RUBRICATING: GENERAL REMARKS
Contrast of Red and Black.—The most effective arrangement of red lettering with black text involves a sharp contrast, and, as a rule, the concentration of the red in a line or mass (see figs. 91, 93, and 96, where the red lettering is massed at the head, side, and foot of the black). Too many red capitals scattered through a page lose their effect, and appear as though they were brown-red rather than bright red (see pp. 134, 185). Printed title-pages, &c., may be seen with promiscuous lines of black and red, in which the fine effects obtainable by the use of bright colour is dispersed and lost; while the same, or even a less, amount of red, massed in one or two places in the page, would show to great advantage.
Notes in Red in Margins.—Red lettering, and particularly small red writing, may be used freely in the margins; being much lighter than black, it appears there as a marginal decoration, not interfering with the regular look of the page. Indeed, red may be used more freely, and I think its decorative effect is greater, in the form of rubrics, than in any other simple form of ornament (see Red in Church Service Books (pp. 140, 345) and Red substituted for Italics (p. 315)).
Paragraph and other Marks.—Various symbols, numerals, and marks (such as ¶ * † ‡ § —Addenda, p. 25) may be made in red.
Red Lines.—Lines made to divide, or outline, pages (“rules” or “rule borders”) should be sparingly used, and then rather in black than in red (see p. 364). If in red, particularly between lines of writing, these should be “ruled feint” with diluted colour. [p145]
Red for Ornaments.—Red may be used pretty freely with other colours (blue, green, and gold), but by itself more sparingly.
OTHER COLOURS.—The foregoing remarks refer mainly to contrasts of black and red, but apply, to a certain extent, to black with any bright colour (or gold) (see “Other Colour Schemes” given above, and p. 180).
CHAPTER IX LAYING & BURNISHING GOLD Tools & Materials — Laying the Ground — Laying the Gold-Leaf — Burnishing the Gold — Remedying Faults in Gilding — Gold Writing — Other Methods & Recipes for Gilding — Appendix on Gilding (by Graily Hewitt).
TOOLS & MATERIALS
These should be kept together in a convenient box, as it is important that the process should not be interrupted by a search for a missing tool.