Graphic Design: Illuminated Letter

Create an illumination and border design for your Calligraphy quote. 

The illumination should reflect the meaning of you quote. 

Your illumination will be 3.5 inches wide x 5 inches tall.

Your border design will be 1" inch wide and should be a pattern or design that would border your entire paper.

 

Student Examples:  Click on examples for a larger size

 

Your illuminated letter will be the 1st letter in your quote.

Have it relate to the quote's meaning!

What is an illumination?
  • An illumination is a decoration of manuscripts and books with colored, gilded pictures, decorated initials, and ornamental borders.
  • Done as both ink outlines and color drawings. Now called Gothic stylings.
  • Illuminating is the art of decorating books with bright colors and precious metals so they seem to glow
  • Many illuminations were miniature paintings or drawings
  • The first letter on many pages was a large illumination of the letter



Characteristics of Illuminations:

In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, people liked to use illustrations of fruit, flowers, and birds in their artwork Illuminations were often used to frame documents Jewels were sometimes embedded into the artwork

  • Drolleries were amusing human or animal figures that were often painted into the margins and borders of illuminations.
  • Many artists worked with natural animal, mineral, and vegetable mediums in their paint Especially prized to illuminators was a brilliant shade of blue made from lapis-lazulite (a precious gem)
  • Illuminators used real gold and silver in their decorations Illuminations were often written on parchment or vellum (The finest kind of parchment available) Traditional high color and gold was often used in illuminations
  • Celtic designs that consisted of Interlacing patterns, counter pointed by actual animal motifs.
  •  One common feature of illuminations were large initial letters decorated with foliage, human figures, and scenery

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