he Celts have been acclaimed for their remarkable
artistic legacy - far more substantial than that of other ancient societies of Western
Europe. They left behind a fascinating tradition of visual and literary art,
and can be credited with the preservation of culture and literacy in
Western Europe after the fall of Rome. Their imprint is strongest in the
British Isles which were spared much of the chaos and cultural collapse of the
so-called Dark Ages.
The Celts produced exceptional hand-decorated books and works of calligraphy. Among
the most famous products of Celtic scriptoria are the Book of Kells, the Book of Durrow
and the Lindisfarne Gospels. The various forms of Celtic Uncial calligraphy preserved
sophisticated writing techniques so that they could be reintroduced to Europe at the time of
Charlemagne, leading to a reawakening of writing and literature.
Today, Celtic culture remains a powerful source of inspiration
in music, art and design. Musicians like Clannad, The Chieftains and Lorena McKennit preserve
traditional Celtic music and adapt it to modern sensibilities, while Celtic visual art influences show up in every
medium and continue to shape the work of contemporary designers.
The Scriptorium's Celtic Collection is a remarkable digital archive of the design arts of the Celtic world.
The collection features several CDs focusing on different aspects of the Celtic tradition in art and design.
Celtic decroative designs, mythological art, religious symbolism and calligraphic lettering are preserved
as high resolution (300dpi or more) graphics and unique original fonts (Postscript and TrueType) so that
you can incorporate the vision of the Celts in your designs. All CDs are both MacOS and Windows
compatible. All of the packages are kept in stock and can be ordered by phone from 1-800-797-8973 or
ONLINE
(<--Click Here)
See the descriptions below for details on our Celtic packages and some samples
of the fonts and graphics which are included.
THE CELTIC VISION PACKAGE
ur Celtic Vision package is our oldest and most basic
collection of Celtic resources. It is oriented towards historical and traditional Celtic
design, featuring fonts based on historical calligraphy, plus borders, emblems and decorative elements which are primarily
geometrical and in the tradition of Celtic knotwork design. It is a great starting point
for any Celtic design project. This is our original Celtic collection and is now in its fourth
release, with many modifications and improvements over earlier versions.
The frames, borders and emblems in the Celtic Vision package
come from a number of sources, including ancient Celtic manuscripts, Victorian renderings
of classic Celtic designs, and original Celtic designs by Arts & Crafts period artists like Evelyn
Paul and Louis Rhead. The Rhead and Paul borders are particularly interesting, because they
effectively adapt medieval Celtic imagery to formats and page sizes which are still used today.
Many of the graphics included in this package are color renderings of traditional designs. The
package also includes some lovely Celtic initials by Louis Rhead.
Eight fonts are included in the Celtic Vision package. They were
selected for their historical accuracy and general usefulness, while more bizarre fonts
were reserved for the Celtic Fantasy package. The fonts include
the Durrow font, which is an absolutely traditional rendering of Insular Minuscule calligraphy, Glendower
which is based on the most common lettering in the Book of Kells, Knotwork which features fanciful
characters decorated with Celtic knots, Alba which is a modernized text font based on
Celtic uncial lettering, Lindisfarne which is based on a square uncial style, Stonecross
which is derived from Celtic cross and gravestone inscriptions, the decorative Celtic Spirals
font, and the Celtic Borders font which lets you combine key strokes to form unique, fully scalable
decorative borders.
The Celtic Vision package is where you should start your journey into
Celtic design. All of the images are high-resolution (300dpi) and suitable for printing,
and they are licensed to you for use in your design projects. The fonts come in both Postscript
and TrueType formats. The CD is fully compatible with the MacOS and all versions of
Windows. The Celtic Vision CD is only $49 and can be ordered by phone from 1-800-797-8973 or
ONLINE
(<--Click Here). It can also be ordered in combination with our other Celtic packages at
a special discount (see below).
THE CELTIC FANTASY PACKAGE
ur Celtic Fantasy package is the newest addition to our
collection of Celtic resources. It is oriented towards more fanciful approaches
to Celtic design and to Celtic mythology and fairy tales. It features fonts derived from the
Celtic design tradition, but with unusual variations, and a great set of borders and
decorations based
on designs by Arthur Rackham. It also includes a selection of illustrations of Celtic mythology
by several artists. It balances out the more practical contents of the Celtic Vision package
with an assortment of more imaginative and unusual resources.
The frames, borders and emblems in the Celtic Vision package
are mostly drawn from Arthur Rackham's illustrated collections of Irish and British
folk and fairy tales. They include both color and black and white borders, frames and
emblems, including many unique floral and zoomorphic designs. The package also includes
a selection of color and black and white illustrations of scenes and characters from Celtic
myth and legend by artists like Rackham and J. D. Batten who illustrated Joseph Jacobs classic
Celtic mythology books. The Rackham illustrations are of exceptional quality and
incorporate beautiful Celtic design elements which can easily be extracted and used in
your own designs.
Eight fonts are included in the Celtic Fantasy package. They were
selected for their Celtic qualities and visual originality, while more mundane fonts
were reserved for the Celtic Vision package. Many of them are historical, but they are
based on the more fanciful historical lettering styles. The fonts include
Brigida, which is based on Rudolph Koch's interpretation of a squared uncial, Coverack, which is a heavy
non-traditional uncial, Dahaut which is an modernized uncial, Morgow which is
a nice spiral uncial, Teyrnon which is an elaborate spurred uncial, Padstow which
is a heavy uncial with a Gallic influence, Sualtim which is based on 19th century
artists rendering of Celtic lettering and Columba which is a set of decorative initials
based on characters fount in the Book of Kells. These fonts let you take Celtic design a
step beyond to add some real visual impact.
The Celtic Fantasy package is a great resource for fanciful Celtic
design, either on its own or in combination with the Celtic Vision package. All of the images are high-resolution (300dpi) and suitable for printing,
and they are licensed to you for use in your design projects. The fonts come in both Postscript
and TrueType formats. The CD is fully compatible with the MacOS and all versions of
Windows. The Celtic Fantasy CD is only $49 and can be ordered by phone from 1-800-797-8973 or
ONLINE
(<--Click Here). It can also be ordered in combination with our other Celtic packages at
a special discount (see below).
THE BOOK OF KELLS
lso of interest to Celtophiles is our Book of Kells CD. This is a
special compilation of full pages and excerpted design elements from the greatest work of
Celtic illumination. This is the only legal digital source for reusable images from the Book of Kells which
we know of, with extraordinary images based on turn-of-the-century lithographs of the book
which are actually more vivid and in better shape than the Book of Kells is today. The package
is entirely in color, and includes more than 20 full pages plus initials, emblems and borders
which have been taken out and cleaned up for easy use. You can get more details on our
Book of Kells package by going to its own page. Just CLICK HERE
It can also be ordered in combination with our other Celtic packages at
a special discount (see below).
THE LADY OF SHALOTT<
he final item we have which may interest you is our special
CD based on Howard Pyle's illustrated edition of the Lady of Shalott. This is a unique CD
which collects the complete illustrated text and pages of this remarkable rendition of a classic
Arthurian legend. The design has many Celtic elements and is arguably one of the most
influential book designs of the Arts & Crafts period. The CD includes all the illustrations
and decorations plus Pyle's complete decorated text. It is replete with decorative borders,
emblems and unique illustrations. It is a great resource for anyone interested
in Celtic or Arthurian legend. To find out more about this package from its own page, just CLICK HERE
It can also be ordered in combination with our other Celtic packages at
a special discount (see below).
ORDERING CELTIC COLLECTION CDs
You can order any of our Celtic packages by phone or through our
online ordering system. To order by phone just call 1-800-797-8973. To order online go to ONLINE
ORDERING. For alternative ordering methods, use the ordering link to the left.
If your main interest is just fonts or art, we now also offer special smaller packages.
The Celtic Fonts sub-package is only $49 and includes all the fonts from both the Celtic Vision and Celtic Fantasy packages, but no art. The Celtic Art sub-package is $49 and includes
just the art elements from the Celtic Vision and Celtic Fantasy CDs. These can also be ordered by phone from 1-800-797-8973 or online from ONLINE
ORDERING. Unlike the larger CD packages, the fonts-only package can be delivered online through email. For alternative ordering methods, use the ordering link to the left.
You can also order the Celtic Vision and Celtic Fantasy CDs together at a special combination price of
only $89, or add in the Book of
Kells as well for a total of only $129 - saving $20 overall. This combination can be ordered online or by phone.
If you want to try out one of our Celtic fonts, just download the demo
version of our new Padstow font using the link below. The full version can be found on our Celtic CD.
 Download
Owen Jones Borders for Windows (PKZip). Download
Owen Jones Borders for MacOS (StuffIt).
Download
Spiral Initials for Windows (PKZip). Download
Spiral Initials for MacOS (StuffIt).
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