I'm Going to Make an Illuminated Manuscript - Part 1

Creating Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts & Codices

So, I used to draw a lot as a kid but for some unknown reason stopped doing so a long time ago. Not sure why I stopped... but I've been missing it lately and figured I would dive into doing something I've never done before. I would like to learn to create beautifully detailed illuminated manuscripts in the style of those found around the 14th Century.

I'll start off my stating that I have zero experience in painting which might make this quite difficult but I do have experience in calligraphy of many different styles. So, at least there's that. lol

So, here's my first piece I've started working on. Yes, some of the perspective is off but this is on purpose. If you look at the illuminations of olde (a few examples can be found below), you'll see that accurate perspective didn't appear to be too important to the artists. They seem to focus more on the subject of the illustration as well as the amount of detail included.

I started this yesterday and there will be many many more hours put into it's creation. This is just the initial sketch. it will have to be completed, refined, inked and then transferred to a sheet of parchment for scribing, re-inking, gilding and painting. Anyway, here's what I have so far.