Feeling Sir Vitus' pain... shieldmaking adventures.

[Glaukos the Athenian]

Taking advantage of the shortest break in the cold weather, I was able to re-strap my heater to a more ergonomic setup, following my teacher's advise, and even pull out the canvas and re-cover it.

(previous experiences inside the garage using the 3M red spray adhesive brought fumes and smell into the house, as well as severe spousal wrath)

Yesterday was about 60 degrees here (quite warm for the season) so I managed to get to the driveway the saw horses and plywood work board, the shield, and after a tad of drill and wrench work, got it strapped. I used the same configuration as last year, i.e. trimlock edging covered with canvas. I figured that with that configuration, the shield is lasting about a year's fighting, and only needs some taping of the edges and paint touch up towards the very end. A better choice of paints this year should make for more durable surfaces. I need to research about good quality non-duct canvas tape for late season repairs.

Despite the suggestions for gesso, I felt uneasy about how it would hold in the great amplitude of humidity and temperature let's say between my MD garage in Winter and a mid-day Pennsic battle, so I used a white latex enamel base, which worked extremely well.

After the glue was dry the base paint went on and then suddenly, the temperature dropped some 10 degrees and it started raining. After a dash into the garage carrying the board with the drying shield I remembered Sir Vitus' references about shields drying (or rather not drying) everywhere and I felt his pain indeed. It is not the same to do this under the sunny June skies than in February.

The shield was covered and mostly dry before I went to bed, so at least I was able to use the break in the weather to get THAT part done.

Now comes the art....

I had mentioned my desire to add something fancier this year, following D. Sebastian, Don Miguel and some of the awesome art in the "Show us your shield" thread. I wonder whether that art is done freehand, or the artists are using some form of guide.
I am handy enough with the mechanics of shieldmaking to put together a reasonably competent piece. The art part seems beyond my skills though...

So now I have to decide whether I can risk adding something fancier, or I simply put my armory on it...

Decisions.... this would drive any artistically challenged fighter into vikinghood... where shield are can be simpler with a straight face.....


Rowan of Needwood

[Jess]

I can't draw. But I can trace and modify. For the charges on my arms, I used http://www.heraldicclipart.com/catalog/index1.html and then increased their size in Paint, printed them out, attached them to heavy paper, and made stencils out of them. I have a couple of stencils to layer the details on. I touch it up with a paint pen.

For non-heraldic stuff, I usually find images in illuminations that I would like to base my art off of. In the old days, I made a photocopy transparency, and then blew it up to the proper size with an overhead projector. I could then trace the major outlines of the design directly on the shield. I suppose the next one I do, I will scan the image and either print it out in 8.5 x 11 parts or use Powerpoint to project the image.

[Aidan Cambel]

in today's world, projectors like we had back in school (where you use transparencies) have gone the way of the do-do bird, so you can find them pretty cheap on ebay or at a local yard sale. I print out my artwork on normal paper, then i throw a transparency over it and trace it onto the transparency. I do this because the transparencies for a laser printer are considerably more expensive than the ones for an inkjet, so i can buy the cheap ones and it will still work.

It involves a lot of tracing, and tracing again, and yadda yadda - but it works pretty dang good.

[Glaukos the Athenian]

Thanks Jess!

I was hoping to draw a reduced version of my armoury on a mini heater in the center, with something like these three ladies per chief, on a field argent...

[img]http://www.pdl.cmu.edu/Fates/images/3fates.jpg[/img]

An ambitious project, especially when with my skill they will end up by looking like the three witches in "Blackadder"....



Rowan

I can't draw. But I can trace and modify. For the charges on my arms, I used http://www.heraldicclipart.com/catalog/index1.html and then increased their size in Paint, printed them out, attached them to heavy paper, and made stencils out of them. I have a couple of stencils to layer the details on. I touch it up with a paint pen.

For non-heraldic stuff, I usually find images in illuminations that I would like to base my art off of. In the old days, I made a photocopy transparency, and then blew it up to the proper size with an overhead projector. I could then trace the major outlines of the design directly on the shield. I suppose the next one I do, I will scan the image and either print it out in 8.5 x 11 parts or use Powerpoint to project the image.

[William of Stonebridge]

I can't draw. But I can trace and modify. For the charges on my arms, I used http://www.heraldicclipart.com/catalog/index1.html and then increased their size in Paint, printed them out, attached them to heavy paper, and made stencils out of them.

This is what I did on the last shield I made. I enlarged the image in Paint so it would print actual size. Then I reversed it to make a mirror image. I then taped the printed paper to my shield face down and embossed the back with a dull stick (pencil, chopstick, ...whatever) so that the ink on the paper transfers to the shield. Voila! You now have a perfectly drawn charge with no artistic drawing talent needed! Then just outline and color in the charge as desired.

[Glaukos the Athenian]

William,

I use a laser printer, will the baked toner stick to the shield?
it is an EXCELLENT idea if I can get it to work.....
I can paint, I just can't draw to save my life....


Rowan of Needwood.

"William of stonebridge
This is what I did on the last shield I made. I enlarged the image in Paint so it would print actual size. Then I reversed it to make a mirror image. I then taped the printed paper to my shield face down and embossed the back with a dull stick (pencil, chopstick, ...whatever) so that the ink on the paper transfers to the shield. Voila! You now have a perfectly drawn charge with no artistic drawing talent needed! Then just outline and color in the charge as desired.

[William of Stonebridge]

I'm not sure if the toner will stick to the shield from embossing or not. I have heard of people using an warm iron on the back of the paper for laser printed images to loosen the toner and make it stick to the transferring surface. If you are transferring the image to a painted surface, just be sure the heat from the iron won't melt the paint you have (i.e. acrylic). I would test it on a scrap piece first.

The transfer will be not be very dark. In my experience only about 1/3 to 1/2 of the ink will transfer from the paper. If you are transferring it to a dark color like black it may be very difficult to see. Rowan, even your purple may be difficult depending on the shade.

Edit: I just realized you are going to put this in a field argent. Duh, I should read all of the posts. My ADHD was distracted by the pretty picture.

[Winterborne]

There is some product that lets your transfer the toner side of a printout to fabric. (so yes it would reverse.) My wife used it once years ago on a quilt. It would be great for this. I don't remember what it was called. Maybe ask at a craft, fabric or quilt store. I'll ask m'lady tonight.

[Agentofselection]

If you (maybe through the conference room at work?) have access to an LCD projector (the thing they give the powerpoint shows on) you could load your image file up, project it onto your shield, and then trace.

[Jess]

That is going to be awesome Rowan. You can do that. That's a good one to copy because the faces do not appear to have a lot of shading. The features should be easier to replicate since they are not very 3D.

If you can't get the ink to transfer, you can copy it twice by printing it out and then using fabric/dressmaker transfer paper (I can't think of the name??) You can buy it at the fabric store in different colors. It works like carbon paper, and leaves a mark when traced over. But some types are specially made to wash out of the fabric. Others are made to evaporate/disappear after a certain number of days. But test it out first. Sometimes they do not work exactly the way they claim.

[Glaukos the Athenian]

Thank you!

I think, regardless of my degree of success, there are many that could use this technique, if the product you describe works...

Is this it by any chance?

http://transfertoner.com/

Some techniques here..... http://www.ebsqart.com/artMagazine/za_513.htm
I appreciate your looking into this.

Rowan of Needwood

There is some product that lets your transfer the toner side of a printout to fabric. (so yes it would reverse.) My wife used it once years ago on a quilt. It would be great for this. I don't remember what it was called. Maybe ask at a craft, fabric or quilt store. I'll ask m'lady tonight.

[Vitus von Atzinger]

I am completely at the mercy of the weather. This year I am going to instal a small woodburning stove in the Shed- I have no other choice.

Back to bed, or I'm gonna hurl.

[Murdock]

Yeah when i do raw hide edgeing in the winter it takes about a week for it to all dry right.


IN the summer bout 3 days