Irissa and Maxwell chose the work of our newest hand lettering artist, Ted Clausen, for their hand calligraphy save the dates. Classic black letterpress on our luxurious 3-ply paper complimented the petite A5 size and metallic opal envelope liner.
letterpress ink: black | hand calligraphy: traditional + full flourish styles | paper: bella smooth cotton 3-ply white | envelope: bella cotton white pointed flap | metallic liner: opal | Bella Figura NYC | customization #36689
We keep our calligraphers pretty busy, but they work on some really cool projects on their own time. Our newest calligrapher, Ted Clausen, had the honor of contributing to the nation’s Christmas Tree at the White House! He worked on site for two days to create a hand calligraphed ribbon and sixty ornaments that adorned the tree in the Blue Room.
“The fine folks at Rafanelli Events, working with the White House, came up with the idea to wrap the tree with a ribbon on which I wrote out the Preamble to the Constitution,” says Ted. “In addition, they asked me to write out tweets from family members to troops serving overseas. These tweets were written on round mirrored ornaments and hung on the tree.”
“I think the effect was impressive; as you walked in you first noticed the large writing on the ribbon, and after walking around the tree to read a few more of the words you suddenly realized what the text was. Then, as you looked closer you saw the handwritten and personal tweets. The more formal values are offered by the preamble and the more personal statements are related by the tweets to those who are serving to uphold those values. It was a moving experience to be a part of.”
To read more about Ted’s work on the White House Christmas Tree, check out this Boston Globe article.
We are thrilled to welcome calligrapher Ted Clausen to the Bella Figura family and introduce two of our newest designs featuring his hand lettering. Ted spent a number of years studying with a long list of impressive and generous teachers, including Lloyd Reynolds, Herman Zapf, J. Savaren, D. Dehn, and Donald Jackson, scribe to Her Majesty the Queen. He studied typeface design in this country and at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Basel, Switzerland. “I worked for a number of years designing type before ultimately deciding to leave the ‘constructed letter’ in favor of the handwritten one,” says Ted. “And that’s where I still am, still learning, still liking your ‘M’ better than mine, and still loving the act of watching that pen dance across the paper.”
Ted’s Middleton suite is perfectly polished and the epitome of traditional elegance. Graceful hand calligraphy letterpress printed in classic black with the deepest impression is complimented by a gold foil stamped liner printed on a metallic paper for a truly royal presentation.
On our Viola design, we paired Ted’s calligraphy with a timeless font for a look that feels classic but not stuffy. We printed on our ultra thick 3-ply smooth cotton paper and added a vintage print liner from our library for added drama and sophistication.
Ted is available to address envelopes and place cards, too – how gorgeous does his lettering look on our new colored papers and envelopes? You can contact Ted directly for scheduling and pricing.
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