Course Description

Here I teach you the art of creating your own lettering and then using those skills you've learned to create a modern day illuminated panel. What is an 'illuminated panel' you say? well when books were first being written particularly in Europe hundreds of years ago they were painted panels on pages. The often had intricate borders and were known for having the first letter of the panel much larger and embellished than the rest of the panel. Here's a modern day spin on this ancient art.

Instructor / KIU Partner

Peta Thompson

I come from a creative family. We have always been musical and everyone either sang and/or played an instrument. I sing and play guitar. I am a wife and mother of two boys who are the best things that have happened to me! My father is an acclaimed watercolour landscape artist and is very well known in the towns he's lived in. He jokes that every doctors' surgery has his paintings in them! I have always been crafty. When I was a teenager I doodled and drew in a diary and covered things in fabric as well as my music. I fell into scrapbooking before it became popular, about 16 years ago. Over the years I have been published, designed papers and taught classes. I also created with fabric and became a quilter. I lovethe texture of fabric and the Naïve style of quilting. When my scrapbook layouts became so intrincate that I lost site of the photo, I became aware there was something missing and looked for another way to be creative. I started at a point where I kind of had a background. Watercolours. As soon as I started, I realised watercolours were very difficult! However I persisted and today just love to paint. I fell into mixed media painting when I was doing a watercolour canvas and suddenly had to desire to add pastels and crackle paint! I didn't realise this was mixed media but now I will never look back. I am very varied in my artistic tastes, and enjoy a wide variety of art mediums. Art journaling is a natural extension of all these interests and I love that there are no rules exceptcolour and composition when creating any piece of art. I am an avid recycler for things for creating art and don't believe in wasting anything! I'll be happy to not need a bin in my studio one day! I have been appointed the creative director of the Jewels conference and my art is being exhibited in the Qld national show this year.

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Learn your Letters Part 1 practice

    • Learn your Letters practice video lesson

    • Learn your Letters materials list

    • Learn your Letters reference photo

  • 2

    Learn your Leters - part 2

    • Learn your Letters video lesson part 2

  • 3

    Learn your Letters part 3

    • Learn your Letter part 3 video lesson

  • 4

    Learn your Letters part 4

    • Learn your Letters part 4 video lesson