Pergamena is proud to present The Aubriet Kit, A special collaboration with artist Dina Brodsky.

This kit has been specifically made for students of her classes with one of her favorite types of parchment to work on, our sustainable Deer parchment.    

This kit is the perfect way for you to try different types of preparation across one animal type so you can see and feel what type of surface you prefer. There are no wrong answers, only personal preferences and project goals. This kit comes with three 5x7 Deer Parchment cut sheets, each with a different type of preparation.

• The first sheet is Unprepared. This parchment has been dried under tension and has not been abraded or sanded on either side.
  This type of non-abraded parchment grain is popular with bookbinders due to its strength for binding applications. It is now growing in popularity with watercolor and gouache painters, as the unprepared surface is less absorbent, allowing for more control and better potential for layering paint.

• The second sheet is prepared in our standard way. Once the hide has finished drying, but while still under tension, we sand and abrade its surface. For context, if we only prepare one side, we call this calligraphy preparation. If we prepare both sides, we call it manuscript preparation. —Think reading both sides of a page in a book vs a fancy diploma hanging on a wall.— This cut sheet has only been prepared on the grain side, so this second sheet is Calligraphy Prepared.

• The third sheet is what some of our botanical artists have ordered for years. For that reason, we call it Botanical Preparation. The hide starts like all of our prepared hides do, once stretched and dried, but while still under tension, we sand and abrade it’s surface. Then instead of taking it off our frames like normal, while it is still under tension, we take a dampen sponge and evenly and carefully wipe down the entire surface of the hide and then we leave it to fully dry again before taking it down off the frame. This style of preparation creates a uniformly level surface across the entire hide. With it feeling almost glass like, resulting in a very smooth glide for your brush, pen or nib with little to no absorption so all media almost seems to float magically on top.

•  This kit also includes a pack of mixed parchment and vellum scraps for you to explore further, a $25 value for FREE!

Deer Parchment has smooth velvety touch with a wide range of natural markings & texture. Scrapes, and scars combine with light colors and a surprisingly smooth surface make deer parchment perfect for memorable and meaningfully projects.

Our Deer Parchment is not only sustainably made, but it is also ethically sourced. During the fall hunters from New York State’s Hudson Valley and Catskills regions drop off the hides, so no part of the animal goes to waste.  “As a world we need to learn to take less, give more back and make art with the rest.”

These kits will ship out within 3 business days of ordering and will arrive within the week in the continental US.