Illuminated letters

Equipment

HB pencil

Tracing paper

300gsm hot-pressed watercolour paper

Red ochre carbon paper

Dilute waterproof black ink

Gillott 659 or mapping pen

Soft plastic eraser

Gum ammoniac solution

Old brush (size O)

Transfer gold

Glassine

Dogtooth agate burnisher

Large soft brush

Piece of soft washed silk

Sable brushes, sizes 0, 00

Ox gall liquid

Gouache paints

Distilled water for mixing

This demonstration is taken from The Bible of Illuminated Letters, A Treasury of Decorative Calligraphy by Margaret Morgan, published by Search Press.

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Colours

Ultramarine

Spectrum violet

Zinc white

Permanent green deep

Cadmium yellow pale

Scarlet Lake

The traditional art of Illumination - the creation of elaborate, decorated letters and initials - is now attracting new enthusiasts.

It reached its apogee in the monasteries of medieval Europe and was practised with great skill and artistry.

Embellished with gold leaf, the illuminated letters of those early scribes seemed to reflect light, as though they were indeed 'illuminated'.

Taken from her new book, The Bible of Illuminated Letters, Margaret Morgan demonstrates an Ottonaian letter 'K'.

On this initial, two layers of transfer gold are laid on a base of gum ammoniac, a technique known as flat gilding (see below).

Patches of light blue and green and the red outline lend a glow to the gold, enhanced in original manuscripts by the dyed purple vellum on which the letters were drawn. Note that the branched stems grow directly out of the letters.

Gilding using gum ammoniac

Have all your materials at hand, as you will need to work quickly to lay the gold after you have breathed on the gum to activate it.

Before you start, stir the solution slowly and thoroughly to incorporate all the gum from the bottom of the jar. This should avoid problems with bubbles, but allow it to settle for a while before use.

You will need:

300 gsm (140 lb) HP watercolour paper with pre-drawn shape or letter
Gum ammoniac solution
Plastic or glass rod for stirring gum
Old small brush for applying the gum
Breathing tube
Transfer gold (U.S .. patent gold)
Glassine
Dogtooth agate burnisher
Large soft brush to remove excess gold
Piece of soft washed silk

Method:

Work on a flat surface so that the gum dries level. Using an old brush, lay a thin, even layer of the gum, working methodically across the area, wet into wet. Leave to dry for 30 minutes, then carefully add a second layer over the first and leave to dry completely for an hour or more.
With the paper on a smooth, hard surface, use a breathing tube or small rolled piece of paper to direct your breath onto the gum and breathe three times.
As soon as you have breathed on the gum, lay the transfer gold face down onto it, pressing down firmly (without twisting) with your fingers. If the gold does not stick, breathe on the gum again and re-apply the gold. Peel off the backing sheet to reveal the gold stuck onto the gum. Repeat this step to cover the whole area completely.
Burnish the gold gently through a sheet of glassine. Repeat step 3 to add a second layer of gold.
Leave to dry thoroughly for at least 30 minutes before removing surplus gold with a large soft brush, then give it another burnish through glassine before a final polish with soft silk.

Red ochre carbon paper

This type of carbon paper was used for transferring designs to lithographic plates and was once available through art suppliers, but it is no longer made. It is simple, if a little messy, to make your own.

Because the "carbon" is red ochre, not graphite, it is easier to erase and to paint over. It is also more visible than graphite if you are working on darker coloured papers. It does tend to transfer pigment where you don't want it, so you will need to mask off any writing first. Red ochre carbon paper is used in the Ottonian project on page 116.

You will need:

Newspaper or other scrap paper
A4 sheet white acid-free tissue paper (cut down to size required)
Red ochre powder (ground artist's pigment)
China palette
Cotton wool
Rubber gloves (to stop your fingers getting stained)
2H pencil for tracing off
Finished drawing on tracing paper
Good paper or vellum

Cover the work surface with newspaper and spread the tissue on top of this. Tip out some pigment into a china palette.
Dip the cotton wool into the red ochre powder and rub it into the tissue paper, working out from the centre of the sheet to the edges. Keep adding more pigment and rubbing it in until the sheet is well covered.
Shake off any excess pigment (best done outside)
Peel back tracing and carbon sheet to check that the drawing has been transferred.

DEMONSTRATION: OTTONIAN LETTER 'K'

Stir the gum ammoniac solution thoroughly and leave for the bubbles to disperse (as above).

Draw out your design on tracing paper using this outline.

Transfer your design to watercolour paper using a sheet of red ochre carbon paper (see details above).

Go over the drawing using a pointed nib and very dilute waterproof ink.

Erase any pencil marks carefully.

Using an old size O brush lay a thin layer of gum ammoniac size with flowing strokes.

Leave to dry for about 30 minutes and apply a second coat. The first coat seals the paper surface; the second should ensure that the gold sticks well.

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Top Tip

Wash the brush with warm water after use.

Breathe on the gum to activate it, and apply the transfer gold immediately, pressing down firmly but not too hard with your fingers.

Carefully remove the backing paper from the transfer gold.

Repeat the process if necessary to cover the letter completely - two layers of gold give greater brilliance

Lay a sheet of glassine over the gold and work evenly and lightly across the whole area with the dogtooth burnisher.

Remove any surplus gold with a large soft brush, easing it gently away from the edges of the gum.

Wrap a piece of washed silk around your finger and gently polish the gold.

Mix up your blue, using zinc white, ultramarine and a little spectrum violet, to the consistency of thin cream.

Apply with a size 0 brush, working to the edges of the gold.

Top Tip

If the paint runs onto the gold, wipe it off with a clean damp brush.

Mix your green using zinc white, permanent green deep and cadmium yellow. Then paint in, as above, using a size 00 brush for these smaller areas.

Mix up your red paint, using scarlet lak and a little cadmium yellow, and use a size 00 brush to outline the gold and fill the spaces within the letter.

Top Tip

The outline can tidy any ragged edges. If the paint does not adhere over gold, add a tiny drop of ox-gall to the mixture.

The finished letter

Try experimenting with these letters on purple paper or dyed scraps of vellum for a luxurious effect.

Top Tip

For transferring designs onto black or other very dark-coloured papers use the method described for carbon transfer substituting a white watercolour pencil for the 2H pencil to go over the back of the drawing. However, note that some coloured pencil leads can be rather greasy, making errors difficult to erase and less easy to paint over.

Illuminated letters - How to create an Ottonian letter 'K'

Equipment

Colours