and appear much more staurated than when the same paint is used on watercolour paper.
  • Vellum is not porous like paper - so water (and paint) sits on top of the vellum.
  • MINIMISE the use of water as this causes the vellum to cockle and lifts any paint already on the surface.
Painting techniques which do NOT work on vellum include: 
  • applying washes,
  • working wet-on-wet and
  • lifting off areas of colour with a brush and water to create highlights - however this works extremely well if you want to erase a whole area of paint back to the skin.​
​
What to do about mistakes
  • It's relatively easy to erase on Kelmscott because you can scrape the surface back to produce a clean surface
  • You can also use clean water to lift off the paint already applied - and get back to a clean surface! See the video below for a practical example of Shevaun Doherty demonstrating how to do this.
Techniques which work better include....
  • Work slowly and use patience and finesse
  • Use a brush that is damp rather than wet to paint using watercolour.
  • Use stippling and hatching rather than a wash.  If you push the paint around you will only lift any paint already on the surface. 
  • It's safer to paint around veins and highlights rather than lifting them out
  • Use staining pigments with great care as they will tend to sink into the skin and stain it - even when removed.
  • Use brushes for miniature painting to dot and dab - they reduce the scope for a brush to be too wet
Picture
Pierre-Joseph Redouté, Still Life with Roses and Anemone, 1832. Watercolor on Vellum

Mounting Vellum
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How to mount and frame vellum

Things you need to know:
  • the skin will not stay flat unless mounted to a solid support which will not bend
  • the skin will not stay flat if high levels of moisture and humidity in the atmosphere can penetrate the mount / support / frame
  • hinging tape used for mounting must be good quality and very reliable but might not be strong enough for the vellum curl
​
More experienced vellum painters have developed different methods for mounting and framing vellum
  • ​the support must be flat and dimensionally stable. Hence ensure that the support is structurally stable and cannot warp - particularly for larger pieces
  • Use an acid-free support (ie all the acidic tannins and lignins have been removed). Anything labelled suitable for archival or conservation by a reputable supplier should be OK.
  • the method used for attaching the skin to the support depends on how the work will be displayed (eg will edges be on show or hidden behind a mat or a slip moulding).
How to mount vellum for display
Specialists in Mounting Vellum
Museum Board
Various manufacturers produce museum boards - but you need to be careful of how they are made.
Conservation Adhesives

REFERENCES

Below are LINKS to articles, web pages and blog posts by those used to dealing with vellum
Museums and conservators
  • ​Analysis and Treatment Using a Video Microscopy System - Initial examination showed that the vellum had partially lifted from the oak board (Figure 3). Closer scrutiny revealed cracks and fissures across the entire surface of the painting. In many areas pigment had completely detached from the vellum support, and some parts of the painting were severely damaged
Practising botanical artists and tutors
There's no exclusivity to 'painting on vellum' - after all artists have been doing it for centuries.

However a lot of contemporary practice has been relearned along the way - and some of it has been generously shared with others.

​Which is not to say you wouldn't benefit more by taking some lessons with those experienced in painting on vellum!

Dianne Sutherland | Teaching website

The artist who has been most generous in sharing information and practices for painting on vellum is, without a doubt, Dianne Sutherland - and I very much recommend subscribing to her blog. 
  • HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - Notes on Painting Watercolour on Vellum (website under reconstruction)- by Dianne Sutherland. Includes notes on history of vellum, different types, preparation and how to paint on vellum. (I suspect this now forms part of her educational materials for students on her 'Botanical Painting on Vellum' course)
  • Dianne Sutherland: Painting on Vellum A blog post providing a comparison of Kelmscott and Natural Vellum. Plus tips on how to prepare it prior to painting
  • Day 13 and 14 Sidetracked by Vellum  by Dianne Sutherland focuses on mounting vellum prior to painting
Carol Woodin ​
Kate Nessler
Denise Walser-Kolar | Workshops listed on website
  • Painting on Vellum - a detailed explanation of her personal approach with an exercise for those new to the surface

Shevaun Doherty
  • V is for Vellum - Shevaun Doherty (the new SBA tutor on painting on vellum) reviews the different kinds of Vellum
  • Seeking balance - a well illustrated step by step demonstration of painting on vellum by Shevaun Doherty

Karen Klugheim
Janine Walky

Suppliers of Vellum
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Picture
Four Tulips: Boter man (Butter Man), Joncker (Nobleman), Grote geplumaceerde (The Great Plumed One), and Voorwint (With the Wind) (ca. 1635–45) by Jacob Marrel. watercolor on vellum (sheet (c.): 13 3/8 x 17 11/16 in. (34 x 44.9 cm) Collection The Metropolitan Museum. Do read the narrative on the page about the image! (link embedded in image)
UK Manufacturer / Supplier

William Cowley is the main supplier of Vellum (and Parchment) in the UK and the the only commercial manufacturer of genuine Goatskin Vellum in the UK. They adopt an ethical approach to the the sourcing of raw materials and use environmentally sound production methods.

Based in Newport Pagnell, Cowleys can be contacted - quotes can be given and orders placed - via telephone or email (details on the website).

​Available products include: Ethical sourcing of raw materials | William Cowley
William Cowley strongly believe in environmentally sound business practices, including an ethical approach to sourcing raw materials and using 
UK Retailers

In practice suppliers buy their vellum from Cowleys. However if you don't want Kelmscott and prefer to select vellum personally you may prefer to deal with a retailer you can visit more easily.

Suppliers include
  • L. Cornelissen & Son - (shop near British Museum in London) . Stocks Goatskin, Calf, Slunk and Kelmscott vellum. A very reputable art materials supplier based in London. (Their shop is a joy to visit!)
  • Shepherds - (shop near Victoria Station in London). Stocks vellum papers from Pergamena. They also stock full skins from Brazil.
  • Polymers Plus - (Based in Poole). Supplies vellum as a base for miniatures in standard sheets of 7" x 5"
USA Suppliers

Talas is based in Brooklyn and their website has a shopping cart, It provides supplies and services to bookbinders and conservators in the main. They supply vellum from:
  • Cowley's - a useful summary description and images of the seven different types of calfskin vellum supplied by Cowley's
  • Israel
  • South America​
Pergamena, based in Montgomery NY, is a producer and supplier of parchment - which they describe as including vellum. They provide 2 day workshops in the production of vellum.
DO NOT BE MISLED by Paper Manufacturers who refer to their paper as "vellum". If it's paper it's not vellum - within the context of the subject on this page.

Suppliers of Pumice
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Pumice Powder on a shelf in L. Cornelissen & Son
Pumice Powder on a shelf in L. Cornelissen & Son
Very fine grade "Pounce" (pumice powder and cuttlefish) or Pumice alone 60n/240 mesh is necessary for degreasing vellum in order to prepare it prior to painting.  

You can apply it using a small amount inside a muslin sack or make one for yourself out of a pop sock or stocking.

The amount of pumice released is dictated by how fine jade the pumice is and what denier the stocking (or tights) are.  The aim is to prepare the surface without causing any marks on it.
The various grades of pumice are defined as follows (and their typical uses are define in brackets). The mesh size relates to how many openings there are in one inch of a mesh sieve and measures the size of the largest particle.
  • Extra Coarse, 36 Mesh
  • Coarse, 1/0N grade / 60 Mesh Used for Dental Polishing and as Cosmetic Exfoliant)
  • Medium 2/0N grade / 90 Mesh (Used for Dental Polishing and as Cosmetic Exfoliant)
  • Fine 3/0N grade / 120 Mesh Used for Dental Polishing)
  • Superfine FF grade / 240 Mesh (Used for French and Metal Polishing)
  • Superfine FFF grade / 360 Mesh (Used for French and Metal Polishing)
  • Superfine FFFF grade / 360/90% Mesh (Used for French and Metal Polishing)
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UK Suppliers
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Also available online via Amazon UK
USA Suppliers
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Also available online via Amazon.com
Used for scrubbing, cleaning or polishing. Intended for use with hand buffs, brushes, felts and wood laps.