Illuminated Letters Sketchbook Interactive Journal Notebook

Learn how to illuminate your writing like the scribes of the past, bringing letters to life with plant and animal motifs, swirling vines and leaves, graceful arabesques and flourishes, fantastical imagery, and more. Draw creatures cavorting across the page as Gothic illuminators did, or create the knotwork seen in famous Celtic manuscripts. Step-by-step tutorials, tips for creating striking effects, and blank letterforms you can illuminate yourself make this the perfect modern-day guide to the medieval art of beautiful writing. 160 pages. 6-1/4" wide x 8-1/4" high (15.9 cm wide x 21 cm high). Rights: World (English)

Rare letters and borders that once enhanced medieval bibles and other rare manuscripts are ornamented with exquisite florals, curvilinear motifs interwoven with religious figures, and other exquisite embellishments. More than 350 designs, including 256 letters.

Recapture the historic grandeur of medieval art with lovingly detailed reproductions ranging from the creation of Eve to the Hundred Years' War. Thirty images include Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and secular sources.

This immediately usable archive of decorative initials contains over 800 different, ornately rendered designs. Assembled by veteran typographer Dan X. Solo, the letters display an astonishing diversity and inventiveness. There are over 40 different versions of the letter "A," for example: bordered by cherubs, in a tableau with a dog and a rabbit, amid frolicking satyrs, set against stylized abstract backgrounds, framing a woman's face, laced with flowers and vines, and in many other clever and attractive representations. The other letters of the alphabet enjoy similar treatment. A wonderfully effective way to draw attention to ads, announcements, bulletins — almost any message — this superb treasury will be welcomed by anyone looking for ways to add pictorial pizzazz to the printed word.

An inspirational introduction to creating decorative calligraphy.

Here is the entire alphabet authentically illuminated in the historiated style; a term indicating that each letter is filled with miniature scenes and figures interwoven with artistry, wit and ingenuity. The period covers the two centuries just prior to the invention of the printing press, during which hand-drawn hisoriated letters reached the zenith of their creativity.

This photo-filled guide offers you all the information you need to begin the fascinating ancient art of illumination, and then to improve your skills. A short history of the art, including photos of some of the world's great medieval masterpieces, gives you context, and then you're introduced to the materials and basic techniques. First learn the proper ways of preparing your parchment, selecting pigments, gilding, and using color. Next, the five steps of illuminating are clearly taught in detail. By learning to create friezes, detailed human faces, flourishes, creatures such as dragons and elephants, and much more, you'll discover a skill that has crossed the centuries. Today, illumination can be used to add a special flair to diplomas, invitations, family trees, or a memorable event like a wedding, a birthday, or an anniversary.

User-friendly instructions from an expert on recreating the 4 major medieval styles — early medieval Roman rustic, early Uncial, Carolingian, and late medieval Gothic textura — come to life with profiles of a figure from each era — Julius Caesar, King Arthur, Charlemagne, Robin Hood. Expert advice on spacing, paragraphing, punctuation, more.