With A LOT of help from Kenneth I’ve come up with a design I really like. Here are two drafts, the only difference being the color scheme:
http://www.dcroe.com/images/roe-bx.png http://www.dcroe.com/images/roe-by.png
Obviously, this is a very rough draft, cobbled together from poached, low-res, graphics. So if this is the design I go with I’ll have a lot of work to do to make it look good.
I’d be curious to hear opinions, as well as whether or not this violates any heraldic rules.
As of yet I haven’t even attempted a blazon.
I much prefer the dexter shield, for the simplicity of the color scheme. However, the charges above and below the roundels in bend seem much to small. Perhaps they should extend onto the pale as well?
I prefer the sinister shield especially if the armiger has American or French ancestry. Also the roundels seem very small. Perhaps limiting the shield to three roundels (presumably alluding to fish eggs - a pun on roe) in bend configuration would be adequate: one on the dexter one in the pale and one in the sinister side of the shield. The stag also appears small. Perhaps a stag’s head caboshed would be easier to see from a distance. Regarding the charge near the base, is it a bow and arrow?
eploy;56727 wrote:
I prefer the sinister shield especially if the armiger has American or French ancestry. Also the roundels seem very small. Perhaps limiting the shield to three roundels (presumably alluding to fish eggs - a pun on roe) in bend configuration would be adequate: one on the dexter one in the pale and one in the sinister side of the shield. The stag also appears small. Perhaps a stag’s head caboshed would be easier to see from a distance. Regarding the charge near the base, is it a bow and arrow?
Actually the roebuck is the canting that alludes to "Roe". The roundels are a stylized reference to a bagpipe chanter. The charge in dexter base is a quill crossed with an arrow, something I’m sure I can make more clear with better graphics.
I had thought about making the pale wavy into a bend wavy containing the eight roundels, which should give more room to the charges.
As to the ancestry question…it’s all over the place. Within the last 3 generations I’m Irish, British, Czech, German, French, American, Swedish (or Norwegian—I get them confused), and Canadian. I suppose my arms could be a picture of a big old mutt!
dcroe05;56728 wrote:
The roundels are a stylized reference to a bagpipe chanter.
Does the bagpiper chanter require all eight roundels? Too many roundels affect the scale/size of the other charges.
dcroe05;56728 wrote:
The charge in dexter base is a quill crossed with an arrow, something I’m sure I can make more clear with better graphics.
Have you considered putting these in saltire instead of in the current configuration?
dcroe05;56728 wrote:
As to the ancestry question…it’s all over the place. Within the last 3 generations I’m Irish, British, Czech, German, French, American, Swedish (or Norwegian—I get them confused), and Canadian. I suppose my arms could be a picture of a big old mutt!
The mutt is the best breed of dog and perhaps the best breed of humans! 
I, too, prefer the two-tone version on the left. My main concern would be how the design would "translate" when emblazoned on different types of shields.
What about Per bend Azure and Gules a bend wavy between in chief a roebuck trippant and in base an arrow and a quill pen in saltire points to base Argent; and for a crest a demi-lion playing a bagpipe?
If you make Jennifer…er…I mean…the white wave a bend rather than a pale, you can enlarge the charges considerably.
Thank you all for your comments and suggestions.
I’ve taken another stab at roughly the same design but trying to address some of the finer points.
I like elements of this. The division and coloring is nice. I like the wavy bend sinister. I really like how this allows the display of the the arrow and quill http://www.americanheraldry.org/forums/images/icons/icon14.gif, and that would be improved more still by straightening the quill (feather shafts are slightly curved at most and this is more wing-shaped).
What I don’t like are 1) the direction of the roebuck and 2) the roundels. Unless you are left-handed (and probably not even then, especially in the joust) one would carry his shield on his left arm. That means your stag is going the wrong way. I think the roundels are overpowering, perhaps because they necessarily cause the reduction in size of the buck using this compilation of clip art. Perhaps when you get down to drawing it out, it will prove to be doable, though. :shrug:
What about putting the roundels on the bend?
Jay Bohn;56778 wrote:
What about putting the roundels on the bend?
The bend is for Dale’s fiance (Jennifer=white wave). I think if he equates her with his bagpipe chanter he may not live to see his wedding.
kmansfield;56781 wrote:
The bend is for Dale’s fiance (Jennifer=white wave). I think if he equates her with his bagpipe chanter he may not live to see his wedding.
Well, I don’t know about that. As a piper AND a married man, I can tell you there are similarities: you have to hold on loosely, but not too loosely. They play best when the ornamentations are perfect. Leave them alone for too long and they are going to be very difficult to handle.
dcroe05;56724 wrote:
Possibly just change the pale wavy to a pallet wavy to give more room for the other charges.
Another option would be to just eliminate the pale and just divide it per pale wavy.
Otherwise I’d echo Rev. Henry’s concerns that it might not translate well to a standard "heater" shield.
dcroe05;56769 wrote:
While I run the risk of being accused of getting up on the wrong side of the bed, being grumpy or simply mean spirited, my first thoughts were that the arms represent Santa Claus’ Reindeer Ranch in Lappland. The arrow points North to his work shop, the quill refers to his list of boys and girls who have been naughty or nice, the eight dots refer to the Winter months in which he is at the work shop and the buck represents the reindeer that the ranch supplies for his flying sleigh.
Now, my lack of artistic ability is frustrating me…I spent the last couple of hours of insomnia cooking up these variations on a theme:
http://www.dcroe.com/images/roe-cc1.png http://www.dcroe.com/images/roe-cd1.png http://www.dcroe.com/images/roe-ce1.png
#1 & #3 use quills that flow out of the saltire line, but I need to find better art.
They’re nice suggestions, but I’m not too sure about the middle one. The ‘cross’ of elks’ heads (especially the read ones) seems a bit occultish looking, plus with the direction of their heads it could even be seen as a swastika.
Cheers,
