Looking for advice.
Hello Ryan,
Remembering that arms were used as a method of identification - often on a battlefield at some distance and that some (many? most?) subscribe closely to the "tincture rule" which is that generally you don’t want to have tincture on tincture or metal on metal - I think vert on azure or azure on vert would be difficult to distinguish at a distance.
I’m not sure anyone would see the interlocked circles in the lower sinister of the shield.
Can you tell us a bit about the symbology, history, thought process for your design?
rsq001;74396 wrote:
Looking for advice.
Some very good ideas!
Unfortunately, there are too many ideas to use in one coat of arms. This design is extremely complex, to the point that it is cluttered.
I suggest that you spend some time looking at historical arms to get a sense of what works and what does not. Here’s a link to one of my favorite collections of early arms, the Zurich Roll. These are mostly German and central European arms.
Another good resource - if you can get it - is Joseph Foster’s Dictionary of Heraldry. It’s a compendium of arms from medieval English sources.
In the short term, why not try to make four or five completely different design that each incorporate one element of the design you’ve provided, and then choose the most appealing?
Welcome and good luck!
Thank you for the help. It is a big task of trying to create a great looking piece. That is also why it has been a work in progress for about two and a half years. It still has a ways to go but it is getting closer. Thanks again I’ll post updates as they come.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b385/rsq001/Gold1-20-102.jpg
It’s not finalized, but I think this is closer to what I am going for. Again any advice I am open too.
We would be able to give better advice if we knew more about what you’re trying to accomplish. As Kathy said above, can you give us the story you’re trying to tell with these arms?
As to critiquing your latest emblazon:
You are again violating the tincture rule by having a lilly Gules on a field Azure in base.
I would also suggest you go for brighter colors as the shield appears to be too washed out.
I am also wondering about the columns you have on either side of the shield. They give the impression of being supporters.
What about the duck/goose with the number 67 under it? What is that?
I created this shield playing with the themes on your proposal and by playing on the name "Eskew"
http://img693.imageshack.us/img693/7971/eskew01.png
The pile is "askew" 
Not bad, but I would say that we still have a violation of the tinctures rule…
How about:
"Azure, a pile embowed to sinister argent, charged with a fleur de lis gules, in dexter canton two interlinked rings argent?"
Claus K Berntsen;74443 wrote:
Not bad, but I would say that we still have a violation of the tinctures rule…
How about:
"Azure, a pile embowed to sinister argent, charged with a fleur de lis gules, in dexter canton two interlinked rings argent?"
How is it a violation if it’s a partition?
Might be my Scandinavian mindset that has a slightly more strict interpretation. We had a discussion of this on the Scandinavian forum a while back, and typically Scandinavian heraldry would not have vert on azure, or even next to each other, whereas British heraldry might.
Is a pile a partition? Is it not an ordinary?
I guess a pile is an ordinary but, the loophole may be to blazon it as a partition per chevron enhanced
I was on a long conference call and decided to make some versions with just 2 tinctures:
http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/7546/eskew06.png http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/7689/eskew07.png http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/2576/eskew08.png
http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/3933/eskew09.png http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/6647/eskew10.png http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/6995/eskew11.png
Of course, we still need Ryan to come back and post in this thread.
I knew the Olympics were in Canada, but I didn;t realize it was Quebec :D
Per bend sinister embowed Azure and Argent overall a fleur-de-lys counterchanged. Lose the rings. They add nothing.
So far, we (ok, I) have been messing around in a vacuum, without any input from Ryan
He needs to tell us what’s the significance of:
a) the saltire (which I ignored completely)
b) the lilly
c) the annulets
d) the tinctures
Perhaps the annulets mean something special
