Illuminated Letters Sketchbook – Jane Sullivan

Give a letter a vine. Add a creature. Things may escalate.

Illuminated Letters by medieval-style illuminator and fantasy artist Jane Sullivan is an interactive guide to the richly decorated lettering found in medieval manuscripts—and an invitation to make the tradition entirely your own.

Through step-by-step tutorials and inspiring examples, you'll explore ways to embellish letters with plants, animals, curling vines, Celtic knotwork, fantastical creatures, and decorative patterns. Blank letterforms throughout the book give you space to practice the techniques, experiment with designs, and create illuminated letters of your own.

Part guide, part sketchbook, this is a wonderfully approachable way to explore an art form with centuries of history—no monastery apprenticeship required.

Details

Author/Artist: Jane Sullivan

Focus: Illuminated lettering and medieval-inspired decorative art

Includes: Step-by-step tutorials, examples, and blank letterforms for your own designs

Explore: Botanical motifs, animals, vines, Celtic knotwork, fantastical creatures, and decorative patterns

Pages: 160

Size: 6.25 × 8.25 inches

Extras: Ribbon bookmark

Great for: Lettering, illustration, sketching, medieval and fantasy art, journaling, and creative practice

Why We Love It

There is absolutely no reason an ordinary capital letter can't contain a tiny dragon.

We love creative tools that begin with enough structure to get you moving and then leave plenty of room to wander. The blank letterforms here solve the intimidating where do I even start? problem, while the tutorials give you techniques you can combine, change, embellish, and eventually ignore altogether.

Make something historically inspired. Cover an initial in leaves. Invent a beast. Spend an unreasonable amount of time decorating the first letter of your grocery list.

The scribes would understand.

About Jane Sullivan

Jane Sullivan is an artist and author whose work draws on medieval illumination, Celtic design, calligraphy, and fantasy. Her books invite contemporary artists to explore traditional decorative techniques through hands-on drawing and creative practice.