Manuscript Cover Page

So this has been an ongoing project of mine; filling the sketchbook at the top with illuminations, basically. The exercise is one in working out ideas for page layouts, type usage for both body and decorative elements. I'm also tackling the impact of line weight, value and so forth.

The process is a work in progress in and of itself, but the idea for everything remains the same - a decorative element, and then a page. Sometimes the elements will have writing, othertimes they'll simply be designs. I pick a word to work with, something that can develop into a decent page-long insight, and establish decorative capitals in with a font I drew up and started using on the first page, and carried through into the rest.

The pages begin with everything done very lightly in pencil. The letters are rough shapes; circles and lines. When I'm comfortable with layouts and the roughs, I go over the lines I want to keep in pen and erase as I go. Line weights are taken into consideration, as well as positive and negative space within an element.

Unlike the original illuminated manuscripts I'm not entirely trying to preach at people. It was a beautiful artform back at its height, and it's something I'd like to be capable of as I branch out and tackle new avenues and media.