I'm really not sure how the old monks in Ireland and Scotland went about the process of putting together illuminations. I know they used paint, not ink, and I know they didn't have access to ultra-fine-point pens.
I start with a template, and the slowly fill in one section at a time:
More sections, and more division of smaller subsections within the larger piece:
Doing this kind of work was really a big departure for me from my normal pieces. Celtic art, for me, is largely about precision, symmetry, and order. The illumination pieces sometimes have a sort of symmetry to them, as with "carpet" style pieces (one of which I'm currently tinkering with), but one of my favorite things about them is that it often seems like the art is just spilling out of the mold, and taking on a kind of untamed life of its own. Asymmetry and free-form style is a big part of that.
I've also always been a sucker for old-looking pieces, so it absence of any color, a parchment or animal hide background is preferred to make the design look sort of antiqued:
It's possible that I'll add color to this piece in the future. The original black-and-white is around here somewhere, and if I have a spare week with nothing to do, it may just happen.
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