Illumination: Patterns and Motifs
Diaper patterns
Another way of making a field of colour more interesting is the diaper pattern.
You fill the field with a small pattern of dots, lines or other simple geometrical
figures. This is especially useful to fill panel borders or backgrounds
of large capital letters. Diaper patterns are usually painted in a light
colour on a dark background, e.g. white on blue, gold on red. Use a very
thin brush. Stark white may give too much contrast, try mixing the light
pattern colour with a tiny speck of the background color to soften the effect.
Motifs
The best way to learn is to study originals and imitate them. Get some books
on medieval illumination and look at the pictures. There is a bibliography
at the end of this calligraphy primer where you will find some examples.
I often take a single thing out of a bigger picture. Elements from several
originals can be combined to form a new and original artwork. Ornaments
were used to fill empty spaces. For scrolls in old style, use Celtic knotwork,
zoomorphics or flower patterns. From 1200 and on, acanthus leaves became
more and more popular. Again, look at old manuscripts. And remember that
open areas with white space can also be used for nice effects.