I was recently commissioned to create a document to honor a person for their contributions. I have done many of these before, so nothing really unusual. However, they specified that I had to incorporate a Chestnut tree, so I got out the watercolors and did the illustration first (as you can see from my process photos below.) You can see more of these projects on my website here, or there are a few posted on Behance. There is a great deal of craft needed when doing originals…one must have ink at right consistency, pens sharp but not too sharp, flourishes and writing all have risk…and the challenge is that there is no "command Z". If I were to badly mispell some wording or spatter ink, well…you are not only throwing away the calligraphy, but all of the other work already completed. There is an element of being a surgeon! I always exhale when it is finally done, approved and packed up or framed; up to that point, the piece is vulnerable to a f*#k-up. Another observation: when you design something like this, the feeling you have is that you're almost done. However, you have really just begun! The work is archival, which means that only permanant, quality materials are used on acid-free paper. I ground my own sumi ink and pens are always prepared on a sharpening stone and very fine abrasive paper. The parts with writing get a light dusting of gum sandac. So, no markers and nothing digital. I love the expressive side of calligraphy, but I still have enormous respect for the craft side of this artform. Read Johnston's "Writing, Illuminating & Lettering" if you are curious about this process. Thank you for reading.
I have also included a few other projects that are similar
