Commissioned Calligraphy Work: Song Lyrics for Home Decor

Commissioned Calligraphy Artwork

This was a really cool project that I worked on around my "calligraphy vacation", which is defined as the period of the year September-December, where couples are all busy getting engaged. (My busy season for calligraphy starts in January - when all the planning begins!)

This woman reached out to me a few months back looking to complete a project for her home - her husband is a song writer, so she commissioned me to create 18 complete pieces featuring lyrics and song artists in calligraphy on scroll paper that she provided.

From the Beatles to Kanye West, this project was a blast! She placed each of the completed pieces - around 7"x10" in size - in frames and used them as really personal home decor accents. Makes a great gift idea if you are looking for something personal for the songwriter or musician in your life - also a great wedding gift idea for the couples first dance! Shoot me a convo to get started today.

Wedding Ceremony Calligraphy: Certificate of Marriage

Custom Wedding Ceremony Calligraphy Document

 In the throes of wedding calligraphy season, I took a chance on a custom project and am SO glad that I did! A couple approached me in July of this year to commission a custom Commitment to Marriage document in calligraphy. There were a few elements that they were looking for in their document, and I've included a few images of the finished product: (Visit the Ash Tree Calligraphy Facebook Page to see more images!)

1) Lines for Guests' Signatures. The purpose of the wedding document was not only to write down vows that the couple promised each other, but for guests to participate in the ceremony by signing as witnesses and promising to support the couple in their marriage.

For this couple, it required about 117 lines - one for each guest. Though they initially wanted 3 columns of lines, we were actually able to fit the right amount of space with exactly 4 columns instead.

2) Color Palette. After consulting with the groom, we discussed that brown ink with tones of green would best match their wedding colors - and I recommended using a light cream color paper, as the colors would look best.

I was able to incorporate all of these colors in different areas of the wedding document  - including "illuminating" the first letter of a few lines with the green accent over the brown.

3) Illustrations. After a previous illustration of the California coastline I did last season for a destination save-the-date, this was another request to place a design element in addition to calligraphy on the document - and as an artist, I'm always up for that challenge!

Involve guests in your ceremony with their signatures!

We looked at three stock images of trees that the couple liked, and I used those as inspiration to create my own - tying in all of the document colors of brown and shades of green. The tree was meant to be a simple accent, while also representing the strength and sturdiness of their marriage. They opted for two identical, mirrored trees on each side of the top of their document.

There was also a slight flourish to graphically separate the signatures of the couple to the promises of the guests - I used the darker green tone to tie into the document and added leaf elements.

4) Size. Lastly, this document was also the largest I've created to-date! The final finished project was about 15" x 22" in size - I provided the paper to make sure it was archival and could withstand the test of time. I also recommended that once it is framed and matted, placing documents such as this in areas of little natural sunlight to decrease the chances of fading.

Looking for your own custom calligraphy project? Shoot me an email about what's on your mind for design, and let's get to work!

The David - Pastel Drawing

Just for fun, but check out my commissioned artwork offerings

I finally broke down during the tax-free weekend in August and bought myself a nice set of new pastels: they are pretty expensive, and I haven't used them since living in Italy, where my bag was so packed on the way home that I had leave them there. While they were well - used, the case was broken and I had to make a choice. 

But it was fun to break them out again. It's interesting that I've always favored the soft pastel, but think they are so powdery. They are really forgiving if you want to layer on color if you change your mind, but you have to be careful about muddying up an image with blending. 

So I got a picture of The David from Florence - one with a different perspective - and did a quick sketch out with my pastels, feeling out the contours of his muscles and face without much blending. I kind of liked the texture of no blending anyway...how it feels really quick and strong. It obviously is not finished and I only focused on the cool parts of the image rather than the whole thing (big artist no-no), but what matters is that I am drawing again. 

I have done commissioned pastels in the past, so if you're looking to do something with a creative spin, I'd love to talk to you. Pricing varies on project and size, and you can read more about my commissioned work here. Working with people on creative projects like this is always the best! Shoot me an email to get started!

Charcoal Drawings of Wedding Photos

Commissioned Charcoal Drawings, $100 each

In June of 2011, my best friend got married to the love of her life. It's hard to believe that now over a year has gone by, and even harder that she's not around. She has since moved to Texas, and I'm still in Boston - so between student loans and her moving expenses, it's been tough not seeing each other for so long.

The year she got married, I saw her a good 3 times in a year period - which was awesome! Now that we have gone back to the distance, I miss not being able to hang out. So on their anniversary, I picked out one of their wedding photos (their hands with their new wedding rings) and did a sketch in charcoal of it. I matted and framed it, then shipped it off as a surprise wedding gift / housewarming gift for them about a month ago.

Commission your own drawing - Add Matt + Frame for extra $20

I really do love working on these pieces, with thought and meaning behind it. If you think about it, your wedding photos are memories that will last forever. They are beautiful images, and are great resources to use after your wedding as special gifts to family members or to use as thank-you notes.

For wedding calligraphy brides, another unique way that you can your images is to have one of significant meaning translated into a piece of art. It's a great way to add another perspective to your big day, through the eyes of an artist. This makes a great piece for your new home, and with the charcoal technique, the classic black-and-white charcoal look will match any decor - and look great in any room!

Not the bride? These charcoal wedding drawings make great gifts for bridesmaids or the maid of honor to give to the bride as a wedding gift, or make a fabulous and thoughtful 1-year anniversary present for the couple. It's a great way to say how you remember their big day: how much fun you had, an how meaningful it was for you to be a part of it.

Above is the original image, printed off and bit creased from working on it. Any .JPEG file or link will do for this project. Commissioned charcoal pieces are a flat $100 each, for a standard 8"x10" image, unframed. You can also do a framed or matted only option for an additional cost (approx. $20), and I'd be happy to ship right to the couple with a note from you!

Just some food for thought - the holidays are right around the corner, and you'll need something for the new Mr. & Mrs.! Contact me to get started :)

Beach Wedding Gift Ideas: Swarovski Crystal Flip Flop Necklaces

Swarovski Flip Flop Necklaces, contact me to order

This was such a fun commissioned project to work on! This woman came into the 6 In the Shipyard store earlier in the summer and noticed my latest antiqued silver flip flop necklaces embellished with real Swarovski crystals. She liked them so much that she commissioned three necklaces as gifts for her daughter's flower girls in her upcoming wedding.

The custom handmade necklaces were for her daughter's wedding colors were a beautiful lime green and deep purple colors. I was able to get the exact color match of the crystals, and they came out perfect! The three girls were a set of twins and a six-year old, so the twins received flip flops with a bright green center stone and purple bands, while the oldest received a deep purple center stone with the lime green bands.

If you are interested in commissioning some flip flop necklaces for a wedding or as a customized gift, contact me on how to get started!

Commission Drawing for Birthday

Remember my charcoal drawing I did of Papa and I last month? Well, after seeing it at my graduation party, (mom framed it. And I think stole it.) a family friend commissioned me to do a drawing of her two daughters for their father's birthday. I've known the girls forever, so I have to admit I was a bit nervous drawing them - would I be able to capture who they were? Could I make the drawing actually look like them? The last drawing was for fun: this one meant business.


I loved how this came out. Better yet, I loved having an excuse to draw again: I haven't too much since I graduated: and even then, my last semester of art school I didn't take any drawing classes. I also LOVE drawing people!

So here is the original picture (it's very hard taking a photograph of a photograph, P.S.) Do you think I got close? On the day I started working on this, I lost power in my apartment. At 4:00 pm. So it was fine, as I had window light. Then it got dark. I tried the ye-olde drawing thing with a candle, but that didn't last long. But I'm sure it would have been funny to watch if I wasn't so pissed about it that I had to stop what I was doing.

Anyway, this really is a cool, unique gift idea, and I've been doing drawings like this (commissioned and for fun) for years. If you're interested to find out more or to talk about pricing, email me!

Oh yeah - and for those who roll their eyes at those who go to "art school", I seem to be doing a damn good job now that I'm out. And I had a delicious breakfast this morning: not even starving at all...;)