The Place des Vosges is my favourite place in Paris, perhaps even one of my favourite places in the world. When my boyfriend proposed to me there, we decided to commission a watercolour sketch of it by the lovely Frances Ives for the wedding invitations. I’m going to frame the original – my first piece of commissioned art, how grown up!
After researching various different invitation options I realised if you have a beautiful, unique image, you can print some simple postcards very cheaply. I have some friends who are freaks for paper thickness and weight, but I personally think it’s worth investing in the perfect, personal illustration and cutting costs on the actual printing.
Frances’ style is quite flexible and she’s a genius for putting your ideas onto paper. I love her loose, pretty watercolour sketches (she even adapted the colours to the tones in my bouquet!), but another friend of mine commissioned a more detailed painting of a Spanish building (above) which was also beautiful.
Frances did a degree in Illustration at Kingston University in London, and takes commissions starting at £50. Her website is currently under construction, but you can see some more examples of her work on her blog. Contact her on frances@francesives.com for more information.
