Shakespeare's Arms

Arms of William Shakespeare.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

I feel like its a rite of passage...a step forward that every aspiring heraldic artist must tackle...yes, the arms of the great poet William Shakespeare (1564-1616).  I will say, however, I actually enjoyed putting these arms together in vector format.  Who doesn't love good canting arms?  Which reminds me of a saying I recently heard, "heralds don't pun, they cant."  

Scott-Giles (1950) offers the following blazon for the armorial ensigns of William Shakespeare:

Arms:  Or, on a bend Sable a spear Or headed Argent 

Crest:  On a wreath Or and Sable, a falcon displayed Argent supporting a spear Or headed Argent

Motto:  Non Sanz Droict ("Not without right")

The crest of William Shakespeare.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The crest is simple, clean and straightforward.  I like it!  Moreover, I was thrilled to be able to have the falcon actually holding the spear.   

Arms of William Shakespeare.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

I even added what's called "diapering" in the background to help provide better visualization of these arms.

From Scott-Giles (1950).

I enjoy Scott-Giles (1950) work on the heraldry of Shakespeare, definitely worth having a copy in your library.  

Works Cited

Scott-Giles, C.W. (1950).  Shakespeare's Heraldry.  AMS Press.

Heraldry of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine

Arms of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

One of the world's largest cathedrals is quietly nestled in the upper west side of Manhattan. I remember my first visit there and simply wandering around, head fixed skyward, and in awe of the building's shear magnitude. The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine holds the cathedra for the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York and bears unique arms which I wanted to recreate.

Banner of arms, the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The cathedral's arms are quite unique and make a clear Biblical reference to its dedication of St. John. 

The Rev. Canon Edward Nason West (1909-1990) was a canon of the cathedral and well versed in heraldry.  Canon West's arms are based on those granted to his mother by the College of Arms in 1951.

Arms granted to Isadora Angelina West by the College of Arms in 1951.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The blazon for the coat of arms for Isadora Angelina West was kindly shared by the Archives of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

Arms:  Per pale Argent and Sable, a fess dancetty counterchanged in dexter chief a cross couped Sable.

Crest:  In front of a plate a griffin's head erased Sable beaked and gorged with a ducal coronet Or.

Motto:  Trewest

Coat of arms of The Rev. Canon Edward Nason West (1909-1990).
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Among Canon West's many contributions, he created the "Anglican Compass Rose" as a image showing unity amongst the global Anglican Communion.  The center features the arms of St. George and encircled with the Greek inscription of John 8:32, "the Truth will set you free."

The Anglican Compass Rose was designed by West in 1954 and later embedded in the floor at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, as well as the National Cathedral in Washington, DC and Canterbury Cathedral in England.

The Anglican Compass Rose.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The Anglican Compass Rose was later rendered as a flag for the 1990 Lambeth Conference by The Rev. Andrew Notere.

The Anglican Compass Rose Flag.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024

Make a pilgrimage to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, I highly recommend it.

The Struggles of Personal Heraldry

Arms of private armingers designed by the author.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

I've been asked before to design personal coats of arms--mostly from well-intentioned individuals struggling to come up with their own design.  I certainly relate to this design struggle, vividly recalling my own ordeal tearing through untold drafts with dissatisfaction.  One thing, however, changed for me when I decided to research how well designed arms were pieced together with intention and meaning.  When I kept stumbling on this rather odd name, Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941), I decided this guy must know something about heraldic design and so it began.  Researching a designer's work unlocked everything for me, for I knew I did not want to simply throw a bunch of charges on a field and call it a day.  I wanted a design layered, abstractly true to my brand, and above all balanced and beautiful.

My journey into this newfound world of heraldry all of sudden became special and filled with purpose.  While it took time and many drafts to arrive on my chosen design, I was glad for both the journey and its intended destination.  Now ten years on since I finalized my arms, I'm still in love with them.  

For this reason I politely decline most requests to design personal arms.  In a word, these are personal.  Without really knowing a person, and I mean truly knowing them, I find it quite difficult to come up with ideas that resonate and reflect the would-be-arminger.  I do encourage them to take their own journey, take time, and ultimately to be patient.

That being said, the few designs I have completed have been for close friends--meaningful experiences for myself and the arminger.  Will I do more in the future, who knows?  My love of corporate heraldry readily holds my attention these days.  

Old Arminger, Fresh Arms II

New emblazonment of arms for a private arminger.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Final emblazonment for a private arminger.  While I originally designed these arms in September 2014, we were never able to get a digital emblazonment, something I regret now.  

Arms: Gules, on a pale Azure fimbriated Argent three escallops Argent enfiled with as many vidame coronets Or;

Crest: On a wreath of Argent and Gules, a lamb rampant gorged of a vidame's coronet Or holding in dexter arm a market stick proper erect with crook facing sinister and on sinister arm an eschuteon Argent thereupon a Chi Rho Gules;

Motto: "From Strength to Strength."

Old Arminger, Fresh Arms

New emblazonment of arms for a private arminger.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

On fire this weekend and managed to knock off another project that I've delayed for some time.  Arms were designed in October 2014 but never managed to get a digital emblazonment.  It's lovely to see these in full color now.

Arms: Per chevron Gules and barry wavy Argent and Azure, in chief a demi sun in splendor Or and in base an anchor Or;

Crest: On a wreath of Argent and Gules, a Golden Retriever passant gorged of a collar Gules, in dexter paw a shotgun proper;

Motto: "Fire When Ready."

New Arminger

New personal coat of arms for a dear friend.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Now that Congress is over I have a little more time to pursue a few projects that I had shelved for some time.  One important project that I wanted to complete straightaway was to render digital emblazonments of arms for a close friend.  We jointly designed the arms back during the Summer '23 and it was time to get this off my list--and I'm thrilled that I can actually do this work digitally now too.

The blazon for these new arms:  

Arms: Sable, on a pile reversed argent a fir tree proper issuant from flames Gules in base, charged with a guitar pick Argent point to base with a chevron rendered as a carpenter’s square Gules.

Crest: On a torse Argent and Sable, a stag salient guardant proper incensed Gules, holding a six-string acoustic guitar proper.

Motto: Ich Geb Bestes, German for “I’ll try my best”

A quick bit about the design rationale.  The arminger was born and lives in Richmond, Virginia. The new arminger is both a musician and a carpenter. In the days following the Christmas holiday, the arminger likes to collect the dead or dying Christmas trees for a ceremonial burning party--actually a nice get together of friends to celebrate the end of the holiday season. The fir tree engulfed in flames makes this reference clear.

New crest.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Charging the tree with a guitar pick alludes to the arminger's passion for playing and writing music on the guitar. The addition of the chevron on the guitar pick, rendered as a carpenter's square, illustrates the arminger's profession.

Draft badge idea for the new arminger.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Personal banner of arms, private arminger.  Left the field on this pure black.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

I seen examples of using a faded black whenever the field is Sable (black) to avoid an otherwise stark heaviness.  I tried this with the arms and then left the field on the flag pure black to show the difference.  I'm waiting to see which the new arminger prefers.  I love this simple design.

Vector Magic

Arms of the American Heraldry Society.
I'm obsessed with this shield shape now.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

All this practice in Adobe Illustrator is beginning to payoff...I recently got round to doing my own arms (about time, I think) and even created a lozenge shield for my daughter.  I have not yet begun to explore shading and highlighting in the software as I feel like I still have a ways to go getting the basics dialed in.  

The arms of Chad Krouse

I'm still in love with the design I created in 2014, and its hard to image that 10 years have flown by since those days of multiple drafts while sketching everything in colored pencil.  I would have NEVER conceived the possibility of one day creating novice renderings on a computer.  

Arms of the author's daughter.

Banner of arms of Chad Krouse

I even successfully tackled my first ribbon with text all in vector--that was a fun learning experience.   The possibilities, now, are endlessly exciting.

For the Love of Flags

My ever-expanding collection of armorial desk flags.

Readers will recently notice that I've seriously kicked up my artwork game, namely adding armorial flags and banners to posts in an effort to break up lengthy texts.  My confession:  I am absolutely fascinated by flying heraldry and all thanks to Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941).

I vividly recall the first time I encountered one of la Rose's flags early in my research back in 2014.  For his commission with Mundelein College in 1930, la Rose not only designed a beautiful coat for the institution, but rendered an armorial flag and "banner" as well.  Please click here to learn more about Mundelein College's arms.  I had no idea that a shield's design could be arranged in such a way, and my interest was clearly piqued. 

Armorial flag of Mundelein College designed by la Rose in 1930.
Image courtesy of the Women's and Leadership Archives, Loyola University, 2023.

Seeing la Rose's flag design set off a series of ideas running in my head regarding arms familiar to my experience.  Having admittedly poor draftsmanship, I broke out a pencil and ruler fumbling through multiple attempts to arrange the arms of Sewanee: The University of the South and its schools into flags.  Looking back now, selecting these arms with the intricate Sewanee tressure was probably not the wisest choice for my first go at this newfound interest.  Please click here to read about Sewanee's heraldry.  

Pencil drawings of armorial flags of the University of the South and its schools.
By the Author, 2014.

Dialing in the Sewanee tressure to near perfection about did me in, but I learned that it's all about straight lines and angles.  In the end, I appreciated Dr. McCrady's creativity when he designed these arms.  Below is a curated display of armorial flags commissioned so far, and there's a few more still to come.

The University of the South. 
Rendered by Lucas Hofmann, 2024.

College of Arts & Sciences, the University of the South.
Rendered by Lucas Hofmann, 2024.

The School of Theology, the University of the South.
Rendered by Lucas Hofmann, 2024.

Hampden-Sydney College.
Rendered by Lucas Hofmann, 2024.

The American Heraldry Society.
Rendered by Lucas Hofmann, 2023.

My attributed design for an armorial flag for Fuqua School.
Rendered by Lucas Hofmann, 2023.

The Medieval Academy of America.  The arms were originally designed by la Rose.
Rendered by Lucas Hofmann, 2024.

Lenox School.  The arms were originally designed by la Rose.
Rendered by Lucas Hofmann, 2024.

I've taken my passion for armorial flags to the next level by attempting to digitally emblazon some of my favorite arms designed by la Rose.  Below are several flags I recently rendered as part of a study of la Rose's methods for translating arms from shield to flag.  While not perfect, as I am by no means a digital heraldic artist, I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.  Honestly, I was slightly impressed after my first go at things.  I started with Harvard's arms and the next thing I knew I created over 20 flags.  

While la Rose did not create the arms for Harvard University, he was the first to translate its shield into a banner of arms which the Harvard Corporation officially adopted in 1918.  Please click here to read more about la Rose's design for an armorial flag for Harvard.  

The second flag rendering attempted was local--the arms of the Diocese of Richmond which are simple and lovely.  To learn more about la Rose's design for the Diocese of Richmond, please click here.  Finally, if the reader is mesmerized--like I am--by the arms la Rose created for St. George's School, click here for my analysis on these stunning arms.  The portion of the lozengy field covered by the red cross of St. George creates a visual delight drawing the eyes immediately to the arms.  

On the heels of three successful armorial flag emblazonments, I went full throttle without looking back.  So enjoy these flags, image if the reader had nothing to look at other than my humble pencil sketches...   

Harvard University based on la Rose's design.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Kirkland House, Harvard.  The arms were originally designed by la Rose and have since changed. Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Harvard Law School.  The arms were originally designed by la Rose and have since changed.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Harvard Divinity School.  The arms were originally designed by la Rose.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Diocese of Richmond (Virginia).  The arms were originally designed by la Rose.  Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Archdiocese of Seattle.  The arms were originally designed by la Rose.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

St. George's School (RI).  These arms were originally designed by la Rose.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Brooks School (MA).  Most likely designed by la Rose.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Berkeley Divinity School at Yale.  These arms were redesigned by la Rose.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Pierson College at Yale.  These arms were originally designed by la Rose.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Rice University.  These arms were originally designed by la Rose.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Two quick projects in the pipeline include digital art for my armorial flag and one for my brother.  Below are my final pencil drawings for Hofmann.

Armorial flag of my brother's arms.

Layout of my assumed arms as an armorial flag.

Armorial flags continue to fascinate me as visual identification flying high on a pole.  The applications for heraldry are truly endless.  More to come.

Armorial Assumption & New Arms

 

Newly assumed arms for a dear friend,
emblazoned by Dimitri Prica of Canada, October 2023.

There is nothing more American, in my opinion, than armorial assumption.  What exactly does that mean?  Simply this: in the absence of any central government agency to grant or regulate the use of arms, US citizens can simply adopt their own coat and rightfully claim the design as their own.  There are some provisions to this scheme; the ancient customs and rules regarding heraldry should be followed, and any future arminger should perform due diligence to avoid possible infringement.  In other words, it would be unwise to copy an established coat of arms known to exist--registrations and published armorials help protect against infringement.

Adopted crest, created on April 2, 2023.

What kind of friend asks, "do you have a coat of arms?"  Well, I am one of those friends.  When my close friend responded with interest in assuming arms, my creative side began bursting.  Discussions of possible ideas began in earnest during April.  The image of a possible crest immediately became apparent in my mind.  With the arminger's German heritage and surname translated as deer, I knew I wanted to incorporate a stag, flames, and a six-stringed acoustic guitar.  Once I sketched out the idea, the arminger quickly approved.  The process of designing his shield, however, would take much longer.

The final sketch presented for approval. Click to enlarge.

I worked out numerous ideas but nothing really took hold.  In August, I was scrolling through a Facebook group on civic heraldry and found inspiration--the arms for the Village of Žárovná located in the Czech Republic.  Since the village's arms are well established, it was important to avoid infringing on their beloved coat, due diligence prevents honest mistakes.    

The arms of the Village of Žárovná,
Czech Republic.
Image source: Wikipedia.

We landed on the following blazon:  Sable, on a pile reversed argent a fir tree proper issuant from flames gules in base, charged with a guitar pick argent point to base with a chevron rendered as a carpenter’s square gules.  This new design is suitably differenced from the village's arms in many ways and I felt confident that we could proceed.  Let's explore the design rationale for these new arms.

The new arminger is both a musician and a carpenter.  In the days following the Christmas holiday, the arminger likes to collect the dead or dying Christmas trees for a ceremonial burning party--actually a nice get together of friends to celebrate the end of the holiday season.  The fir tree engulfed in flames makes this reference clear.  

Charging the tree with a guitar pick alludes to the arminger's passion for playing and writing music on the guitar.  The addition of the chevron on the guitar pick, rendered as a carpenter's square, illustrates the arminger's profession.  Overall, I believe the identification and carrying power of this shield works well and is simple.  

Those readers following my research journey on Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) will no doubt recognize the rendering of the flames as well as the carpenter's square--two items from la Rose that I wanted to incorporate into the design.

Sketch showing the shield, crest, and motto.
Click to enlarge.

Arms: Sable, on a pile reversed argent a fir tree proper issuant from flames gules in base, charged with a guitar pick argent point to base with a chevron rendered as a carpenter’s square gules;

Crest: On a torse argent and sable, a stag salient guardant proper incensed gules, holding a six-string acoustic guitar proper;

Motto: Ich Geb Bestes, German for “I’ll try my best”

Designer:  Chad M. Krouse, Ed.D. of Richmond, Virginia

Heraldic Artist:  Dimitri Prica of Canada

Date of Assumption:  October 27, 2023

I was thrilled to see Prica's emblazonment today, and the new arminger is over the moon with excitement as well.  To learn more about the heraldic work of Prica, please click here.  Keeping heraldry alive and relevant in the 21st Century is important to me, and I truly enjoy the opportunity to help design new arms.  By all means, assume your arms (but please follow the rules).