shield art

[arcaneforge2]

i am looking for historical shield art to reproduce on the shields i make. i need ideas that are period accurate but at the same time not so complex that you would never want to fight with it on you arm.

[John S.]

Biggest question is when and where?

Simple geometric field divisions in contrasting colors can be quick to paint but still look nice.

[Sevastian]

A friend painted mine. Not sure how accurate it may be.

[arcaneforge2]

well lets start in England and Germany (Prussia) 1300-end of period maybe france?

[Ernst]

1300-1600 in England, Prussia, and France doesn't narrow things down much, does it?

Earlier than you wanted, but I like 13th century stuff.

BNF Français 20125, fo.121r, 1276-1300, Acre, Israel

BNF Français 20125 fo121r-escu.jpg (63.03 KiB) Viewed 399 times

That's certainly easier than a number of designs seen on tournament shields, pavises from the 15th century, etc. Check out this Pinterest page for extant examples.

https://www.pinterest.com/domhumbert/boucliers/

[Konstantin the Red]

In a word, the Honourable Ordinaries: the Chief and Fess, the Pale, the Bend and Bend Sinister (nothing too ominous, just slants the other direction), the Cross, the Saltire, the Chevron and Chevron inverted.

Each of these has a diminutive version, about 1/2 to 1/3 its width, save for the Chief in English and Scottish heraldry, though one may be found in more Continental coats of arms. Any Ordinary may be flanked with its diminutive on one side or both, depending on the design: WW2 German aircraft insignia provide a good example with their straight, black crosses, on white, with black outlines about all. Very heraldic.

Each of these, again excepting the Chief, may indicate a field of the shield parted into two or more colors along the centerlines of any Ordinary: parted per Fess, per Saltire, per Pale (and this is the origin of the heraldic sense of 'impaled'). The Chief gets excepted from making this a strict rule for Honourable Ordinaries (not that there are any dishonorable ones, but that's what they call 'em) because there wouldn't be any difference between "a chief etc. etc." and a field parted "per chief." They'd look exactly the same so the difference would be without a distinction.

Any Ordinary may be drawn in something other than straight lines too. When that happens, they get adjectives attached to them meaning whichever zigzag or other mischief they get up to: indented is small zigzags, dancetty is really big zigzags that completely distort the shape of the Ordinary; embattled is like battlements, raguly is like embattled but slanted not square; engrailed is a series of arcs showing points, invected is the same but with rounded puffinesses outboard instead of sharp little points; nebuly looks like jigsaw puzzle pieces. Very rarely you might find an Ordinary broken as a step, or given the same treatment with an acute bevel -- a single, central step or zigzag. Taking a step seems most popular using the chevron. A chevron also looks very handsome flected "raguly."


Rule of Tincture: heraldry's got a rather limited crayon box, two "metals," gold and silver, and a handful of "tinctures" of every plain basic color but orange, including black; a smaller handful of "furs," which are tinctures or metals with texturing, especially of that royal fur, ermine. To keep track of what complies with the Rule of Tincture -- that you don't lay metal upon metal nor color upon color, but either may go on a fur -- just think of any color combo you've ever seen on a highway sign. They follow this Rule strictly, and for the same reason: to convey information instantly, and with no puzzling or ambiguity.

The most spectacular way to break this Rule, and very bad design practice, would be to lay vert, green, directly upon azure, blue. In a hurry, through hurtling bodies and the dust of battle, glimpsing through a helmet's sights for just an instant, it is amazing just how bad those two tinctures mud together, to the point where you couldn't reliably correctly tell if a man's arms had blue on one side and green on the other half, or if it was contrariwise -- which might be some other noble.

If green and blue really are the colors you want on your personal flag, a stripe or some charge in one of the metals between the two is wanted, gold or silver. It is a pleasant little insanity of the Society for Creative Anachronism, hence, to issue tournament challenges for the reason "Because the Sky is blue and the Grass is green!" (dramatic pause) "For that would never do; we need your silvery armor to fimbriate between them..." and thus correct any regrettable emblazon.

Simply *every* heraldic site or page contains these basic data, as do all heraldry books of every size and depth. For grownups, particularly looking at blazon and emblazon in the SCA manner, try the very readable Arthur Charles Fox-Davies' A Complete Guide To Heraldry. If you'd rather not be seen downloading clip-art, then what you do is you download and print clip art anyway -- and then copy it freehand onto the shield in pencil. Thus *your* hand is seen in the work. There are ways of constructing beast- and monster-charges from scratch starting with stick figures, but this seems wide of this thread yet.

[Amanda M]

Aside from heraldry there are a number of other types of painting motifs on shields
Later period tournament or parade shields often had fanciful illustrations of mythological or philosophical topics or were allegorical in nature. Illuminated manuscripts sometimes show interesting painted faces. It is really hard to narrow down what exactly you're interested in. I think the best approach would be to match something to the type of shield's time frame instead of trying to discuss possibilities from a 300 year time span.

[Tom B.]

I have been collecting images of extant shields on a Pinterest board, take a look.
Medieval Shields

[Konstantin the Red]

Arcaneforge2, how far are you willing to go as to charges? Beasts, monsters, etc.?

SCAdians paint their Arms and Devices (technical, College of Heralds distinction) on their shields on their own responsibility. Are you shooting for a different market for your wood blanks?

It is rare indeed for someone offering shield blanks for sale to take them any farther than fine sanded, or fine sanded and a white primer. Rare as in I've never even heard of someone offering primed blanks. Though they'd paint very well and the paintjob would last better.

In the other pan of the balance is that thoroughgoing client who is going to take a blank without even sanding it hardly and cover it over entirely, face and back, with glued fabric, heavier to the face and light to the back. This makes of the shield a tough composite structure and lengthens shield life, as well as the stretched tight cloth being an excellent medium to then prime, and paint on.

[arcaneforge2]

Konstantin the Red i have a fair talent at painting and would like to extend my shields to hand painted to get more color on the field. i am sick to the back teeth of the standard heater painted one color and in so saying i am trying to lead the movement. i dont want to paint wall hanger art for a few reasons 1: cost how many people can afford a 500$ shield not many i think. 2 at that price why would you fight with it? you would not. but if the images are 1-3 primary colors something not too complex and at the same time provable as period i think more than a few fighters might be willing to spend 100$ or less on some art work.

[Konstantin the Red]

Luck to you, then! You're probably right on the price-point. (pls see also my edit of my prev post in re canvas facing)

Couple decades back, we were pretty much plagued with how many fighters all seemed to bear "a field, wood-grain."

About every SCAdian would tell you to think in terms of specific devices, for instance a Shire or Baronial badge, perhaps on a rondel, on a parted field of the Barony's colors. Or just that field with the colors and nothing more. Territorial arms seem to see more display on the tabards of the fighting-men, as a sort of uniform, with the devices on their shields being of course their own.

You may end up leading less a mass movement than leading and inspiring first your close friends, your swordbrothers, your Household: "I always build my shield to look this good. I can help you learn to do it too." The famous SCA Helping Hand thing. I suppose one thing you'll do is determine just how much, how elaborated, of a blank you'd purvey.

[arcaneforge2]

Konstantin the Red thank you very much for the recommendation of Arthur Charles Fox-Davies' A Complete Guide To Heraldry

[Amanda M]

I fight with the shields I paint because I am of the same philosophy about shields on the field, I just have the advantage of being someone who paints a lot so it's not as big a deal for me to just make a new one when it is trashed. I make a few shields and paint them here and there but for the most part people don't want to spend much on something they consider to be disposable. I think a beautiful shield enhances the spirit of what we do in the same way someone who does the best presentation in terms of armor or clothing that they can, so it's worth doing. That being said most people are well served by just putting their arms on their shield. It makes you recognizable. I can spot people from all over the SCA by their heraldry alone and in that way you can set yourself apart from other fighters who just blend in to the crowd. If you are going to be painting the same charges many times over the course of years you could make up some stencils to make the process really easy then if you had to paint something like a lion you could just brush in the details after you paint on the large stenciled shape. Don't forget to do something tot he back of your shield! It's sad to see someone take the trouble to paint the front and make it look cool but then you can still see the bare metal back. If you're using wood you can just leave it bare or stain it, but if you're using anything else paint it or glue some felt to it or something.

[arcaneforge2]

the stencil is a good idea thanks