Calligraphy-The art of beautiful or elegant handwriting.

Majuscule: uppercase letters; originally our alphabet consisted only of uppercase letters.

Miniscule: lowercase letters; developed during the middle ages.

**What experience have you had with calligraphy? Good or bad? Excited or no?

• Majuscule: uppercase letters; originally our alphabet consisted only of uppercase letters.

• Miniscule: lowercase letters; developed during the middle ages.

• The present day terms upper and lower case letters developed because typesetters arranged majuscule letter on the top and miniscule letters on the bottom of the print trays. The majuscules were referred to as uppers, being on the top of the tray and the miniscule as being lowers at the bottom of the tray.

You must create and decorate a border

using an overall theme.

High

Contrast

Calligraphy

Portrait

Read over the worksheet on your table and

answer these questions! (you have 10

minutes)

• 1. The Romans invented the codex in 4c. AD. It was based on a multi-level clay tablets used in ___________________.

• 2. Since printing had not yet been invented, all codexes (or books) were handwritten by __________ in monasteries.

• 3. A codex was made out of parchment, which was

___________________.

• 4. Scribes used ________________ dipped in various inks to write with.

• 5. A popular form of embellishment during the middle ages was that of _________________, which means to brighten up.

• 6. Illuminating was normally applied to the

• first_________________or capital, of a paragraph.

Write definition of

The

Illuminated Manuscript

-A manuscript in which

the text is supplemented

by addition of decoration,

such as decorated

initials, border and mini

illustrations.

The term illumination comes

from the term Illuminate, or to

fill with light. This effect is

achieved with the application

of gold or silver leaf to the

letters and images, which

reflect light and appear to

glow.

You must create and decorate a border

using an overall theme.

Write the definition of illuminated letter and create own letter using

pencil/calligraphy marker etc.

Illuminated Letter: was

usually the 1st letter of a page or

paragraph. It was always enlarged and

in color with gold applied in areas,

while the rest remained black. Images

used to enhance the letters include

animals, plants, and mythological

creatures. These images were

modified to fit into or around the letter,

or in some cases took on the shape of

the letter itself.

Items to Include in Illuminated

Manuscript:

- A quote, poem, lyric, verse etc. of your choice done in calligraphy (with calligraphy pen or marker)

- ONE illuminated letter preferably at the beginning of quote

- An illustration to help viewer visualize quote

- An illustration/decorative pattern motif moving around the border

* All of these pieces should be related in order to create a unified illuminated manuscript.

Illuminated Letter.

Japanese Sumi-e paintings

• "Sumi" means "black ink" and "e" stands for "path, street, road" as well as "art of painting". The "Freestyle Art of Ink Painting" consists of powerfully hushed, quickly dashed off lines. It expresses the Zen-belief, that enlightenment can come at the speed of a flash of lightning. What is only indicated or even omitted is often more important and more expressive than what is actually painted.

Read about Sumi-E Painting and

write down 4 interesting facts!

• Sumi-e is a style of painting that is characteristically Asian, and has been practiced for well over a thousand years. Literally ink painting, it is an art form that strives to distill the essence of an object or scene in the fewest possible strokes. A few carefully placed broad strokes that fade off abruptly, a few thin lines and a dot, and a bird is clearly called into being on the paper

• Sumi-e is sometimes confused with calligraphy, because the tools used are the same. Calligraphy is the graceful, artistic representation of written characters, using ink and brush, while sumi-e is painting a scene or object. In the West, sumi-e is often called Chinese Brush Painting, although it has been a major art form in Japan and Korea as well.

Read below and write down two

interesting facts! Then… Using the ink

and Japanese style paint brushes,

recreate these brush strokes in ya

sketchbook.

• Sumi-e is a style of painting that is characteristically Asian, and has been practiced for well over a thousand years. Literally ink painting, it is an art form that strives to distill the essence of an object or scene in the fewest possible strokes.

• Sumi-e is sometimes confused with calligraphy, because the tools used are the same. Calligraphy is the graceful, artistic representation of written characters, using ink and brush, while sumi-e is painting a scene or object. In the West, sumi-e is often called Chinese Brush Painting, although it has been a major art form in Japan and Korea as well.

Sumi E info

• To paint with ink requires the use of the Four Treasures. This refers to the must-haves of sumi-e: an ink stone, an ink stick, a brush, and the appropriate kind of paper. Rice Paper) The ink stone is a stone with a shallow depression carved into it; it is used to prepare and hold the ink for the painter. The ink stick is a black stick composed of pine soot, bound into a hardened form with resin.

• The paint strokes out of which most paintings can be made are called the Four Gentlemen; these are the bamboo, the orchid, the plum tree and the chrysanthemum. Sumi-e instructors will insist that these be mastered before you progress.

• A sumi-e painting is often accented with a red seal. The seal can represent the artist, or some message or theme the artist wants to incorporate.

In your sketchbook, try to re-create one of these

Sumi-e paintings. Get a Japanese style

paintbrush, ink and lots of water/paper towels to

dilute the ink.

The Four Gentlemen

• The paint strokes out of which most

paintings can be made are called the Four

Gentlemen; these are the bamboo, the

orchid, the plum tree and the

chrysanthemum.

• Sumi-e instructors will insist that these be

mastered before you progress.