Re: heraldry question

[dmontuor@telenet.com (Dave Montuori)]

Greetings Merry Rosers! andreah@cpsnet.com wrote:

>How do I go about designing my arms?  I guess since I've been in the SCA over 
>5 years now it's about time I do so.

That in itself is no reason to start designing armory. Nowever, if you find
you've become interested, then the heralds (myself included) will help you all
we can. ("All we can" varies widely from one herald to the next, depending 
on the individual herald's experience with the topic of discussion.)

>[my local herald will] ask me if I have any ideas.  Well, I don't.

(1) Ask yourself this question:

What do I want to put on a banner, so that people will see it (on the list
field/in the feast hall/at an encampment/wherever) and say, "That's Andrea!"
(or your SCA name, or whatever moniker they know you by) ???

(2) The big rule to follow here is: Keep It Simple.

Explaining the Why and How of this would take too long here, everyone in
the tavern would start throwing nutshells (or even mugs) which would not
be fun. (It's a 1-2 hour lecture after all.)

What's on your device need not be Meaningful. Bends and fesses don't
have much intrinsic meaning to them. On the other hand, one can be
quite Meaningful and still keep it simple. In my own case, which is not
as simple as I'd originally wanted it, there is a specific reason or
reasons for the mountain, the color of the mountain (a cant), the overall
color combination, and the sackbut (period precursor of the trombone).

(3) Practical purposes: Design something that you can draw, or that someone
you can rely upon can draw readily. 

So, be as meaningful or not as you please. Just keep (1), (2) and (3) in
mind when you're working on it with your friendly herald. Then, one last
piece of advice: When the drawing is done, hang it somewhere where you
will be sure to see it EVERY DAY, more than once a day is better, and
leave it there for a week or two. If you can still stand it, that's a very
good sign.

Evan da Collaureo, Kraken Herald, Stierbach Pursuivant, Head Octopus etc.
Per fess Gules and Sable, on a three-peaked mountain couped Or, a sackbut,
bell to sinister, Sable.

mka Dave Montuori, who sends from the doomed telenet.com, but receives at:
damont@widomaker.com
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