A really nice exercise of artistic license!—any eventual heirs who may not share an obsession for the sea can, consistent with the blazon, use any of the many conventional variations of ermine spots; but for the Navy guy, the anchor version is a great idea.
And for those who just can’t wait for Andrew to colorize his own artwork—colored pencils will give you a fair idea, though not of course to Andrew’s standard.
Kathy McClurg;88309 wrote:
:rolleyes: I think the Naval Ermine spots look like anchors ...
Here’s my Dad’s arms.
http://jamiesongallery.com/choward2011.html
What I like about Andy’s black and white line drawings is that they really show off his training and skill. You can hide a lot of mistakes by entertaining the eye with color but to really create a masterpiece the bare bones must be good…i.e…the artist must know how to draw EXTREMELY well.
Michael F. McCartney;88329 wrote:
And for those who just can’t wait for Andrew to colorize his own artwork—colored pencils will give you a fair idea, though not of course to Andrew’s standard.
Michael, I said I can’t wait to see the colored version of arms but I wouldn’t dare to turn Master’s design into ‘color-in’ or ‘dot to dot ’ sheet.BTW, how often did you encounter in your life real kid’s coloring books with truly heraldic stuff specially designed for this purpose?
Kathy McClurg;88309 wrote:
:rolleyes: I think the Naval Ermine spots look like anchors ...
Kathy, that was my point.
Michael F. McCartney;88329 wrote:
A really nice exercise of artistic license!—any eventual heirs who may not share an obsession for the sea can, consistent with the blazon, use any of the many conventional variations of ermine spots; but for the Navy guy, the anchor version is a great idea.
And for those who just can’t wait for Andrew to colorize his own artwork—colored pencils will give you a fair idea, though not of course to Andrew’s standard.
Michael, you are not the first who wanted to reach for the coloured pencils !(actually I use them quite a lot for rough designs but don’t tell any one ) ;-D I would hope that Mikes descendants will want to keep the ‘Anchor Ermines’ and that they will be proud to have had a Dad, Grandfather etc that served his country. I will probably devise another set of ermine for his Grant painting.
<sigh> yeah, Andy - note the roilling eyed blue thingy… <sarcasm>
Besides, now on your FB page you can call me an "expert" :p
Andy, I think that is just a subtle expression of Kathy’s sense of humor.
Superb drawing, and I agree that the black and white version says a lot
about skill of the artist.
Joseph McMillan;88295 wrote:
http://www.americanheraldry.org/pages/index.php?n=Registration.Foreign#toc27
When the College of Arms grants honorary arms to an American of proven-British descent, are those arms grated to the ancestor and then cadenced down to the present applicant (as I think is done in Scotland), or are the arms granted anew to the applicant as an original armiger?
I am sorry to join this discussion so late, as the arms in question, are mine! I am thrilled to have my achievement painted by Andy. I worked with him, particularily on the crest, while I was stationed in Germany last year. The winged sea-lion represents my military service (air-sea-land)... when I was a teenager, I served in the Civil Air Patrol (USAF Aux), then I enlisted in the US Army and served for 15 years before accepting a commission as a naval intelligence officer, where I served largely with SEAL teams!
The anchor is a clear allusion to the naval service, but also a Christian symbol of ‘hope’... I did, for a short time, study to become a Catholic priest and my faith is important to me. In fact, the motto is taken from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans where he asks, "who will separate us from the love of God?" The motto, "Quis Separabit" is also used as the motto of the now defunct Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick; the Connaught Rangers (a maternal ancestor of mine fought with the CRs in the First World War); and the Irish Guards (a regiment I very nearly joined… since as a dual US/Irish citizen, I qualify to serve in the UK Armed Services). Finally, I have chosen the epistle from which this motto is derived as a reading in my up-coming wedding!
The arms are based, though significantly differenced, on a blazon granted to a distant family relation whom I am not a direct descendant of. I worked with the Lancaster Herald at the College to find a way to honour my ancestor’s arms while keeping mine distinct and unique, hence the blazon before you.
I am not British, per se, but rather Irish (and damn proud of it too!). I qualify for a British grant as my grandparents were born subjects of King Edward VII (albeit in Ireland). So there you have it. I hope that helps answer some questions.
Andy, I cannot wait to see what you have instore for the nautical border!!! Cheers!
A quick correction on the blazon, if I may… The crest: "a naval crown [Or]" and the anchor is also Or, not Gules.
mquigley;88382 wrote:
A quick correction on the blazon, if I may… The crest: "a naval crown [Or]" and the anchor is also Or, not Gules.
Sorry Mike, I obviously posted some of the old blazon from the original e-mail….
steven harris;88352 wrote:
When the College of Arms grants honorary arms to an American of proven-British descent, are those arms grated to the ancestor and then cadenced down to the present applicant (as I think is done in Scotland), or are the arms granted anew to the applicant as an original armiger?
They are granted (honorarily) to the applicant.
No worries, mate… it did go through several drafts.
mquigley;88389 wrote:
No worries, mate… it did go through several drafts.
Just curious Mike. Do you like the stars better than the one star? I think I liked it better before…can’t decide really. Don’t guess they gave you and Andy a choice though.
Hi Ce,
OK… that sounds like the old fruit juice drink we had as kids… remember?
Anyway… I think I do like the stary wings better than the one star before. It has a very American feel and somehow represents my service in the US Armed Forces, where the estoile was a random charge of no real significance. Both look great, but in the end, I think the semee of mullets (star-spangled) wings are best. I hope they grow on you. My fiancee (sp?) also said… "it looks too Hollywood now!" But in the end, I made a convincing argument for the stary wings and we just love it!