Commission Complete: Precision Under Pressure!

Last week, I completed a highly specialised and detailed, large-scale commission—a true test of endurance completed under an extremely tight deadline. The project involved two days of meticulous planning followed by over three days of intense execution. My life was essentially put on pause for six days; the relief of finishing just in the nick of time was immense!
The work was carried out on a large cream sheet of A2 heavyweight watercolour paper. The surface had to be suitable for ink, watercolour paint and acrylics.
The piece integrated several elements: The Dublin City Coat of Arms featuring 2 female figures flanking the central shield, and this was rendered in watercolour paints. The second element was the American Presidential seal featuring an eagle holding an olive branch and arrows, which was painted in acrylic paints. The intricate Celtic border with intertwined animals framed the page, and this was crafted in vibrant Indian inks of gold, green, blue, and red. The main body of the text was scripted with black Indian ink, with the name of the former President highlighted in a rich red Indian ink as the centrepoint of the work.
A Technical Challenge: A significant hurdle was detailing the ultra-fine white stars within the seal, requiring exact precision on a tiny 1.5-inch scale. Traditional nibs and brushes failed to deliver the detail needed, but my wonderful 2nd in command! sourced a technical white pen with an ultra-fine nib—a true game-changer that saved the day.
Blood, sweat, and a few tears were shed in the creation of this piece. It isn’t just pen, ink, and paint on paper, it’s specialised skill, intense labour, and professional dedication — the true cost of professional artistry.