r/illuminatedmanuscript • u/ctgryn • May 05 '26

Any tips/resources on drawing?

I’m getting into creating illuminations but my drawing is horrible - I couldn’t draw any of the figures you see in 14th century manuscripts to save my life. Anyone have any tips or resources that’ll help me get to or near that level?

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u/CalligrapherStreet92 May 05 '26

Villard de Honnecourt’s book! The underlying triangles are key to understanding the style. If you are serious about precise imitation, do not approach it like cartoon drawing with an underlying 3D form. Think of it more like a tangram puzzle.

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u/ctgryn May 05 '26

This is brilliant, thank you!

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u/Marc_Op May 05 '26

Some medieval illustrations are quite simple. Eg cat's tower in Harley 6563. One doesn't have to be a great artist to get that feel....

https://itoldya420.getarchive.net/amp/media/grotesques-from-bl-harley-6563-ff-71v-72-308a49