Middle Kingdom Pursuivants Handbook 2nd Edition - Midrealm ...

A good consultant will have these elements memorized. Oh, you don’t have to necessarily know the name foreach charge, but you do need to know all the permutations of field division, and names and patterns for all thecommonly used furs. You also need to know (and have practiced!) how these elements can be combined into agood, simple, clean device that is authentic in composition and pleasing to the eye.Tools of the TradeThere are certain tools you will have to have with you when you are consulting:Books:Pictorial Dictionary of Heraldry (“PicDic”)Rules for SubmissionsFriar’s A Dictionary of HeraldryorParker’s A Glossary of Terms Used in HeraldryTools:Sketch escutcheons, roundels and lozenges(see Appendix for copies of all forms)Pencils and a good eraserRuler (a protractor with a 6-inch ruler will do nicely)Colored markers (Crayola makes a good basic set with all the heraldic colors)The Consultation & Design ProcessYou have probably heard over and over that simple heraldry is impossible to get through the College ofArms. You may be surprised, then, to know that just the opposite is true: simple, elegant heraldry is veryprobably still the easiest sort to get passed! It is also certainly the easiest to check for conflict, and the easiest toalter in those cases where conflict is found to occur.Unless you are very experienced and think very fast, you will need to have about 30 minutes to an hour foryour first meeting with your client. When you first sit down with him, remind the client that arms are not likeclothing—they can’t be changed at the blink of an eye; that they are something that he will, in all likelihood,have for many years; that they are something to be proud of. Begin by telling him not to worry about correctblazonry when talking about what he wants, that the picture is paramount at this point and the pretty words cancome later. Have him tell you about any ideas that he might have already had for a device and ask him to sketchit (or you sketch it as he tells you about it). Ask him about things that have special meaning for him—hisfavorite colors, favorite/totem animals, plants, a craft or skill in which he is interested, possibly even a proverbor saying that has special meaning. Ask him what kind of first impression he would like to put forth; what hewould like the world to know first about himself. Does he want to show a sense of humor? (Think ‘canting’)Does he want to project a quality—gallantry? bravery? spirituality? love (or love lost)? As he mentions eachitem, write it down at the top of your sketch sheet. After he has finished, hand him the list and ask him toprioritize it.Now is the time when all the hard work you have put in learning heraldry will come to fruition. Circle theitems with the highest priority and suggest that you can begin the process by playing with those. If one of thepriorities is an animal (as it is very often), discuss the various attitudes and attributes. Does he want to show hisbeast salient? dormant? If a bird, should it be rising or displayed? Should it be facing dexter or sinister? Perhapsthe client has already decided that he wants only a leg or a head; or perhaps he wants a maintained tertiarycharge. Talk about proper (remember the Rule of Contrast—a brown bear on a black field will get bumped, aswill a yellow canary on white). Remember that inanimate objects look best when displayed upright along a lineof division (although an anvil palewise still looks rather strange to my eye). Also remember that only overt,overly religious designs are forbidden—there’s nothing wrong with someone including one cross or one crownof thorns or a bundle of mistletoe. And while it may be difficult to pass a device with a unicorn on it, it’s notimpossible (and using a dragon really is permissible in the Midrealm!).Middle Kingdom Pursuivants Handbook 492nd Edition - 2002