How to design your very own, personal coat of arms!

[Lady Deborah Butcher]

Thanks a lot! Also, how would I go about asking for arms? There's a form, but I don't know if that's for different sorts of request, and I didn't want to be rude. Through their forum?

[akumabito]

That's what I did, but mind you - that was AGES ago.. maybe better to lurk/read a bit on their forum first to get a feel for the place?

[Captain Lyerly]

The subject is fascinating; but remember location can make a large difference even in legal status of certain arms.

It is of course considered poor form and bad manners to just 'assume' someone else's arms - in the British and Western European traditions.  But Polish arms, for instance, in many cases were born by many people of the same surname at the same time.  In America, other than as trademarks or copyrighted material, they are completely unprotected - I could fly a flag or paint a shield on the door of my truck that, in heraldese, would be tantamount to a claim that I was the King of England, or the Duke of Savoy, and so on.  It would be perfectly legal.  In some countries, especially those which still have an hereditary aristocracy, that would be illegal.

I made my own COA some years ago; a simple design.  I didn't realize it at the time, but it is in my old school colors.  Since I am an American, I can, in essence, grant my own arms to myself - there is an American College of Heraldry, but they have no enforcement power, they are an advisory body which will (for a small fee) register your arms - but they can't do anything if someone else wants to use the same arms.

The SCA College of Heralds is all-powerful, but only within the Society.  They do a great job, though it is always too slow - if you are the one waiting.  They have simple, logical rules; one of them is that they won't register "real-world" arms, even if you can prove they are yours.  They will only register them with a 'difference' - some visible change in the arms.  Of course if you don't tell them, and the arms meet the Society's rules, they aren't going to track you down later... (N.B.: I am not a herald; if any of this, especially as pertains to the SCA, is outdated or flat wrong, I welcome correction.)

I hope to have a full achievement, with mantling, supporters, motto, and crest ready when I do the full repaint on my vehicle.  A full-color rendition on the door would be perfect.


Cheers!

Chas.

[Lady Amelia Atkins]

you can use http://www.fleurdelis.com
it's really really helpful. 

[Thistle]

This is my coat of arms. My surname is MacDonnell.
I actually live now, not too far from my clan strongholds of Glenagarry and Keppoch.



There are two mottos for the clan, based on geographical area... Per Mare Per Terras, belonging to the Keppoch branch, and Craig an Fitheach, the Rock and the Raven (gaelic) belonging to the Glengarry branch. The coat of arms of the Glenagarrys is the following...

[Thomas MSwift]

  I am SO delighted to find heraldry is steamy! I have dabbled in heraldry for a long time, and have heraldry registered with the SCA and with a fantasy LARP group called Amtgard.
  The SCA's basic guidelines are that there are only seven bottles of paint in the herald's paint box. Two of these (gold and silver) are metals, and five (red, black, blue, purple, and green) are colors. You may not place something metal on a metal background or something colored on a colored background.
  The simpler a coat of arms is, the better a Herald will like it. The original idea was to identify who that guy in the boilerplate waistcoat was when you can't see his face!

[Captain Brandsson]

and have heraldry registered with the SCA and with a fantasy LARP group called Amtgard.
 

Where do/did you play?