CB (I'm just using her initials) contacted me to commission a double letter to use in branding for a medieval craft side-business she runs. After much consultation over Zoom where I showed her reference images from Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, she decided on a style inspired by the Fagel Missal, a book dated to 1459 and currently in the collection of Trinity College, Dublin. She had narrowed it down to two last styles, but ultimately chose the Fagel because scholars know with certainty that it was made by women (one even signed it!). Please do click through on the link to check out the original.
Once I had a style to reference, I got to work on sketching out the letters and border decoration before transferring it to the good paper and beginning the final version in gouache and 24k gold leaf. The completed piece was made on Fabriano Artistico hot press watercolor paper and measures 18x12 inches.
I often get asked how long it takes me to make something like this. The short answer is, I don't know exactly, but it's a long time. Maybe a hundred hours? A piece like this one, where I'm doing something entirely new-to-me from scratch takes longer than something I have already dabbled in because I need to make myself familiar with the elements. One day, I will actually properly time myself and be able to give a firmer answer.
Click through on the gallery to see the progression from sketch to final piece.
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