According to The Book of Kells , the paintings are mainly produced in the colors sienna, purple, lilac, red, pink, green, and yellow. There is a complete absence of the use of gold in the Book of Kells, and the Kells artist seems especially sensitive to this, using the bright yellow of orpiment as a substitute. The paintings positively glow. Where the Lindisfarne artists used simple washes of one pigment, the Kells uses a complicated system of washes of one color over another. The artist possesses an impressive knowledge of the potential of color.
Decorated initials are an integral part of illuminated manuscripts.
Often they are added to the text but somehow remain foreign to it. The Book of Kells is an unparalleled masterpiece because nowhere else do decorated initials form such a constant and important accompaniment to the text, as though they belong to it, grow out of it, mix freely with it. Another striking feature of the Book of Kells is the abundance of decoration that accompanies the text only two pages are without it. The author points out that what s amazing about this fact is that nowhere in the book does the artist copy another drawing each composition is fresh, unique, and innovative. His work is truly unparalleled.