Illuminated Letters

During the Middle Ages clerics and scribes would work tirelessly on

pages of manuscripts for the church and for kings. They would decorate the first letter in a paragraph. This

was called illumination. This miniature was the times most

marvelous art.

An illumination is an EMBELLISHMENT, or additional decoration that enhances the pages of a written, or manuscript page.

The term, Illumination comes from the term Illuminate, or to fill with light. This effect is achieved with the application of gold leaf to the letters and images, which reflect light and appear to glow.

ProceduresChoose a letter to work with. This could be

the first letter of your first or last name.Check out some of the lettering styles in

some of the handouts.Decide on some images that will surround

the letters. Usually, illuminated letters have floral decoration or animals such as serpents and dragons.

You will first complete a rough draft sketch in your sketchbook

Apply thick and rich crayon to at least 90% of the image.

After the image is completely colored in you will fill in the spaces with watered down black tempera paint.Your crayon colors will pop and illuminate!!!After it is dry, you can accent areas with gold paint