My stepdaugther and her fiance are graduating from school next May. As my graduation gift I am thinking in a CoA for Brian (Registration included of course). His father was adopted and no much of family history and I am saying this with the utmost respect since he is a true gentelman but when I was sitting last night thinking in what elements should go in his arms my first thought went to his family history.
Talking with him I found out that he will prefer to have something truly his and start hisw own heraldic tradition.
He is graduating from Catholic University and with a major in Politics. He is a devouted catholic and very commited with his family. I think that his strongest vitues are perseverance, selfrestrain, altruism and honesty.
So this is my first "Draft"
Please consider this as a design blue print since I will commission with some heraldic artist…
It didn’t go that well since I was using MS PAint and din’t go well
Anyway here it is. Any comment welcome
Hi Aurelio,
I must say that personally I don’t care for unicorns as charges. They look nice as supporters, but on a shield a unicorn just reminds me of a fantasy shield you might see in the Society of Creative Anachronisms (SCA).
But that’s just me.
I would like to try removing the unicorn and repositioning the cross crosslett fitchee Sable to center point, aligned with the other two. That might prove to be a simpler—and more "anciently authentic" (trademark pending :D )—design.
Regards,
—Guy
Well Being and American and All, and with him wanting to start his own heraldic tradition and such, you may want to take some of the american charges we were talking about over on another thread. I think this might be the perfect time to incoorporate them into the design.
A mustang, Bison (or buffalo as I have always heard them called) come to mind. I notice you’re from Vegas, what about something like a suarro (swarro?) cactus if he’s from the area? Maybe a different symbol of where he grew up (for example If I wanted to show my Coloradoness i’d probably put a columbine on my shield)
BTW I love the flauches… a good design that only needs some minor tweaking IMO
AVD wrote:
Like this?
Yes. It’s nice and simple; I’d never mistake it for something Papal.
Hmmmmm….. the Or portion sorta reminds me of a Chalice. Makes me want to hear, "Hic est enim calix Sanguinis mei…."
—Guy
Guy: Hahahaha. You are way too funny. I was thinking more in "Ludates Domine…"
Colin: He is not Vegean. He is a goo catholic boy from New Jersey
- Not a baseball bat since him does not like the game at all
- Vison, tepee and other native american seems little bit out of question since him seems very, how to say thi, caucasian or nordic.
Any other ideas (flora or fauna form New Jersey) Violet? Pines?
I thought about a horse since is N.J.‘s State animal but is too close to me since I am dressage rider so I change it for a Unicorn who is symbolic of some of his virtues.
I will try something with wolves and bald eagle. Let’s see.
Any other idea?
NJ
State Flower: Violet
State Tree: Red Oak (maybe an Oak Tree Gulles?)
State bug: HoneyBee
State Bird: Eastern Goldfinch
Jersey is the "Garden State" maybe you can do something with that.
If not you can always ask him some of what he might want
Something that suggests his chosen field, perhaps? If he’s graduated with a degree in Political Science or similar, you could base a central charge on that (a fasces, maybe? I’m no good at this.) and keep the crosses on either side.
Just an idea, overvalued at two cents.
I liked the unicorn… and the shield seems a little empty with only the three crosses, it definitly needs something, unicorn or otherwise…
On the whole though, I like this basic design, looks nice!
If the unicorn is no good on the shield, I think one (or half of one) would work nicely in a crest
how about something like this?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v604/Horatio86/AVGcopy.jpg
are you certain that the flauches (?) don’t break the rule of tincture?
My only real problem with the unicorn is that it was too small. I thought it would have been fine to have the unicorn larger and centered, with the crosses on smaller flaunches. That said, I think unicorns are seen a bit too frequently these days for something that was supposed to be a shy and elusive creature. If I were designing these, I think I’d suggest a horse rather than a unicorn.
On the other hand I disagree that the version with three crosses is too empty. I find it quite elegant. Of course, the final art work should have the crosses fill up the space available for the crosses as much as possible.
The shield does have a tincture violation, although to my mind a relatively minor one. Technically flaunches are subordinaries placed "on" the field rather than constituting a division of the field, and therefore Argent flaunches should’t be placed on a field Or. But in this case I don’t think I’d be too bothered by it. Practically speaking the gold and white are really next to each other, as they would be in the case of a chief, so there’s no more visibility problem than there would be with a shield parted per pale or barry of two metals.
Are there such things as "flaunches cousues," or however it would be spelled?
On the other hand (he said, wringing his hands), even technical tincture violations are best avoided.
How about dropping the flaunches and substituting something like "Per pale Or and Argent, semy of cross crosslets fitchy Sable, over all a something or other [pick a color]?"
Joseph McMillan wrote:
...On the other hand I disagree that the version with three crosses is too empty. I find it quite elegant. ...
Oooooooooooohhhh. :o
What further acceptance do you need than Joe’s compliment?????
Yay!!!!
—Guy
You could counterchange and use sable flauches and argent (or Or) crosses. I like the gulles tree too.
Thanks for your help.
Thank you Everett it’s a nice alternative.
I am posting the Joseph’s recommendations and see what could work.
I just made up something with horses just because it’s the State’s animal. I am too slow and clumsy with the graphic software. Any way here the three alternatives Joseph suggested and I am still working in Colin’s. I have to do some of the “other†work too and feed the children
http://www.aurelio.valarezo.net/briam hull 30.JPG
Here the Crosses enlarged
http://www.aurelio.valarezo.net/Brian Hull 32.JPG
Here "Per pale Or and Argent, semy of cross crosslets fitchy Sable, over all a Rampart Horse (something) Gules ungulee and lampasee azur (sorry the Galisism)"
http://www.aurelio.valarezo.net/Brian Hull 33.JPG
Here an alternative "inescutcheon Sabre a rampant Horse Argent Ungulee & lampasee Or"