Murdock Illumination
Client | Chloe Murdock, repeat art patron of mine and enjoyer of history.
Design Problem | Chloe wanted something special to commemorate her surname.
My Role | Consult, layout, and hand-letter an illumination of the name, “Murdock” in ornamental uncial.
Inspiration
At first, Chloe approached me with a request for Fraktur, but after a brief consultation, she was happy for me to do an uncial. We agreed that would be a better fit for the heritage of the name itself, would be more legible, and it still had a very beautiful fantasy feeling to it.
Artist: Satomi.
Artist: Evelyn Wong.
Artist: Julien Priez.
Frontpiece from Hours of Jeanne de Navarre, English, 15th century.
Creative Process
I started by drawing some guidelines and equidistant circles on tracing paper since uncial is so round. I then used that as a guide to draw out each letter, refining on tracing paper until tracing on my beautiful artificial vellum. At one point the paint did not lay down correctly, so I had to do what the old monks had to and scratch off the blemish with a thin blade repaint. I made sure to pack up the finished piece with some stickers and a handpainted bookmark to thank Chloe for being such a loyal client. 💖
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The purple from my grow light somehow makes this photo pop
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All the angles of all the shiny ✨
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The color of the red is so dynamic. Vibrant and bright at some angles, dark & mysterious in others
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Notice the translucence of the vellum
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This is not Chloe's house, her house is prettier.
Final Thoughts
I am really an old illumination nerd at heart and I do graphic design because “medieval monk who eats tacos” isn’t an option. So needless to say, I ate this project up. I was very happy for the opportunity to use my pretty new vellum, and I am always pleased to work for my Renaissance-style patroness.
Client Feedback
“Zero stars for too much humility. Her work is AMAZING”
- Chloe Murdock