An illuminated letter was usually the first letter of a page or paragraph. It was always enlarged and the images used to enhance the letters included animals, plants, and mythological creatures. First get the pupils to look at examples of illuminated letters and discuss the features and how ornate they are. Next, get them to plan their own letter on an A3 sheet and once they are happy they can draw out neat and go around them in sharpies. Finally use watercolours to bring them to life with some gold and silver pens for finishing touches. They look good mounted onto some black card.