Illuminated Letters - Project #214

Illuminated Letters Project

Time: 2-3 Class Periods
Difficulty: Moderate
Cleanup: Soap & Water

Materials:

9x12" Mixed Media Paper

Ultra Fine Black Sharpie

Metallic Gold Paint

Colored Pencils

Ruler

Pencil

Eraser

Detail Brush

Bowl

Step 1
Study fonts used for illuminated letter designs. Common fonts are Roman and Uncial.
Step 2
With a pencil, draw a line that is 1" from the edge of the paper. Draw a second line that is 2" from the edge, creating a 1" wide frame.
Step 3
Select and draw a letter; it can overlap the frame a little bit if you want. Tip: Letter stencils can be made by printing large fonts from a computer.
Step 4
Decide what theme you want to use and design the border. Images can flow from outside and inside the border.
Step 5
Continue designing inside the box and the background.
Step 6
Trace over designs with an ultra-fine black Sharpie. Erase pencil lines.
Step 7
Add "illumination" by painting areas and design elements with gold paint.
Step 8
Color remaining areas with colored pencils.
Optional
Experiment with other letters and creative elements; use a design element to create the letter and tell a story.