I’ve been lucky enough to have worked closely with the British Library for what is now decades. Many years ago I was helping the Education Department which had a lot of school visits. The problem always with such visits is how to occupy those who finish any set tasks quickly before the rest of the class. I suggested producing a series of outline drawings taken from illuminated and decorated mediæval manuscripts that could be coloured in, and then produced six of them.
Having a clear-out recently, I came across them again, and thought that they could be shared with a wider audience, hence this blogpost. They are copyright, but free for personal and educational use, simply click on the picture/link below for a high resolution pdf to print out; they’re sized for A4.
I’ve copyrighted them because they mustn’t be used by anyone or an institution to print out or use in a publication and make money from them.
Please, though, feel free to print these outline letters for your own use, for children and grandchildren, for courses, and for classes.
As the British Library’s website, including the digitised manuscripts, is still not completely available, colour images are here if possible, otherwise black and white photos or similar images are posted.
Copy the original colours if you wish, or go freestyle – they’re your letters to colour, so your choice.
The first is the magnificent letter B from the Ramsey Psalter (BL Harley 2904).
And the outline letter is here, click on it to download the high-resolution PDF:
I wasn’t able to get a coloured image of the miniature from BL Harley MS 2895, but this is from a similar period and indicates the colours that would be used.
And the outline letter is here, click on it to download the high-resolution PDF:
Again, no colour copy copy of the letter ‘N’ from the actual manuscript, but a black and white image is here, and below it a similar letter in colour:
And the outline letter is here, click on it to download the high-resolution PDF:
Yet again there are no colour images available for the York Psalter; here it is in black and white:
And the outline letter is here, click on it to download the high-resolution PDF:
And the outline letter is here, click on it to download the high-resolution PDF:
Finally, this magnificent lettering and decoration from the Lindisfarne Gospels:
And the outline letter is here, click on it to download the high-resolution PDF: