scrolls and giant birds nests lol

[teamcool]

hi this may sound rather strange but does anybody know where i can get a blank medieval type scroll to write on or how i can make one. And where i can get like a giant birds nest type thing lol. ps im not insane its for a tv show we are producing at uni :p

[spudqueen]

Not sure if it's what you're looking for, but I remember at school 'ageing' paper in cold tea.

[ursula62]

Why not buy a roll of lining wallpaper and make it look like a scroll yourself? You can use tea as spudqueen suggests, or you could use a candle - I did this at school over 20 years ago, so it probably wouldn't be classed as safe these days!  Hold the lighted candle a few cm below the paper, near the edge, and move the candle slowly nearer to the paper until it starts to brown slightly. Make sure you don't let it catch fire!  If parts of the paper get too cooked, just crumble them off using your fingers once the paper has cooled down. This all adds to the aging effect.

Or if you want to buy one... you could try one of these sites:

http://www.compassionatexpression.com/Design-a-Scroll.htm

http://www.houserice.com/houserice/blansmalpaps.html

[teamcool]

cheers i will try and make some. any ideas about the giant birds nests lol

[cassimer]

Make a birds nest. Get lots of sticks from a convenient forest, attach much glue etc, and a few feathers for effect. Its quite easy to do (have made one myself....!)

[ursula62]

Depends how big you want the nest to be, but use a mould, e.g. a plastic washing up bowl. Cover the mould with cling film and then build the nest round the outside of the bowl, using twisted newspaper for the first layer of "twigs". . The clingfilm stops any glue sticking to the mould!

[callisto]

birds nest we did the  same thing as with the washingup bowl but used a upturned dustbin lid, as for the scroll artist parchment stained with coffee (darker color) then singed at edges and rolled onto baton wood or depending on how big a theatrical prop it is a rolling pin for larger scroll.

[acw]

What's the production?  Sounds very interesting!

[teamcool]

Its a medieval kids tv show in which the kids have to pass different challenges in order to challenge the castle master to win prizes (similar to nightmare but better). the scrolls are for the questions as it will look better than reading from cards or autocue, and the nests are for a game called 'dragons eggs' in which competitors have to steal dragons eggs from a nest defended by on of the castle masters minions.

[acw]

Oh hurrah!  I loved Knightmare - your show sounds great.  If you need any kids aged 22+ then give me a shout! :-D

[teamcool]

Haha sadly they've gotta be 9-12 but if anything changes then you've got the part :p

[flaming]

Camden Lock at the weekends is a nice outing.  A bloke called Ron has one of those glass lock-up shoplet type/stalls in The Stables Market, going up the slope next to the Horse Hospital.  He sells Chinese scrolls for �12.50 each, paper with the wood at each end.  The paper is thick,a sort of cream colour. You would have to paste the lines to read over the Chinese symbols though, as some are painted on. 

Lots of  home/gift places sell all sorts of baskets.  You could get a big 'dish' one crudely woven perhaps,which would give you the twig effect base, over which you could put your own bits of fake moss etc. The basket would make it more substantial.

[flaming]

Oh, that's Camden Lock Market,  The Stables Market bit having a main entrance to it (and nearest him) on the Chalk Farm Road, NW1.  Camden Town is the nearest tube.  It's the second biggest tourist attraction in London (I'm told) for those who live whereever.  It is an interesting day out, beside the Regent's Canal, with masses of different foods to eat, loads of peripheral shops selling all manner of goods, and masses of other bits of the market, selling all the unusual stuff you could imagine.  Definitely a good hunting ground for someone doing a theatrical production.