[Lithrath]

Ah, but the most recent letter example here is worth it. It's very lovely and will probably look quite nice on the parchment. I'd make the green a shade or two darker, if you're sticking with it, just to provide a bit more contrast with the parchment.

Though a blue and red letter might be nice. I'll recolour your sample several times on my own and give you a more informed opinion tomorrow. ^__^

Otherwise I really, really like the vibe of the page and the font you use in the header/titles. The choice to mix the knotwork with a pattern oft seen in the Mediterranean is interesting, but it looks nice so it can be considered a good risk. Makes me think "early Roman monastery" actually.
_________________
Lithrath=Lisa according to Asa, though I respond to Lithy as well
Keeper of Tengu's boots and Alyss' sniffles

[Tinalles]

Ah, you mean the wave-form I'm using as a divider between sections? Yes, that's definitely more commonly thought of as a mediterranean pattern. Irish types used it too, though less commonly. I wanted to use a lock-and-key pattern like this one:



Unfortunately, but the time it got small enough to be used as a divider like that, the details were completely lost. When I made it large enough for the details to be clear, it was much too large and obtrusive. So I figured I'd go with the clear but slightly anachronistic wave pattern instead.

I'm thinking perhaps I'll keep the eel caps for the header, but use the Eileen caps for the body text. Readability of the header isn't such an issue, since it's mostly there to make it clear what site you're on and can be ignored once that's established. Also, the larger size allows the more intricate details of the eels to shine.
_________________
Keeper of The Remnant Minuon (cognomen Lucy, the Eaten One) and the Emissary Caeli

[unimportant]

Would mixing caps make it look a little disjointed? If you kept the color schemes the same than maybe not, but If the eel cap keeps its blue and red and the Eileen caps stayed mainly gold with the green details, it could possibly look a little messy. That said, you never know until you try it ^^.
_________________
If you're reading this, you haven't quite made it to the next post.

[Asa]

Or take out the green in the header, which leaves a connection with the blue in both, even though the top has red.
_________________
Self-styled Forum Grandmother, because I hand out nicknames and hugs whether you want them or not. ^_^

Keeper of the Library and the Gateway to Haven

Nem: "It's the sort of face you just know is getting ready to poke you with something sharp."
BS: "...then insist you eat a brownie."
__________________
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this and all is mended...
Give me your hands if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.

[Tinalles]

Look at it now. I've got:

1) The header using Eel caps and a red link.

2) The body using Eileen caps which have a transparent background, dark green foliage, and letters the same color as the dark blue link that follows them (the gold was much too light for the parchment background).

I like the effect. The Eileen caps are much easier to read than the Eel caps at small sizes. The matching blue letters make it easier to see that the letters go together. The foliage adds a little color, and I get to keep the ornate initial at the top. ^_^

My only real concern is that the Eileen capital F doesn't look like an F:



My brain looks at that and thinks "H". The green leaves look lousy on this olive background. They're much nicer on the parchment. The E and the H for comparison:



I may have to break out a vector editor and do some mix-and-matching. :-Þ
_________________
Keeper of The Remnant Minuon (cognomen Lucy, the Eaten One) and the Emissary Caeli

[Asa]

I like! Now take the green out of the title, and it'll all come together.
_________________
Self-styled Forum Grandmother, because I hand out nicknames and hugs whether you want them or not. ^_^

Keeper of the Library and the Gateway to Haven

Nem: "It's the sort of face you just know is getting ready to poke you with something sharp."
BS: "...then insist you eat a brownie."
__________________
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this and all is mended...
Give me your hands if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.

[Lithrath]

Would something like this be preferable/possible?



Except smoother. The above is a quick edit.

I also highly approve of the blue and green Eileen caps.

[unimportant]

The blue, I think, works very well!
_________________
If you're reading this, you haven't quite made it to the next post.

[Squeeself]

While the F is not that great, Squee thinks that'll work out a lot better.

Squee wonders who designed that font...Squee gives them an F in typography for that kind of mistake...

Feel free to shoot Squee for bad puns too.

[Tinalles]

It's okay, I fixed it! Here are the E, the F, and the old F side-by-side for comparison:



First, I made a 900 by 900 pixel block containing the original F, and proceeded to trace it in a vector graphics program (InkScape):



Each of the little diamonds and squares you see there is a "node" defining one point along a line, so that I can adjust the shape by dragging them around or by dragging the "bezier handles" that define the vector the line follows as it leaves each node.

That took ... uh, three hours, since I placed and adjusted all the nodes by hand. There were 193.

Once I had that, I superimposed the result over a matching 900x900 pixel copy of the E:



Then it was a matter of adjusting the nodes in the F until they matched the shape defined in the E underneath them. First the hook of the F up top:



Note that I made the top of the F follow the line defined by the top of the E, and down to the same point as in the E. But I retained the break in the F shape where a vine crosses it.

Then the bar of the F down below:



I had to offset the E image underneath the vectorized F for this step. In order to make the stem of the cross-bar line up, I had to move it 32 pixels right and 16 pixels up. Then it was a matter of tracing the E shape as before. Also, there was a vine that in the original had been split up by the descender from the F's hook; in my revised version I connected its two halves to one another to form a whole vine. The final SVG version of the F had 185 nodes, as I had to delete a few to eliminate the line connecting the hook and the bar.

Yay! ^_^
_________________
Keeper of The Remnant Minuon (cognomen Lucy, the Eaten One) and the Emissary Caeli

[Asa]

Oh! Your 'new F' image at the top of your post shows the old F. I was confused.
_________________
Self-styled Forum Grandmother, because I hand out nicknames and hugs whether you want them or not. ^_^

Keeper of the Library and the Gateway to Haven

Nem: "It's the sort of face you just know is getting ready to poke you with something sharp."
BS: "...then insist you eat a brownie."
__________________
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this and all is mended...
Give me your hands if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.

[Tinalles]

Your web browser probably cached a copy of the F the first time you saw it and didn't bother to check for an updated version. Try doing a hard refresh -- control + R will do it in IE, or control + shift + R in most other browsers.
_________________
Keeper of The Remnant Minuon (cognomen Lucy, the Eaten One) and the Emissary Caeli

[Lithrath]

The new F is beautiful, but three hours? o.O

Tinman, your patience and dedication astounds me.
_________________
Lithrath=Lisa according to Asa, though I respond to Lithy as well
Keeper of Tengu's boots and Alyss' sniffles

[Asa]

I don't like it... it looks deformed. Sorry!
_________________
Self-styled Forum Grandmother, because I hand out nicknames and hugs whether you want them or not. ^_^

Keeper of the Library and the Gateway to Haven

Nem: "It's the sort of face you just know is getting ready to poke you with something sharp."
BS: "...then insist you eat a brownie."
__________________
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this and all is mended...
Give me your hands if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.

[JackAce]