Hand Painted Shield Family Crest

1. Robert studied commercial graphic design for four years in high school. Furthering his education he attended Sheridan College of Art in Oakville Ontario and The Banff School of fine Arts, Banff Alberta. He worked in retail advertising for seventeen years, and ten years as a freelance graphic designer. In 1994 Robert began his work as a Heraldic Artist with the Canadian Heraldic Authority. Robert designs and paints Coats of Arms for individuals, institutions, municipalities and towns. Canadian Military crests and badges are also among the work Robert is assigned under the guidance of the Heralds at the Chancellery. During the early 2000 Bishop Ralph D. Spence of Hamilton commissioned Robert to paint many large format Armorial Bearings, of King George III, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II, as well as hand painted decorative memorial plaques that have been placed in several historical churches throughout the Diocese of Niagara. Robert creates hand painted shields of Arms for members of The Order of St. John and The Order of St. Lazarus. The shields are displayed at the respective headquarters, in The Hall of

2. Do’s and don’ts while making your own family crest The family crest is a part of coat of arm. It is an object placed at the top of the helmet in battles and competitions by the knights along with painted shields. Shield and crest both are included in coat of arms and hence, when you design a coat of arms, you have to design a crest also. The crest is the identifier why the person originally received it or in other words, what he did to receive it, but nowadays it is being used as the recognising sign for a high ranked family. If you wish to have coat of arms with family crest on it, many companies design it for you. I had read about a company designing family coat of arms Canada with suitable crest on it. At the same time, you can also make your own hand painted shield family crest. The genealogists who are artistically driven choose to create their own family crest; but there are many rules to be followed, protocols to be taken into consideration and permissions to be taken. So, here is a list of some do’s and don’ts for making your own family crest. Let’s start from the don’ts. 1. Don’t make replica of anyone’s crest- Making replica of anyone else’s crest or simply speaking copying someone else’s crest or coat of arms is considered as dishonourable. It is extremely inappropriate and fraudulent exercise, though there is no any law active against it. If you copy someone else’s family crest it will be believed that you are the part of that family which will also show that you are refusing your own origin. 2. Don’t centralise your design around your last name- There are many people in the world have same last name or surname. You are not a relative of all of them. Therefore, don’t centralise the design of your family crest around your surname. You can simply select any forefather and base your crest around him. The elements of your design can be related to his achievements, his professions and other things in his life. Let’s see few do’s for creating the family crest. 1. Learn the meanings of the symbols- You know that, the design of family crest has animals, people, plants and many other things included init. They all have a specific meaning. Also, each and every colour displayed on the crest indicates particular significance. Therefore, learn their meanings before you use them in your designs. You can search on the internet to know about the meanings. When you get adequate knowledge, then only use any symbol on your crest otherwise you may face problem if you want to get your family crest or coat of arms certified.

3. 2. Understand that family crest you create is not genuine- In ancient times, coat of arms was given to a person and his son could take over it. In some occasions, other family members were permitted to show the family crest on their ornaments and other things. This means that, one who wants to create his own family crest can’t simply paint a coat of arms and family crest and declare it is similar to the one granted to his ancestor. So, after giving details about some do’s and don’ts, I would only like to say that, consider making coat of arms or family crest as an artistic work, you will surely enjoy making them and will feel proud to display your hand painted shield family crest with sharing its history. Contact Robert for assistance with any project you have in mind.