Illustrating London – Ottoman Miniature style

Yunus Emre Institute in London, 10 Maple Street, W1T 5HA, London, UK

This workshop will give participants a thorough understanding of the Ottoman style of making cityscapes and illustrating architecture which was invented by the famous Ottoman painter Matrakçı Nasuh in the 16th century.

The participants will briefly look at illustrations of various Ottoman cities painted by Matrakçı Nasuh and explore the way he transformed three-dimensional architectural structures into two-dimensional miniature paintings.

Participants will be asked to choose from a variety of ready-made London miniature drawings prepared by the tutor and produce their own painted versions. A step by step process will be followed: Tracing the drawing on paper; colour filling; applying liquid gold; burnishing the gold-painted areas with a special stone called Mühre; using a squirrel hair brush for fine detailing.