Middle Ages Illuminated Manuscript

1. For this artwork you will be creating a modern version of an Illuminated Manuscript page. Traditionally, Illuminated Manuscripts were pages of handwritten books, usually religious, that were enhanced artistically by designs and images. You will be updating the idea of an Illuminated Manuscript by creating a one page design that includes text, images, and designs. The text of your manuscript will be lyrics to a song that is personal to you. The images and designs should be created to enhance the text (lyrics of the song). Middle Ages Illuminated Manuscript

2. Here is an example using a song by Arlo Guthrie titled The City of New Orleans. This song is about the gradual disappearance of passenger trains from the American Landscape. You can see that the text and the images go together and the page is created using the basic structure of an Illuminated Manuscript from the Middle Ages.

3. Begin by sketching your overall design on a single sheet of 8 ½” x 11” paper. Orient the paper portrait, not landscape No need to fill in all the text, just indicate where it will be within the design.

4. Next you will create a blueprint version of your design. This should all be done in pencil and should include the text (written in a normal font). This provides the layout for the final piece.

5. Covering your blueprint design with a piece of vellum, you will ink in all of the text first. This should be done first in case of a mistake. It is easier to start over with text than with retracing and coloring the images.

6. To finalize your manuscript, trace and color all of the images and designs. Use various media including ink, colored pencil, and markers.