Abecedary to color: K

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K is a peculiar letter; while it was common in ancient Latin, it died out around the beginning of the Common Era,* only to be re-discovered a few centuries later.  It joined the alphabet in the early Middle Ages in northern languages,** although even today it is absent in French, Spanish, and Italian, where it is used only to spell foreign loan-words.    

*Used only occasionally, and then always followed by a letter A.  
**But there is no K in the Book of Kells.  Go figure.  

This K appeared in Learn World Calligraphy,
Margaret Shepherd, Watson-Guptill, 2011

A letter's national identity can be strengthened through color choices. Russian graphic art blossomed in the early 20th century. This letter K can be colored in with its original garish hues (shown at right), or with the softer tones of nostalgia for a folk past popularized by master graphic artist Ivan Bilibin (shown below). 

Check out some examples of Bilibin designs on my Pinterest board An Abecedary to Color.