How to Make Illuminated Manuscripts

In the Middle Ages, all books were written by hand, which meant the images were painted by hand, too. Illuminated manuscripts gained popularity in the 12th century when illustrators started using thin sheets of precious metals to add...

Writing the Text

Gather 15 to 20 pieces of parchment. Classic manuscripts were made out of thick, white parchment cut down to about 8 by 11 in (20 by 28 cm). If you can find some, gather enough for your manuscript in its entirety for authenticity.^{[1] X Research source}
1. Traditionally, parchment was also dusted with pumice powder to roughen the surface and make it receptive to ink and paint.
2. If you can't find any parchment, just use thick, white cardstock instead.
Add text to the top or bottom portion of the pages. Depending on what you want your manuscript to look like, you can write in the top portion, the bottom portion, the middle portion, or leave entire pages blank for images. Decide how long you want your story to be and then pick out the pages you'd like to use.^{[2] X Research source}
1. To stick with the Middle Ages theme of illuminated manuscripts, try writing about an adventure you had or a story from the era, like King Arthur and the Round Table.
2. In traditional manuscripts, the images were much larger than the words on the pages.
Use a quill and black ink to write the text. No matter what you want your manuscript to say, pick out a quill and some black ink to mark it up. The quill can be a feather from a duck, goose, or chicken, as long as it's sharp. Traditionally, black ink was made of soot or iron salts, but you can use any ink that's available to you.^{[3] X Research source}
1. Use scissors to cut your quill point as small or as large as you'd like it to be.
Write in calligraphy to make your manuscript look old-fashioned. Calligraphy, or decorative handwriting, was very popular in the Middle Ages when illuminated manuscripts were made. Keep your handwriting as neat as possible as you ink out your letters, and try to make them as fancy-looking as possible.^{[4] X Research source}
1. If you can't do calligraphy, that's okay too. Just use your neatest handwriting to keep your letters clean and sharp-looking.

Adding Images

Sketch your design with a quill and ink. Before you add color to your pages, use the same quill and black ink to mark out the design you'd like to draw. Try drawing scenes from the story you wrote out in calligraphy to add visual images to your manuscript.^{[5] X Research source}
1. Classic illuminated manuscript designs were 2D images that depicted fanciful tales.
2. Tigers, kings, and nature were common themes for classic manuscripts, but you can draw any images that you'd like to.
Paint a base coat onto areas where you want to press gold leaf. Grab a base coat for gold leaf and dip a small paint brush into it. Pick out the areas of your design that you'd like to press gold leaf onto, then gently paint the base coat on those areas. Try not to get it outside the lines, or it could dilute the paint you use later on.^{[6] X Research source}
1. Traditional base coats were made of plaster, but you can find base coats at most craft supply stores.
Press gold leaf onto your design. Grab a sheet of gold leaf with tweezers and carefully press it onto the areas that have a base coat on them. Use a fluffy paint brush to brush away the excess gold leaf, then press the remaining gold leaf down onto the page so it really sticks.^{[7] X Research source}
1. Gold leaf is a thin sheet of real gold that you can manipulate using a paint brush. It's great for adding a regal border or angelic lighting to an image.
2. Gold leaf adds the 'illumination' to your images that gives these manuscripts their name.
Add color to your design with paint. Pick out the colors that you'd like to use for the rest of your image. Try to use watercolors, as they best reflect the traditional vegetable dyed colors of the Middle Ages. Use a small paint brush to dab color into the areas of your design to fill in the rest of the visual.^{[8] X Research source}
1. If you're doing this as a craft project with your kids, let them use glitter glue or brightly colored paint to fill in their images.
2. Classic illuminated manuscripts used vegetable dyed paint, meaning they had a limited range of colors. To stick to the classic look, try to use light greens, purples, deep reds, and burnt oranges.
Outline your figures in black paint. Classic illuminated manuscripts have a certain style of imagery, and the artists would often use black paint to outline each figure. Take a skinny paint brush and add black paint around all of the figures and objects in your image to make them stand out.^{[9] X Research source}
1. If it's easier, you can also use black ink and a quill to add the outlines instead.
Paint on highlights in white and tan. The finishing touches of your manuscript are up to you, but traditionally, they would be added with white or tan paint to highlight or outline certain figures. Grab a skinny paint brush to add folds to clothing or fill in the whites of people's eyes.^{[10] X Research source}
1. You don't need to worry about making your image super realistic, since the ones in classic manuscripts aren't.

Binding the Pages

Gather the pages in order. Once all your pages are dry, collect them in the order that you'd like them to go. Make sure they are all cut to the same size and that there isn't anything missing from your text.^{[11] X Research source}
1. Classic manuscripts had folded pieces of parchments, called 'gatherings,' but you don't have to use that for yours.
Press the pages against 3 narrow, leather thongs. Line the left side of the pages up against 3 narrow, leather thongs, and spread the thongs lengthwise across the spine of the book. These thongs will hold the pages of your manuscript together, so they should be slightly wider than the group of pages.^{[12] X Research source}
1. You can find leather thongs at most craft supply stores.
2. If you can't find any leather thongs, you can use synthetic ones instead.
Sew the pages onto the thongs with linen thread. Thread a needle with thick linen thread and tie the end in a knot. Use the linen thread to go in through the top of the pages, then out through the top of one leather thong. Keep going until you've attached all of the pages to all 3 of the thongs in a straight line.^{[13] X Research source}
1. If you have a lot of pages in your manuscript, this can be tough to do. Try working in sections to get all of the pages attached in the same way.
Attach wooden boards to the outside of the manuscript. Grab 2 wooden boards that are slightly larger than the pages of your manuscript. Line up the boards on your pages, then mark where the ends of the leather thongs fall on the boards. Use a chisel to pop out 3 holes in each board for the thongs, then pull the thongs through the holes and tie them off.^{[14] X Research source}
1. If there's excess leather sticking out of the book, you can use scissors or a knife to cut it off.
2. You can use any kind of wood for the boards that you'd like to, as long as it's mostly flat.