The 9th illustration in Tudor Queens and Consorts is a fun escape into the medieval fantasy world of beasts and dragons. This drawing is based on a page from Petrus Carmeliano’s Suasoria laeticiae, a court poem that celebrates the birth of Prince Arthur Tudor and the end of the civil war. The finished drawing in our book highlights the botanical drawings and quite closely depicts the one dragon we see in the original. The two other dragons are from my own imagination! I’ve included one of my sketch images below so you can see how I begin each page with very rough pencil lines. From that point, I use my light table to trace the rough sketch with a fine black ink pen on marker or Paris paper. Read More
This next illustration in Tudor Queens and Consorts features Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, based on carved reliefs found in a preserved cupboard known as the “Sudbury Hutch.” The original hutch is on display in the chapel of St James’ Church in Louth, Lincolnshire. It was a gift from the vicar, Thomas Sudbury, circa 1500. Portrait cabinets such as these continued in popularity throughout the time of Henry VIII and throughout the 16th c. Read More
Our next page to colour to Tudor Queens and Consorts is inspired by this late sixteenth-century portrait of Elizabeth of York.
There are a few different versions of this portrait, one of which I spotted at Hampton Court Palace, but the pose and the famous white rose of York are similar across each.
I saved one of the rough sketches of this page to show you my starting stage for making a colouring page. You can see it is a quick sketch with the fabric pattern as a completely separate image. Read More
This 6th illustration from Colouring History: Tudor Queens and Consorts showcases the family of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. The original inspiration comes from the illuminated manuscript, ‘The Ordinances of the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception’, dating from March 1503. Read More
For our next look at the pages in Tudor Queens and Consorts, I’m skipping the 3rd illustration (which is a lovely pattern) and instead moving on to a more historically dynamic piece. The book is laid out in chronological order so now we find ourselves witnessing the marriage of Elizabeth Woodville and Edward IV. The original inspiration comes from this page in a late 15th c. book by Jean de Wavrin called Chronicles d’Angleterre. Read More
The second illustration in Tudor Queens and Consorts depicts Elizabeth Woodville in her coronation robes. The original manuscript page is found in the Guild Book of the London Skinners’ Fraternity of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Read More
We're delighted to share our newest addition to the Colouring Tudor History shop - drink coasters! Sip in style fit for a queen with these vibrantly coloured illustrations from the Colouring History: Tudor Queens and Consorts and The Tudors. Six coasters in each set feature portraits of Henry VIII, Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Anne of Cleves, Elizabeth I, and Mary I. Read More
Now that we’ve explained a little bit about the cover design, we are ready to share the process behind each page of Colouring History: Tudor Queens and Consorts. The book begins with a classic “This Book Belongs to” page. Most coloring books have them and it’s also fitting that this keepsake can be claimed just as one might mark a treasured Medieval manuscript. From the Middle Ages through the Renaissance, illuminated manuscripts were painstakingly created by a team of highly skilled craftsman and artists, beginning with the parchment maker, continued by the scribe, illuminator, and finished by the binder. Read More
On January 15, 1559, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth I took place in Westminster Abbey. I’ve always loved this portrait of Elizabeth I and was thrilled when Natalie chose it for one of the pages in Tudor Queens and Consorts. Not only is it a beautiful interpretation of the young queen, but the composition and intricate details translate nicely to a colouring page.
… AND HOW ABOUT A NECKLACE TOO? Read More
This very first post is about the cover of Tudor Queens and Consorts. (Yes, I’m going in order, one page at a time). With our first book, The Tudors, it was almost a no-brainer to have the Tudor rose on the cover. When we decided to make book #2, we wanted to emphasize that this book was going to be a deeper look at some of the most famous women of the Tudor court. Thoughout art history, most portraiture includes symbolism about the person and the life that they led, or aimed to lead. We wanted to bring this concept of symbolism to demonstrate what our book is all about. Read More