“Celtic Knots” with Mark Donnelly

Hiberno-Saxon Knots, more commonly known as Celtic Knots, date from around the 5th to the 9th centuries. The Celts did not invent knot work as many cultures around the world used some sort of lacework as part of their art. It was, however, the Irish and Anglo-Saxon monastic scriptoriums that took the knot work to the peak of artistic excellence that we know today.

In this workshop we will explore a number of different methods to create knots from the simple to the more complex. Then we will apply the new learned techniques to a project of your own choice or recreate one from one of the many examples available from the great manuscripts.

Materials:

All you really need is a pencil, eraser, ruler and paper.

But it’s also good to have –

• pencil sharpener if you are using a traditional pencil
• additional leads if you are using a mechanical pencil
• a couple of different lead hardnesses such as HB, 2B (helps but not obiligatory)
• a smooth textured paper (photocopy paper is fine) OR hot press paper if you are going to use watercolours or gouache

If you want to colour your knotwork –

• colour pencils, watercolours or gouache