I love this! I think it’s been blogged before but I found it in my old files as I was having a little tidy up and it made me smile to see it again.
A calligraphy poem for Jennifer Allan, with a tropical rainforest inspired border design. Jen sent me photographs of some flora and fauna to include, and gave me free rein to create something bright and inspiring.
This commission is unusual in style, as we were asked to create a decorative letter without any gilding or silver leaf. The border design was also a very specific request and colours were very much prescribed for us (mint green and grey to match a wedding theme).
There are very subtle calla lilies in the swirly border / corner decoration, just done as line drawings in the grey ink.
Calligraphy is handwritten as with all our work, in classic italic lettering.
I’m often asked how we wrap our calligraphy poem commissions, so I thought a blog post showing you some examples would be useful to have to refer to. It’s really important to me that when you receive your calligraphy commission it looks special and exciting even before you open it!
We’ve always gift-wrapped our calligraphy poems – they’re rolled, wrapped with a luxury handmade paper in a colour to complement your chosen design, and tied with a ribbon. Every (unframed) calligraphy commission is sent in a sturdy postal tube to arrive with you in pristine condition.
This calligraphy poem was commissioned as a wedding day gift.
With rich autumnal reds and golds creating a strong swirling border design, this calligraphy gift became a firm favourite of mine and was a popular choice for new commissions in the following weeks.
The calligraphy style used is classic italics, and as with all our work this piece was written entirely by hand with traditional calligraphy tools: a dip pen with a metal nib, gouache paints and 22 carat genuine gold leaf.
Find out more about ordering calligraphy poems here: calligraphy-uk.com/calligraphy-gifts
I’m often asked to write Shakespeare’s sonnet 116 as a calligraphy gift for weddings, anniversaries and special occasions.
The calligraphy style used is classic italic calligraphy. Rather than gold leaf, we used real silver for the illuminated letter and highlights in the swirly border design.
This is a contemporary design to fit a wedding theme of aqua and hot pinks. It was a refreshing style for this piece, which we usually write in italic or gothic calligraphy lettering, with red and gold illustration and 22 carat gold leaf gilding.
