The Illuminated Alphabet: Creating Decorative Calligraphy

by Timothy Noad and Patricia Seligman

Book Overview

"Each page is filled with eye-catching full-color examples of the illuminator's art."- School Arts Images of beauty that will teach and inspire you to decorate your own spellbinding pages. As you gaze in astonishment through close-up reproductions of such dazzling illuminated masterpieces as the Book of Kells, as well as superb compositions of contemporary artists, you'll appreciate the infinite possibilities of the form. Try your hand and imagination...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 140271744X
• ISBN13: 9781402717444
• Release Date: August 2004
• Publisher: Sterling Publishing (NY)
• Length: 159 Pages
• Weight: 1.12 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.7" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

IF YOUR AT ALL INTERESTED IN THIS SUBJECT..........

It you have any interest in calligraphy, luminations, or just pure beauty, then this is one small volume you will want to add to your collection. Now I must admit that the skill needed to create these wonderful works of art is much greater than I will ever have, but that is okay. I use works such as this purely for inspiration. I figure that it is a nice world just to know "someone" out there is able to creat something like this. It gives me something to shoot for. This work is certainly not for beginners but I don't think a beginner would be hurt one bit for having read and studied it. I shows just what can be done if you have the skill and knowledge. This is always a good thing. I also appreciated the authors notes on the history of this art form. I do know something of history, and this information alone was worth the price of the book. Recommend this one highly.

Wonderful resource!

This book has helped me to learn and try my hand at several different styles of medieval illumination. I highly recommend this to any potential scribes out there!

The Illuminated Alphabet

"This book contains the best things to know to begin doing Illuminated manuscript writing. The authors list great resources, give useful lists, and then help you get started!! In addition, I like the several styles of complete alphabets, how they are presented and described, and how to do the illumination techniques. It has taken me several years and attempts to find a book this beautifully complete. Other potential authors and publishers could learn from this wonderful book, because finally I feel confident enough to tackle the several projects I've got waiting for me. You don't have to be an artist to begin to do this work when you use this book. Thank you to the authors and the publishers for their insight. Now I have the knowledge to be more confident in knowing where to start and how to progress with illuminating some of my projects. Sandra Jones Ireland; Prince Edward Island Canada

Illuminate your journals

A gorgeous book showcasing and demonstrating decorative calligraphy. Step by step instructions for a wide variety of styles and period pieces of illuminated lettering. A great way to add some interest to sketchbook journals. HOWEVER! A patient and attention-to-detail mindset is required for this exacting art form.

Solid starting point for anyone doing illumination

When you start illumination, you want to try different styles to see which fits your interest and talents best. This book creates a step by step walk-through for many different styles in a do-able manner for a beginner. But beyond that, the book provides examples of where to go from there. For instance, start of with the letter used as the example. When you finish that, try including one of the borders shown in that section using the same skills developed by following the example. What this book accomplishes is to help you develop the "vocabulary" used by the sample styles. As you develop the vocabulary that the sample styles illustrate, you are on the path for more complex work (i.e. see Christopher De Hamel's books). Also, by learning the basics that this book provides, you are ready to play with styles not covered because you have the basis for where other styles came from or what they led into.