Wow…in Irish heraldry the "S" curve is termed "tongued". As in the third quarter arms of O’Mahony. You learn something new everyday. 
Everett and Denny,
If your click on the image, it will enlarge.
I’m a little confused by the different versions of the blazon of the crest, mine included. Do they all yield the same emblazonment? Are the differences in syntax just a matter of style?
I usually blazon things from the lowest charge up, but when a charge is within another which should I start with?
Are you guys fond of the current avatar because you are accustomed to it or for other aesthetic reasons? Would you please list those reasons? What is it about the new device that makes it less appealing for each of you?
Quote:
If your click on the image, it will enlarge.
Thanks – duh Denny
Trent wrote:
Everett and Denny,
If your click on the image, it will enlarge.
I’m a little confused by the different versions of the blazon of the crest, mine included. Do they all yield the same emblazonment? Are the differences in syntax just a matter of style?
I usually blazon things from the lowest charge up, but when a charge is within another which should I start with?
Are you guys fond of the current avatar because you are accustomed to it or for other aesthetic reasons? Would you please list those reasons? What is it about the new device that makes it less appealing for each of you?
As far as the crest goes I think we’re still trying to hammer out a proper blazon just yet, don’t think we’ve found one… Generally you blazon from the lowest layer to the highest (i.e., field, division, charge, over-all etc.) and from the center out (i.e., charge, between ___, in tressure/ore/bordure etc.) Which is why I went "plate… lung fish… horns". I may yet be wrong, I am far from an expert.
As far as my preference for your avatar I would say that I like the aesthetics better, but I have also come to associate a particular e-entity with that coat of arms. After all, the whole point of the decorated shields was to recognize people when you couldn’t see their faces, I see that Gold and Silver fret and I think "hey, that’s Trent". While if you should finally decide to change your arms I will eventually come to associate you with that one, I like the first one better and why confuse people? But I stress, it is your decision, these are just my $0.02, although its more like a nickel now. :wookie:
Jeez Denny… we’re really stepping on each other’s toes today!
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Jeez Denny… we’re really stepping on each other’s toes today!
LOL. I was thinking the same thing! I guess great minds not only think alike, but act alike…LOL. 
Donnchadh wrote:
LOL. I was thinking the same thing! I guess great minds not only think alike, but act alike…LOL.
and at the same time!!!
Everett,
"Center out"—I had forgotten about that mode of ordering the blazon. Or now that I think about it I may have dismissed it because the "Bottom Up" mode seemed to work for the crest, except for the fact that the plate and horns are in the same plane.
Trent wrote:
Everett,
"Center out"—I had forgotten about that mode of ordering the blazon. Or now that I think about it I may have dismissed it because the "Bottom Up" mode seemed to work for the crest, except for the fact that the plate and horns are in the same plane.
Also remember that "bottom up" can be a bit deceiving. It isn’t the spatial bottom (toward the desk on your screen) to the top (toward the cieling) but more like from back to front. As if you were to lay the achievement on a table and stack the elements one on top of the other. Or you can think of it like a photo editing program with multiple layer paths, the field being the bottom most, the charges being further toward the top.
Everett,
That’s the same way I meant it and tried to blazon it. Just like you explained it—back to front. Sorry if there was any confusion in trying to explain it.
Mohamed made this East African shaped shield for me. So I tried the new design out on it.
Click on the image to enlarge it.
[IMG]http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/6707/africanfretcoupednq6.th.jpg
Trent wrote:
Mohamed made this East African shaped shield for me. So I tried the new design out on it.
Click on the image to enlarge it.
http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/6707/africanfretcoupednq6.th.jpg
It looks nice, but be careful, that gets awfully close to lozenge shaped, which would suggest… certain things… in the wrong context. :wink:
Hey guys, sorry to get into this topic so late, but I’ve been preoccupied with other things lately.
ESmith wrote:
And the badge needs to be specified as "Fieldless". As in Fieldless, a winged-serpent…
Actually a badge is assumed to already be fieldless unless it incorporates a shield, lozenge, roundel, or some other such "background" charge, then the field of said charge would be specified. If you picture the badge as a brooch or similar decorative pin, you’ll get the idea.
As far as the new arms are concerned: they are nice, but I like the original arms better. You have previously explained what the fret and tinctures represent to you, and I think that is of extreme importance. What do the tinctures of azure and argent represent to you? Why make the fret so much smaller? Has it’s importance diminished?
As far as the crest is concerned, I’m not really "feeling it". Placing charges upon a fan or wings has historical precedence, but placing a charge on a plate lacks creativity in my mind, no matter what other devices you place around it to support it. Does the plate represent anything in particular to you? If not, try just the lungfish between the horns sans plate. That could be interesting. Or a lungfish sporting horns, that could be even more interesting. What do the flowers represent? What about a crown or wreath of the flowers with the lungfish and horns emerging from it? Try to think of the crest as "in the round" and not as a flat, 2D object.
As for the badge: I like it! :D If I were to change anything about it, I might place the fret on the winged snake instead of above it, but I like it the way it is.
The above is simply my own opinions and suggestions and you are free to do as you please. Ultimately it is your decision. I think we all understand the frustrations of deciding upon a final design, but in the end I’m sure that you will make the right decision as to which pleases you the most.
Take care,
Phil,
I don’t recall what, if anything, I previously said about the fret. I chose the charge on my original avatar at random. I was just learning how to use MS paint and was looking for an interesting shield to practice on.
I later discovered that the fret is supposedly a symbol of persuasion. If that is true, then it is apt as it is related to the one of the subjects I teach—rhetoric and composition. (Aristotle defined rhetoric as the art of persuasion.) I also teach creative writing and literature.
Did you read what I said about the current colors in this thread—their origin and why I now feel I may move away from them after fridge testing them here for so many months?
The new colors and divison of the shield are the same as my tribe flag, and the lungfish is my clan emblem. The new colors are also the state colors of two states I’ve lived in for sometime, LA and MA. I kept the fret for the reasons stated above, but I never knew that the size of a charge was related to its symbolic importance.
The fret is smaller, black, and couped because I wanted it to fit within the white pale and stand out with as much contrast as possible. Although it may not violate the law of tincture to have the fret surmount or be throughout the shield, I think it violates the spirit of the law (aesthetic contrast issues) to have colors on top of colors.
The crest is another reference to my profession. It is one of the crests of Thoth, the Egyptian scribe-god of writing. It is composed of a lunar disk resting within a crescent or horns forming a crescent. (Animals associated with Thoth are the Ibis and Dog-faced Baboon. I working with those charges now to create an emblem and seal.) I used a plate and horns to approximate Thoth’s crest. The Magnolia flowers are a reference to LA. Tried the crown of Magnolias just didn’t like it.
Besides looking cool, a winged-cobra/serpent represents, for me, elevated wisdom, something worth striving for. It is also in keeping with the Egyptian theme.
I repeated the shield colors and fret in the other devices for unity’s sake.
Fret not. Nothing is set in stone. I’m going to fridge test this shield at least as long as the current one; I may put it up as an avatar in a month or so.
Thanks for the detailed feedback.
Trent,
Trent wrote:
I don’t recall what, if anything, I previously said about the fret. I chose the charge on my current avatar at random. I was just learning how to use MS paint and was looking for an interesting shield to practice on.
I later discovered that the fret is supposedly a symbol of persuasion. If that is true, then it is apt as it is related to the one of the subjects I teach—rhetoric and composition. (Aristotle defined rhetoric as the art of persuasion.) I also teach creative writing and literature.
I thought that you had given this as a reason for choosing the fret previously. If not, I appologize. That thread was writen a while back and my memory is not the best in the world. :rolleyes:
Trent wrote:
Did you read what I said about the current colors in this thread—their origin and why I now feel I may move away from them after fridge testing them here for so many months?
The new colors and divison of the shield are the same as my tribe flag, and the lungfish is my clan emblem. The new colors are also the state colors of two states I’ve lived in for sometime, LA and MA.
I don’t know how I missed that, but thank you for restating your reasoning. I now see how the new colors would "fit" perfectly!
Azure_a_pale_argent_fretty_sable.[/I” class=“bbcode_wiki”]I]Azure a pale argent fretty sable.[/I
Trent wrote:
The crest is another reference to my profession. It is one of the crests of Thoth, the Egyptian scribe-god of writing. It is composed of a lunar disk resting within a crescent or horns forming a crescent. (Animals associated with Thoth are the Ibis and Dog-faced Baboon. I working with those charges now to create an emblem and seal.) I used a plate and horns to approximate Thoth’s crest. The Magnolia flowers are a reference to LA. Tried the crown of Magnolias just didn’t like it.
That’s cool! I like the crest much more now that I know the symbolism behind it. I still don’t know if I like the flowers as they are because I can’t seem to picture how they’d look on a helm, but as long as you like them, that’s what counts. My opinion is just that and there are many people who will often differ with it.
Trent wrote:
Besides looking cool, a winged-cobra/serpent represents, for me, elevated wisdom, something worth striving for. It is also in keeping with the Egyptian theme.
I repeated the shield colors and fret in the other devices for unity’s sake.
Again, I really like the badge!
Trent wrote:
Fret not. Nothing is set in stone. I’m going to fridge test this shield at least as long as the current one; I may put it up as an avatar in a month or so.
Thanks for the detailed feedback.
No problem. I hope you find a design that you enjoy and are happy with and that you share it with all of us so we can admire it also.
Take care,
