A document

The Motion of Apology to the Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants.

It was an honour and a privilege.

 Some adjustments had to be made.  The board needed the roll at the base so I could gently slide the vellum around the table as I worked. A sure way not to crease the vellum.

Click on any of the images to enlarge them.

The text block in pen & ink had to be done first. I used Korean stick ink which gives the finest and the crispest letter forms and hairlines with 1.5, 1 & 3/4 Brause nibs. This beautiful piece of calf skin vellum was so delicious to write on, it was calligraphy heaven!

 The penned illuminated initials.

 The penciled Coat of Arms

 

 Detail

 Detail

 Detail of the gilding.

The gilding always comes before any colour so the gold does not stick to the gouache.

 Detail again.

 

A close-up of some of the flourished capitals.

 

  

A swatch must be made for each and every document so the same skin or paper is being used. This is a safeguard and a sure way to know the surface is perfect, or not, for every tool and media used.  I have quite a few swatches now and plan to frame them one day.

 To create the small illuminated letters and the Coat of Arms I work upside down.

 Detail

The finished document. This is not a professional photograph just a snap on my camera, which is why I couldn't get it straight without warping. I can assure you the lines on the document are straight!

The document is approximately 70mm wide x 900mm in length.

 I left the top of the document with it's natural edge.

 FINIS

This manuscript, the
Motion of Apology to the Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants,
will be presented on Friday 16 November in Federal Parliament.
The manuscript will be housed in a sealed specially designed cabinet diagonally opposite the
Apology to Australia's Indigenous Peoples
in Parliament House in Canberra, Australia.

This was an emotional document to tackle. As the creator of the manuscript I had to keep in mind how important the words were, their meaning and their legacy. I tried to make sure I didn't over embellish it just to make a fancy and showy piece of work.  I hope I have done the words justice and hope too that the Forgotten Australians will no longer be forgotten.

Gotta love the tools and the media ... yay!