LOVE: A Meaningful Piece from a Father

When a thoughtful father reached out to me about creating a special piece for his daughter, I knew right away it would be a meaningful project. Commissions like these remind me how lucky I am to be entrusted with such personal and sentimental work. He wanted to commemorate his daughter and son-in-law’s first wedding anniversary with a piece featuring an excerpt from his wedding speech—without realizing that paper is the traditional gift for this milestone! When I mentioned the coincidence, he laughed, delighted by the serendipity already woven into the gift.

As with all my custom projects, we started with a conversation. I always take time to understand the deeper story behind each commission because the details make a piece truly personal. When I asked about his daughter, one theme kept coming up: “She loves sunflowers and fall.” That became the heartbeat of the design.

Next, we selected a script style for the text. I presented several options, each with its own personality, and he chose my Pointed Pen Italics. This elegant yet approachable style is a favorite for its legibility while still maintaining an air of sophistication. (For my fellow calligraphers: this isn’t a traditional historical hand but rather my own adaptation of Italic Hand for the pointed flexible nib.)

The real magic happened with the border painting. I find that the best work emerges when clients provide just enough guidance to inspire creativity but trust me to bring the vision to life in my style. With sunflowers and autumn as my guiding themes, I spent time sketching, adjusting, and refining. Designing this way requires a level of trust from my clients, which is why I always show examples of past work before accepting a commission. When that trust is there, it allows for a natural creative flow—and the best results.

The final piece featured his heartfelt speech in Pointed Pen Italics, framed by a hand-painted border of golden sunflowers, rich autumn leaves, and warm seasonal tones. Every detail was chosen to reflect the love and joy he wanted to express to his daughter on this special occasion.

ABOUT MY PROCESS

The only preview my client saw was this loose mockup of my ideas. (A quick note for my fellow calligraphers: My mentor, Master Penman Harvest Crittenden, gave me a great piece of advice—never present design concepts until you’ve secured a non-refundable deposit. While rare, unless you have payment in hand, there’s always the risk of a client taking your design concept elsewhere to a lower bidding calligrapher.)

Once I’m ready to bring a design to life and actually touch paper, my process follows a structured approach:

1. Drafting the guidelines for text placement using the Layout Liner. Sketching the text in pencil to ensure balance and accuracy.

2. Designing and penciling in the border elements.

3. Inking the text and the border drawing. (I prefer to ink the artwork in a sepia or gray instead of black. Here, I used the 003 Sepia Micron which I've only found available in this multi-pack.)

4. Painting the border and adding gold leaf or metallic accents, depending on the client’s budget. 

My creative process isn’t always glamorous—honestly, there are stages where the piece looks quite plain or even messy before it all comes together. Because of this, I prefer not to share in-progress images with clients, as it can be difficult to visualize the final outcome. Instead, I wait until the completed piece has been delivered before sharing any behind-the-scenes glimpses. The only ones who see my work mid-process are my husband and kids as they pass by my desk in the dining room! I’ve found that keeping the creative momentum uninterrupted leads to the best results and a more enjoyable experience for everyone.

For the title, I drew inspiration from a typeface with floral vine blocks around each letter. I modified the design, adding freehand vines and a deep red background to make the 23.5k gold leaf pop. The letters themselves were raised gilding using Harvest’s Gilding Gesso, while the surrounding border featured flat gilding with Ormoline. (If you’re interested in learning gilding techniques, Harvest offers an excellent class: Gilding: Traditional to Modern Techniques.)

I painted this piece using a combination of pan and tube watercolors, along with watercolor pencils for finer details. In the border, I used Moonlight and Prosecco from the Neutrals Set of The Creative Kinds artisan inks. For the final touch to tie the piece together, I introduced a soft pastel wash in warm yellow to ground the design. Originally, I extended the pastel background beyond the gold border, but after stepping back, I decided to erase it slightly to create a cleaner effect. If you're curious about my pastel techniques, I offer a free mini-course on Soft Pastel Washes.

Custom pieces like this remind me why I love what I do. These aren’t just decorative works; they are heirlooms, stories, and emotions captured on paper. And in this case, even the medium itself carried meaning, tying tradition and sentiment together beautifully.

To see more of my work: https://www.kestrelmontes.com/
To contact me for a quote: [email protected]