Calligrapher / Hand-Lettering Artist Needed for English Shahnameh Couplets

We are producing a luxury illustrated English-language edition of the Shahnameh, Ferdowsi’s great Persian epic. For selected passages, we want the English couplets rendered as calligraphic artwork rather than typeset text. This is an initial paid trial. We will provide a sample set of 6 English couplets, and ask you to create one finished calligraphic composition suitable for placement in a high-end art book. The sample couplets are attached, along with a Farsi calligraphy sample showing the kind of visual spirit we like. The final text will be in English, but the Farsi sample is included as a style reference: elegant, disciplined, manuscript-like, serious, and refined. Also attached is an example of what we are trying to achieve, here the example calligraphy is in Farsi (note that we are expecting your sample to be in English, the example is attached to provide more background for our style needs). Trial Deliverable: Create one finished calligraphic artwork using the provided 6 couplets. Final artwork should be: 5 inches × 5 inches Suitable for professional print production Beautiful, readable, and handmade in feeling Delivered as a flattened TIFF Minimum 600 dpi at final size Please also provide any relevant source files, such as: Layered PSD, Procreate, or similar file Vector file, if applicable: AI, EPS, SVG, or PDF High-resolution JPG or PNG preview Transparent-background version Style Direction: We are not looking for generic wedding calligraphy, fantasy lettering, decorative font treatment, or the common “Live, Laugh, Love” plaque style, avoiding casual farmhouse brush script, bouncy modern faux-calligraphy, and home-décor lettering. The work should feel literary, serious, and suitable for a monumental epic poem in a luxury illustrated book. Experience Requested: English calligraphy or hand-lettering Manuscript-style lettering Book arts or fine press work Poetry or literary text layout Ornamental lettering or illuminated manuscript design Preparing calligraphy or line artwork for print Experience with Persian, Islamic, or historical manuscript traditions is a plus, but the calligraphy itself will be in English. Please Include in Your Proposal Examples of English calligraphy or hand-lettering. Whether you work by hand, digitally, or both. Whether you can deliver print-ready TIFF files. Whether you can provide layered or vector source files. Your cost for the 6-couplet trial. Your turnaround time. This is a trial project, but if the work is successful, there will be additional calligraphic passages for the larger book.