New Font: BigBlok
A great many years ago when working in game publishing I had a real fascination with doing titles in a strong, super-bold font called Bolt Bold. The truth is I rather overused it. In doing some research I find it on more than a dozen different game books I wrote in the early 80s, all quite collectable and out of print today.
Arthur Rackham’s Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens
In 1906 legendary illustrator Arthur Rackham was commissioned to illustrate J. M. Barrie’s prequel to his play Peter Pan. The standard edition features 10 original illustrations, but there was also a very limited edition with 40 additional illustrations which is now extremely rare. Remarkably the tipped in plates are included as an appendix to the regular book consisting of nothing but a portfolio of illustrations separate from the text.
We have collected together and digitized high resolution versions of all of the illustrations in that extended edition of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens which includes some of Arthur Rackhamn’s most fascinating fairy illustrations and a remarkable diversity of themes. These are examples of Rackham’s best work at the absolute height of his talents. The number and quality of these illustrations is unexcelled.
You can order the complete illustration set from Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens for just $59 and you can preview all of the images below. To order now and download the package immediately, just go to our ONLINE STORE and follow the instructions. It’s a fairly large download, but manageable with a high speed connection. All of the illustrations are in high resolution and suitable for printing, with a license allowing their use within our standard restrictions.
Ornamental Borders by George Wharton Edwards
The Victorian tradition of coupling bad literature with great art and decoration has been a rich source of material for us. We found another resource in this tradition in the book A Checked Love Affair written (badly) by Paul Leicester Ford, with some unremarkable illustrations from Harrison Fisher (whose work is showcased in our American Beauties package), but redeemed by a really outstanding set of ornate, decorative borders and emblems by George Wharton Edwards.
We’ve brought these lovely victorian borders together into a special mini-package with four decorative emblems and six high resolution, detailed borders. In addition to 12 large size, high-resolution images it also includes cleaned up and ready to use versions of 10 color borders. The whole collection is available for just $10 and you can order it online from our site in our ONLINE STORE.
E. J. Detmold Arabian Nights Illustrations
E. J. Detmold was an early 20th century illustrator most known for his nature illustrations, particularly of insects, in books like Fabre’s Book of Insects and The Life of the Bee. He also illustrated some fairy tale books, the most notable of which is his illustrated edition of the Arabian Nights with selected stories from the original Fitzgerald text. Detmold’s illustrations are rich in color and detail and include scenes from many of the most popular stories, including several in the Sindbad sequence. You can see richness and detail of the illustrations in the example to the right and the preview below will let you view smaller size samples of the whole set. The illustations also feature impressive decorative borders which can be useful art resources independent of the illustrations (you can see some samples below and to the right).
We’ve collected all of the color illustrations from Demold’s Arabian Nights into a special mini-package. In addition to 12 large size, high-resolution images it also includes cleaned up and ready to use versions of 10 color borders. The whole collection is available for just $10 and you can order it online from our site at: ONLINE STORE.
Celtic Font and Art Collections
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, all of which have been used as sources in our celtic designs. 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 1-512-656-8011 or ONLINE (<--Click Here) with an immediate download.
See the descriptions below for details on our Celtic packages and some samples of the fonts and graphics which are included.
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 1-512-656-8011 or ONLINE (<--Click Here). It can also be ordered in combination with our other Celtic packages at a special discount (see below).
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 Brigidis, 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 1-512-656-8011 or ONLINE
(<--Click Here). It can also be ordered in combination with our other Celtic packages at a special discount (see below).
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).
You can order any of our Celtic packages by phone or through our online ordering system. To order by phone just call 1-512-656-8011. To order online with an immediate download go to ONLINE ORDERING.
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 1-512-656-8011 or online from ONLINE ORDERING.
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 Owen Jones Cletic Borders font using the link below. The full version can be found on our Celtic CD or ordered individually. To try the demo just click on the image below.
Byam Shaw Illustrations for Legendary Ballads
Byam Shaw was one of the outstanding artist illustrators of the Victorian period in England. Stylistically he inherited many of the characteristics of the Pre-Raphaelite and Arts and Crafts artists of the earlier 19th century, putting him in the same category with other late-Victorian artists like Eleanor Fortescue Brickale and William Russell Flint. Shaws illustrations have rich colors and lots of detail. They are realistic while often dealing with legendary or mythical themes.
This mini-collection is our first set of Shaw illustrations. They are taken from the 1909 edition of Legendary Ballads a collection of historical ballads from earlier periods of English history, including some famous ones like “Chevy Chase” and others which are less well known. All ten illustrations from the book are preserved in this collection in high resolution format and large size, well suited for use in print or other projects. You can see samples of all the illustrations below, or click on the image to the right to download the full text of the ballad “The Children in the Wood” with illustration.
This mini-package is just $10 and can be ordered from our ONLINE STORE
The Art of Eleanor Brickdale
Eleanor Fortesque Brickdale was one of the great illustrators of the later Victorian era, even though she is not as well known as some of her male contemporaries. She was strongly influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites like Waterhouse and Millais, and studied with Lord Leighton. Her work also shows the influence of the Art Nouveau period and even the Impressionists, but it remains unique in its combination of modern and classical elements and its extraordinary technical excellence.
Brickdale’s illustrations have many portrait-like qualities, and while they have some similarity in the formal poses and rich color to the work of Sir William Russell Flint, her subjects personalities shine through in a way which Flint’s work never achieved. She also gave many of her images a faux-medieval look with elaborate stylized backgrounds and even painted text frames and decorations. She was particularly adept with images of winged angels and spirits which appear in many of her works.
This new, expanded version of our Brickdale collection draws on all of her major works and includes illustrations for Tennyson’s Idylls of the King, Browning’s Dramatis Personae, Palgrave’s Golden Treasury and a number of other works. Her interpretations of these classic poems of the Victorian and Romantic eras bring to life characters like Sir Lancelot and the Pied Piper in a style which is unique and entrancing. Her work is particularly characterized by the brilliant, lively colors, realistic faces and depictions of angelic figures amid everyday life.
Our Eleanore Brickdale package is available for only $69 and includes a over 100 full-color illustrations in high resolution suitable for use in print, as well as bonus content, including a large selection of black and white borders, marginalia and decorations. As with all of our art packages the images are licensed for you to use in your designs and projects. If you have the older release of the package you can upgrade to the current version for just $25.
The easiest way to get this package is to order it online. To order online, just CLICK HERE .
If you like the Eleanor Brickdale colleciton, you might also like the art of the Pre-Raphaelites and Sir William Russell Flint, who come from the same time period and are similar in style. Just click here to check out the FLINT page or take a look at PRE-RAPHAELITE page instead.
The Fonts of 2012
         
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In 2012 we released 18 new fonts. 14 of these were released as new, “featured” fonts and 4 were special releases as part of packages or promotions. The featured fonts also went out to our Font Club, while several of the special fonts have not even been available for sale until now.
These fonts represent a wide variety of styles derived from all sorts of different inspirations. There are fonts based of classic calligraphy like Cantoria, revivals of antique type like Langdon, fonts based on poster lettering like Rodchenko and completely original designs like St. Ives. There’s something for everyone, from the medieval to the futuristic.
If you missed any of these fonts you can see them sampled here with links to buy them, or you can take advantage of a special offer to buy all of these fonts in a single package at a substantial discount. You can get all 18 fonts for just $69, or you can get them in combination with a one-year FontClub subscription starting in 2013 for just $129.
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Constructivist Fonts Package
Our first new release for 2013 is our collection of Constructivist Fonts based on poster lettering from the early post-revolutionary period in Russia, including designs based on the styles of famous designers of the period like Alexander Rodchenko, Mikhail Vrubel and Sergei Eisenstein. These are typical of the movement which led to Soviet Realism and which influenced design around the world in the 1920s and 1930s. We may disagree with the political ideology of the era, but the lasting influence of these visionary artists can’t be ignored.
While we would never support or endorse an inhumane political system like Communism, especially given our principle’s experience living in Russia during the soviet era, there is an undeniable power to the design ideas which came out of the early days of communism and we hope that people will take those strong ideas and put them to better uses and thereby redeem the work of artists like Rodchenko and Eisenstein.
The package includes six original fonts you won’t find anywhere else – Eisenstein, Rodchenko, Vrubel, Krasny Mir, Death Ray and Structura. They all include full English-language character sets. Complete Cyrillic versions of the fonts will be made available in a later release. All together this font set will give you everything you need to recreate the Constructivist style in poster lettering.
The collection is priced at $49, but as a special introductory offer use the coupon code PETROGRAD to get $10 off the price when you order in our ONLINE STORE.
W. Heath Robinson Chaucer Illos
W. Heath Robinson was one of the most popular and successful illustrators of the late 19th and early 20th century, known for his ability to draw and paint in distinctly different styles and for his unique drawings of complex fantastical machinery. We haven’t been actively adding Robinson works to our library (though we have some excellent collections of his brother Charles’ work in the hopper), but in the course of our acquisition of small-format books of children’s stories from the Tales from Children of Many Lands series from J. M. Dent we did acquire a copy of his illustrated Tales from Chaucer which includes eight excellent illustrations in the same kind of simple style as our previous collections from that series illustrated by Katherine Cameron.
The images in this mini-collection are in a style which is reminiscent of the pre-raphaelite artists of the mid-19th century. The images are great, but there are only 8 of them, so the package is available for just $5 for an inexpensive taste of Robinson’s work. You can order it online from our site at: ONLINE STORE.
Walter Crane Christmas Bonus
As a special treat for customers working on holiday card designs, we’re making available a special mini-package of Christmas-themed images designed by Walter Crane at a tiny, almost minuscule price.
The images are based on Walter Crane’s illustrations for A Book of Christmas Verse by H. C. Beeching, which is a really excellent collection of historical Christmas music including some obscure hymns and carols which you may have forgotten about or never heard of. One of the Christmas carols is one I remember from my childhood which I haven’t heard or seen in years, an untitled carol credited to Bishop Heber which starts out:
Brightest and best of the sons of the morning!
Dawn on our darkeness, and lend us thine aid!
Star of the east, the horizon adorning,
Guide where our Infant Redeemer is laid!
Sure, it’s religious and therefore not for everyone, but the rhythm of the alliterative lyrics is really great poetry.
The mini-package will be included as a bonus item in our Walter Crane package when it eventually comes out, but for Christmas it’s available for purchase and download for just $5, The package includes 10 high-quality woodcut images in Crane’s unique style, perfect for making Christmas cards. You can order it online and download it immediately.
