Another group of budding illuminators gathered in mid-May 2025 for this year’s Illumination course at Sevenoaks in Kent. In 2024 half were from overseas but this year they were all from the UK – it varies every year which makes it always very interesting. The day before everything was ready and the rooms set up; most of the tools needed were in the pink boxes – those who’ve been on my courses will be familiar with the wet and dry boxes – and the rest were carefully arranged around individual work stations! It takes quite a bit of time to prepare for the course, not just what is required for the course itself of course, but we also provide a light lunch of homemade soup, bread and dessert, as well as homemade biscuits and cake during each day – these being a very necessary sugar hit to keep us going!

It is a very full first day! Gesso is made, laid and gilded, quills are cut, vellum prepared for painting, and two miniatures prepared for gilding. Both images are transferred to vellum using home made Armenian bole paper – everyone gets to take home their own piece for future use.

 

 

 

 

The practice miniature is done first with a modern adhesive used to attach the gold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gesso is applied to the main miniature with a quill that each person on the course has cut themselves from a swan’s feather.

 

 

 

 

 

Then leaf gold is applied to the gesso and polished to a shine with a burnisher; after this the gold is cleaned up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally the painting is done using the wonderful jewel colours as in the original being copied and applied with a very fine Kolinsky sable brush.

We learned many things on the course, not least that gesso needs to be thick enough to allow for scraping down to achieve a smooth surface, and that modern adhesive needs to be applied either quickly over the whole surface, or in tiny tiny strokes.

These are the results with comments by those on the course. The comments don’t necessarily match the miniatures.

I would do it again! Highly recommended course with an excellent tutor and lovely people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great explanations, very enjoyable and approachable for all questions. Great course! Perfect amount of time (longer would have been lovely too). Immersive and very educational!

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for your clear explanations and demonstrations. The course is perfect for providing an introduction to illumination and painting. It has given me the motivation to continue with this.

 

 

 

 

 

I enjoyed the additional information as well as the essentials – all very well explained. It was wonderful; could have done five days.

 

 

 

 

 

Brilliant; thank you. I cannot believe how well my miniature turned out.

 

 

 

 

 

Excellent, clear description and explanation of materials, techniques and tools. Brilliant – pure and simple.

 

 

 

 

 

Such an interesting and engaging experience, thoroughly enjoyable and I felt I learned a great deal that will be put into practice at home. Patricia was unfailingly patient and good humoured, like being with a lovely family. Thank you!

 

 

 

Lovely, informative, very interesting and fun. Great!