It may appear even more lopsided because it’s not centered and slightly off to the right a little. One of the thing things I overlooked in my draft stage. Im going to fix that though. I really like how it’s turning out though. It’s so much cleaner than it was before.
I’m not really sure if Cincy is better or worse though. I’ve heard both sides of the coin. Where I stay in Norwood isn’t bad at all, right off the lateral, but two streets down it’s questionable. I personally hated Cincinnati and spent all of my time in Newport, Bellevue, and that area (Northern Kentucky), but have grown to appreciate it. I do photography, so the historic feel of the city has been a great muse.
The Air Force Museum in Dayton is huge now. It could take up to a full day to make it all the way through. There is now a hanger with about 20 aircraft in it that was built, an additional hanger full of the former Air Force Ones (including the one that JFK’s body was transported on from Texas), and an IMAX screen. The best part is that it’s free and staffed with a lot of volunteers from WW2, Viet Nam, and the like. On a side note, Dave Chappelle now resides in Yellow Springs.
This is turning into a very local project (butts in the priest from Cincinnati).
An even more classic design would be simply Argent a chevron embattled Sable between three cardinals proper. (This would eliminate the mullet and have all three cardinals facing dexter.)
Dohrman Byers;80635 wrote:
This is turning into a very local project (butts in the priest from Cincinnati).
An even more classic design would be simply Argent a chevron embattled Sable between three cardinals proper. (This would eliminate the mullet and have all three cardinals facing dexter.)
A more "Classic" style, and leaves more room for later differencing by changing one charge. I like. (butts in someone who isn’t sure where Cincinnati even is)
OFF TOPIC: We might soon be able to have on Ohio River Valley meeting of the American Heraldry Society. 
One thing you might consider, Snyder, is have the dexter wing of each cardinal elevated and inverted as are those of the doves in the College of Arms’ shield. See artwork below from Andy Jamieson’s website.
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http://www.medieval-arts.co.uk/HM College of Arms.jpg
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I treated myself to a birthday present and purchased Armorial Gold so that I could more easily construct proofs for myself. Since it is lacking in cardinal art, I used the generic "heraldry bird" since it most closely resembles the attitude and posture I am looking for. As you can see, I was playing around with the mantling as well, but that is all it is at the moment.
Going under the recommendation from before, I tried this one.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b146/Snydercrew/shield3dexter.jpg
So far, this design is the one I am keen to. I played with other designs, but keep coming back to this one. Forgive any errors on the mantling, I haven’t really studied up on the rules and considerations to much. I do have a question in regards to the cardinal being used as the crest…what are the guidelines to non-combatant creatures holding weapons and/or being displayed? My thought at the moment is have the cardinal, as is, holding a mullet per pale Argent and Gules radiant.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b146/Snydercrew/shieldwithmantling.jpg
Snyder wrote
Quote:
I do have a question in regards to the cardinal being used as the crest…what are the guidelines to non-combatant creatures holding weapons and/or being displayed?
Short answer is none. 
The only real stipulation I would have is that the crest should be physically possible i.e. no bits hanging unsupported in space etc. As long as it is artistically & Heraldicly satisfying and meets your personal criteria as to what you want then anything (:wookie:?) is fine (if its in good taste as well).
If you decide to go with multiple Cardinals in the Shield, perhaps you might look at something different in the crest,:idea: maybe thats where your mullet and sword could be.
Likewise given your surname don’t be confined to Anglo-centric designs, there’s a lot to be said for European/Germanic style heraldry.
That is a valid point. Something to consider once I am at that point. I havent really put to much consideration into the mantling and crest, but after playing with it the gears have been turning.
I think with the attitude of the birds on the shield, it has balanced out very nicely compared to the images I was using prior. I also went with embattled, counter embattled.
Jeff Poole;80645 wrote:
Snyder wrote
The only real stipulation I would have is that the crest should be physically possible i.e. no bits hanging unsupported in space etc. As long as it is artistically & Heraldicly satisfying and meets your personal criteria as to what you want then anything (:wookie:?) is fine (if its in good taste as well).
I’m liking the thought of using a Wookie :wookie:
Jeff Poole;80645 wrote:
Likewise given your surname don’t be confined to Anglo-centric designs, there’s a lot to be said for European/Germanic style heraldry.
Of course, one of the distinctive characteristics of Germanic heraldry is the widespread use of crests that repeat the main charge from the arms.
The cardinals, when addorsed, look to me like a married couple who have just had a row (I guess technically two cardinals in a committed relationship, since they are both male) rather than that they are guarding anything. But that may just be me.
I think a cardinal with a different attitude makes a fine crest with any of these proposed arms.
Joseph McMillan;80649 wrote:
Of course, one of the distinctive characteristics of Germanic heraldry is the widespread use of crests that repeat the main charge from the arms.
I agree, my own arms follow that tradition to a large extent, I was merely encouraging looking outside the UK style for inspiration as much in emblazonment as design.
The Germanic crest is given a much higher emphasis than in other heraldic jurisdictions and may be the only difference applied to different branches of the one family.
One more thing to consider, Snyder. Do you want arms for yourself or would you like to be part of something greater? The reason I ask is simple. You see, I assumed arms, like most here at the American Heraldry Society, and they are very personal to me and to me alone. I had mulled over the idea of assuming a coat of arms for more than a decade before finally settling on the shield I currently use (and even then it had some post assumption tweaks) and there were two things that made me design a coat of arms for me rather than for my family. The first is that I can only trace my Mansfield line back to the early 1800s and I have no idea whether there is any (there is usually very little) chance that they might have been armigerous and, in fact, I have no idea whether they are even English or Irish (the two most likely countries of origin). The second, and probably more important, reason I designed a coat of arms for myself rather than for my family is too much influence from the College of Arms in the United Kingdom. Grants from the College, particularly the recent ones, seem to be very personal to the grantee, often with charges that represent or allude to their careers, achievements (no pun intended), etc. I approached the whole process as if I were a grantee from the College of Arms, and as a result my arms are all about my life, albeit with some nods to my ancestry.
Don’t get me wrong. I like my arms. I still think they are attractive and I do still completely identify with them. But after spending some time here, I do sometimes wish I’d waited, or at least included my family in the process and designed arms for my branch of the Mansfield family here in the states. But I turned 40 and in some ways I felt like time was running out for me to have and use arms in any meaningful way (and I didn’t want to wait for the missing pieces of the genealogical puzzle). As a result, I have arms that I hope my children (and theirs) will continue to use after I am gone, but none that tie me to my predecessors, much less my ancestors.
When I look at how the arms of Hugh Brady recall the ancient Irish arms of Brady or read the story of how Joe McMillan developed his arms from those of the Chief of Clan McMillan (a Scottish tradition) and see how perfectly they fit with the motto Joe chose from (is it Homer?), I do feel the slightest twang of regret.
More food for thought than you probably wanted, but I just thought I’d share.
Have you thought about showing the cardinals on the shield in another position? I think they would look really good displayed. Here is a crest I did with a demi cardinal displayed, but I’m thinkning about the cardinals on the shield, not just the crest.
The shoulder sleeve insignia of the JROTC unit at my son’s high school:
