
The Armorial Bearings of
David Robert Wooten were Registered with
The American College of Heraldry on 6 November 1992 under Number 1073.
Azure, fretty raguly Or. Above the Shield is placed a Helmet with a Mantling Azure doubled Or, and on a Wreath Or and Azure is set for Crest, a satyr Sanguine, wreathed with olive leaves Proper, with bat's wings to the sides Azure, and in an Escrol below the Shield this Motto: “Melior Nullo Nullus Melior” (I am better than no man, but no man is my
better).
They were also received in a Certificacion de Armas from the Cronista Rey de Armas under Protocolo:3/1995; Folios:149-151, and Confirmed by the Ministerio de
Justicia, Madrid, Kingdom of Spain.
Blazon: En campo de azur
(azul), una celosía ecotada, de oro. Va timbrado el escudo de armas de un casco de acero bruñido, con bordura y grilletas de
oro, claveteado de lo mismo, forrado de gules (rojo), sumado de un burelete trenzado de azur
(azul) y oro del que salen lambrequines de los mismos esmaltes y sumado a su vez de una cabeza de
satiro, sanguino, barbado al natural, orejado con alas de murciélago, de azur
(azul) y sumado de una corona de hojas de olivo, de sinople (verde).
Divisa: En cinta de plata con letras de sable (negro): "MELIOR NULLO NULLUS
MELIOR".
Later the Arms were Registered by the St. Andrew Principal Herald Master of the Collegium
Heraldicum Russiae under Number 167.
Всем и каждому
чрез сию Гербовую Грамоту да будет известно и ведомо, что Русская Геральдическая
Коллегия внесла в свой Гербовый Матрикул сей герб, владельцем коего является
Кавалер Дэвид
Роберт Вутен
А именно: В лазуревом
щите золотая косая сучковатая решетка (фрет). Щит увенчан рыцарским
шлемом с
лазуревым намётом, подбитым золотом. Клейнод: на ливрейном бурелете голова
сатира с
оливковым венком и лазуревыми перепончатыми крыльями от висков. Девиз
на ленте внизу:
Melior Nullo Nullus Melior - «Я не лучше других, но и никто не
лучше меня».
Дано в Москве 9-го июля 1994 г. под
номером 167.
Командор Кавалер
Валерий Павлович
Егоров
Герольдмейстер Принципал
Св. Андрея Первозванного,
РГК
Most recently, the Arms were registered with Burke's International Register of Arms, 29th
January 2006. Registration No. 0009.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE "EVOLUTION" OF THESE ARMORIAL BEARINGS
MY deviantART SITE
As you might imagine, in my current position as Executive Director of The American College of Heraldry, I receive many requests from individuals
on resources for ways to display
their armorial bearings, whether it’s an artist to paint them, or an embroiderer to stitch them onto something, or, most often, where
they can have their achievement engraved on a ring, cuff links, etc.
Some years ago I had my signet ring done by Carl Lemke (who I would NOT recommend, as he is no longer reliable - in fact, I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau against him [along
with others who have not received long overdue merchandise from him] - I can't emphasize this strongly enough - while his work may be good - though not better than Dexter Seal Engraving [see below], his unbelievably poor service and lack of communication outweigh any savings on the work done). I have always wanted something
a bit more unique, and I felt that the ring I had did not exactly reflect the image I originally intended. So, I spent a great deal of time sourcing all possible heraldic engravers worldwide, providing them with the specifications of the ring size I wanted, as well as a drawing of EXACTLY what I wanted on the table of the ring. I can tell you that prices for such a project
ranged anywhere from $1000 to well over $3000 – all for the same type and size of ring, and amount of gold.
 The company I landed upon, after numerous phone calls and emails – explaining in nauseously excruciating detail how precisely the final ring had to match my drawing – was Dexter Seal Engraving – www.familysealrings.com. The gentleman
I dealt with was Simon Wright, and he went above and beyond to explain their process, and gave me assurances (backed with a guarantee) that what they carved would be what I depicted, as exactly
as humanly possible. I jumped in with both feet, and entrusted my money and ring to his artisans’ capable hands.
I asked Simon to take some photographs of the process from start to finish, so I could see how they achieved the end result. You can see the results here:
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE
I am OVERWHELMINGLY pleased to advise that the pictures show a ring that PERFECTLY matches the drawing I sent, and thus may be the best 3-dimensional depiction of my crest I have yet seen. I provided them with a rather unique layout (I superimposed the crest of my achievement over the fretty raguly of the shield). I told the
folks at Dexter that I wanted the final product to match
my drawing EXACTLY - something that is very difficult to do when an artisan carves something by hand - especially with the geometric complexity of a fretty raguly "background."
Granted, my design is not intended to be a sealing ring – it was intended to be an “abstract” version of my arms, boiled down to the crest and shield. It may not be to your taste, but imagine that if they can do something “outside the box” like this for me, they would be eminently capable of handling a more traditional armorial achievement for you.
I’m not making anything off this extended “advertisement” – I just know that many of you have similar interest and concerns about getting a quality piece of jewelry to display your armorial bearings. And the good thing about Dexter is that they are at the lower, rather than the upper, end of the price range. Of course, each piece is different, and complexity
= additional $$ (or £s), but they are more than
fair, and in fact do a superior job for a fraction of what others would charge for the same work.
I would urge you to contact Simon Wright directly if you are interested in having this sort of work done. His direct contact information is shown below, along with their website, which I urge you to visit to see the wide variety of products they can produce. Tell him I sent you. Tell your friends about their services as well.
Simon Wright.
Dexter Seal Engraving,
Dexters,
Cherry Orchard, Tenterden,
Kent. TN30 7LP.
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 1580 765616 Tel # from the USA 011 44 1580 765616
Fax: +44 (0) 1580 765594
E-mail : dexter@sealengraving.com
Website: www.familysealrings.com
The latest "incarnation" of my arms (these originally drawn by
Marco Foppoli) were custom etched into Rosewood Burl as covers for my iPhone by Carved, LLC.
Custom crafted from durable and sustainable woods, Carved currently offers Kindle Fire, iPhone, and iPad skins and cases, and are adding new items to their product line regularly. Through a unique laser-engraving technique, they can turn any photograph or logo that you have into an iPhone or iPad case or skin complete with amazing detail. All of their products
are precision laser cut and engraved.
Woods available include Paldao, Padauk, English Sycamore, Redwood Burl, Olive Ash Burl, Purpleheart, and Natural Bamboo.
I can highly recommend the folks at Carved for both the quality of their product and the level of customer service they offer. They went above and beyond to work with me in creating a unique iPhone cover from the line art drawing I submitted. These products offer a new and unique way for armigers to display the armorial bearings.

CLICK
ON THE IMAGES TO VIEW ENLARGED VERSIONS
|
|
|
|
|
|
The top bookplate was designed and rendered by my good friend, the late Daniel de Bruin. I would recommend visiting his website for extensive examples of his work, as well as biographical information.
The Armorial Ex Libris shown above left was the first designed by the armiger, with the original arms rendered by Heraldic Artist Dennis Endean Ivall. Appearing at the top to the left and right of the arms, respectively, are the Badge of The Niadh Nask (Noble Confraternity of the Golden Chain) and the Badge of the Optime Merenti Niadh Nask.
The more recent Armorial Ex Libris shown in color at center was designed by the armiger, and incorporates the armiger's motto in Gaelic encircling the arms. On either side of the crest appear the Breast Stars of The Niadh Nask (Second Division) and the Optime Merenti Niadh Nask.
The most recent bookplate designed by the armiger incorporates a modified version of the original armorial bearings, in a more Gaelic style (as designed by Dennis Ivall), and surrounded by (clockwise from upper right): the badge of Optime Merenti Niadh Nask; the Donal IX Quatercentenary Medal; the Mountcashel Cross awarded to Officers of The Honourable
Society of the Irish Brigade; the Arms of The Military
& Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem; and the Breast Star of The Niadh Nask (although not in color, which would indicate that of the Second Division). Below the armiger's name and title appears the logo of The Royal Eóghanacht Society.
The designs reflect organizations and titles "granted" from Terence Francis MacCarthy, who in fact was never the true MacCarthy Mór and thus did not have the right to make certain grants of titles. Thus the removal of the baronial coronet and the Niadh Nask Cross from behind the shield would be proper in all instances,
as well as the removal of Niadh Nask insignia. Some of
the previous versions, despite their relationship to the false MacCarthy Mór, are left in place to show both the artists' talents and the possible diversity of design.
The final design was produced again by Daniel de
Bruin, and illustrates the armiger's crest alone, sans any additional accoutrements. I wanted this to simplify my personal stationery, but also wanted to see how non-traditional a design the artist could produce - and he obviously came through with flying colors on this one. Mr. de Bruin does accept commissions, and his website (which may be seen by clicking
HERE) showcases a wide variety of his color and black & white work.


1.
These armorial bearings were the armiger's first attempt at visualizing
his own design. The shield recognizes the unrelated arms of the Broadhurst
name (from the armiger's maternal line family name), and represents to me
complexity-in-simplicity - a fairly "simple" geometric design "complicated"
by the raguly nature of the fretted bars. The crest gives a nod to the Wooton
line of Kent which died out in the late 1600's (those original unrelated
arms featuring a cross engrailed with the Satyr's head as the crest - sometimes
listed as a Saracen's head or Savage's head), which is unfortunately commonly
used in illustrating the covers of some minor Wooten/Wootten/Wooton genealogies,
when in fact they are entirely unrelated. The motto is of the armiger's own
creation - "I am better than no man, but no man is my better," and is of
course shown translated to the Latin.
2.
These arms were rendered as part of the registration process for
The American
College of Heraldry by Richard McNamee Crossett. Mr. Crossett
recently passed away, and unfortunately was perhaps America's only heraldic artist - hopefully someone will come along to fill the large void created by his absence.

Genealogical, Nobiliary and Armorial Archive of the Chronicler
King of Arms
Dean of the Body
D(on) Vicente de Cadenas y Vicent
Certification of the Shield of Arms that Correspond to the
Use of
The Most Illustrious Lord David Robert Wooten
Madrid, 16 of March 1995
Vicente de Cadenas y Vicent, de Gaztañaga y Nogues,
Chronicler King of Arms, Solely Recognized by the decree of 13 April 1951
Dean of the Body and the sole, legitimately accredited before The Minister
of Justice for the processing of certificates of Genealogy, Nobility and
Arms.
I certify: That the Shield of Arms that correspond to the use of the Most
Illustrious Lord David Robert Wooten, native of Winston-Salem (Forsyth County)
North Carolina, (United States), born 9 August 1958, son of Edward Franklin
Wooten and Nancy Lee Wooten, born Broadhurst, are organized and composed in the following
manner:
ARMS
In a field of Azur (blue), a lattice, ragguly gold. The Shield
of Arms is surmounted by a helmet of polished steel, bordered and grilled
gold, riveted of the same, lined gules (red), topped by a twisted wreath
of azur (blue) and gold from which issue lambrequins of the same tinctures
and surmounted in its turn by a Satyr's head, blood-colored (sanguine), bearded
proper, eared with bat's wings, azur (blue) and crowned with a coronet (wreath)
of olive leaves vert (green).
Motto: On a ribbon of silver with letters sable (black): "Melior Nullo Nullus
Melior".
The said Arms, as described and painted may be used by the Most Illustrious
Lord David Robert Wooten, having them engraved, sculpted and painted in the
usual places without impediment of any kind, being by the Certification of
Blazon supported, ratified, legalized and legitimatized for the use of the
same by the Illustrious Lord David Robert Wooten to whom they are attributed,
as well as for his legitimate descendants in the place that corresponds to
them.
And so that it be official and upon the petition, I present this Certification
of Arms, as customary, to the faculty, conferred by the Royal Orders of 19
November 1749 and of 16 June 1802, as well as by the Royal Decree of 29 April
1915 and by the Decree of the Ministry of Justice of 13 April 1951, which
regulate the functions of the Chronicler of Arms, reserving a copy of the
present Certificate in my file, signed and sealed with my own seal, at Madrid
the 16 March 1995 on the Feast of Saint Hilliard.
(Signature)
Seen at this Subsecretariat of the Ministry of Justice in order
to certify as being his own, the signature of Don Vicente de Cadenas y Vicent,
accredited in this ministry as Chronicler of Arms for the Registry of
Certificates, Established by the Decree of 13 April 1951.
Madrid, 21 March 1995
The Subsecretariat
Office of Legalizations
Maria del Carmen Cuiiarro Gonzales
(MINISTRY OF JUSTICE SEAL)
|
|
3.
On registration of the armiger's armorial bearings with the
Collegium
Heraldicum Russiae, this rendering was created for that document.
You will note that this rendering includes the baronial coronet of a Lord
of Munster, as granted by The MacCarthy Mór, Prince of
Desmond (see below) . This organization,
headed by His
Excellency Commander Chevalier Baron Valery Yegorov, Saint Andrew Principal
Herald Master,
now has a beautifully redone website which may be seen HERE.
4.
The arms have also been registered with the Cronista Rey de Armas
in the Kingdom of Spain. However, the rendering produced for such grants
are commonly of simpler design and thus not meant for "framing" or artistic
quality. They are usually meant only for reference to the Grant of Arms itself.
The full translated text of the Grant is seen at right.
5.
To my mind, Dennis Endean Ivall was perhaps the preeminent heraldicartist of his time, being a Bard of the Cornish Gorsedd. His work is
unparalleled in style and expertise. His work on Cornish Heraldry and
Symbolism is the textbook
on the subject.
6.
John
Ferguson, ARCA, FRSA, SHA, RHS is perhaps best known to students
of heraldry as a chief illustrator for Stephen Friar's work, A Dictionary
of Heraldry, as well as his collaborative effort with that same author,
Basic Heraldry. A graduate of the Royal College of Art, and a founder
member of the Society of Heraldic Arts, he has been commissioned for
local-government work, corporate bodies and individual patrons both in the
UK and abroad. His work shows a flair which elevates him above most heraldic
artists operating today, giving each piece its own unique character. Having
seen his style in numerous publications and on stationery, I commissioned
him to produce this illustration for my own stationery. He may be reached
by writing: 46 Reigate Road, Reigate, Surrey RH2 0QN, UNITED KINGDOM.
7.
Daniel
de Bruin was one of the least known (at least in the States) but most
creative and unique heraldic craftsman of this century. Based in Holland,
Mr. de Bruin's work may be seen in Von Volborth's The Art of Heraldry,
which is where I first encountered his work. In fact, I had attempted for
months through numerous contacts to locate him for a commission, and
only came into contact with him when he contacted me with regard to
our mutual membership in The Bookplate Society. We then happily struck up
a mutual postal (and later email) correspondence, and I commissioned
him to initially produce a simple black & white rendering of my arms,
which may be seen hereabove. However, his main expertise lies in creating
one-of-a-kind color bookplates (among other things) in a style which is instantly
recognizable as his own. Mr. de Bruin passed away in late 2010, and his website
(which may be seen by clicking
HERE)
showcases a wide variety of his color and black & white work.

8.
One option for Niadh
Nask would be the neck
decoration known as the "Lesser Collar" which may be worn by all Companions,
and may be depicted encircling the arms of Second and Third Division Companions.
It consists of a red riband entwined with a Golden Chain, from which depends
The Niadh Nask Cross as described above. Another option would be to surmount
the arms atop The Niadh Nask Cross (the central symbol of all Niadh Nask
insignia is a cross pommé Argent, fimbriated Or, [a white cross
with enlarged circular ends on each arm, bordered in gold] with an inset
Greek cross which is either Red, Green, or Blue, depending upon the
Companion’s Division within the Noble Confraternity (First, Second,
or Third, respectively). I therefore commissioned Dennis Endean Ivall
to once again render my arms, here shown in Black & White with hatching
for the Azure and Blue elements in the Shield and the Vert Greek cross (the
Green indicating Niadh Nask of the Second Division [noble before 1596]).
At his recommendation, I opted for a more "Celtic" design, incorporating
an historical helmet of that theme. The illustrations include the coronet
of a baronial Lord of Munster as well.
9.
Taking a cue from the heraldic bookplate of Captain Thomas Paul Westgaard,
Lord of Kileughterco, NN, KLJ, FSA (Scot), GCrLJ, BGS, as illustrated by
Dennis Endean Ivall, I redesigned an older bookplate (also appearing in the
aforementioned book as Plate 25) to incorporate a circular design rather
than the more traditional square/rectangular form. The ex libris still shows
the 2 breast stars of Niadh
Nask† 2nd Division (left)
and Optime Merenti Niadh Nask (right). The background is that of the enlarged
shield of the armiger, surmounted by the crest and the baronial coronet of
a Lord of Munster.
10.
This design reflects modifications made to previous renditions based
on the new evidence presented
against Terence
Francis McCarthy (The
designs reflect organizations and titles "granted" from Terence
Francis MacCarthy, who in fact was never the true MacCarthy Mór and thus
did not have the right to make certain grants of titles. Thus the removal
of the baronial coronet and the Niadh Nask Cross from behind the shield
would be proper in all instances, as well as the removal of Niadh Nask
insignia. Some of the previous versions, despite their relationship to the
false MacCarthy Mór, are left in place to show both the artists' talents
and the possible diversity of design). Thus the removal
of the baronial coronet and the Niadh Nask Cross from behind the shield.
11.
This design was produced by the aforementioned
Daniel de
Bruin, and illustrates the armiger's crest alone, sans any additional
accoutrements. I wanted this to simplify my personal stationery, but also
wanted to see how non-traditional a design the artist could produce - and
he obviously came through with flying colors on this one. His website (which may be seen by clicking
HERE)
showcases a wide variety of his color and black & white work.

12.
Coming full circle, I found the need for a re-rendering of my
original "traditional" armorial bearings, in the "classic" style, for use
in "Established Families News," the bi-annual publication of
Established Families
in America (now The
Ermine Society). Once again I turned to the most reliable and versatile
heraldic artist I knew, Dennis Endean Ivall, who was able to produce
this version.
13.
For a similar purpose, John
Ferguson was once again commissioned to produce a "sans
coronet version" of my armorial bearings, for use in those
publications requiring a "traditional" rendering of arms (as
opposed to the somewhat more contemporary/abstract version as produced by Daniel de
Bruin).
14.
On the recommendation of
several acquaintances, as well as some glowing reviews, I contacted the
late Don
Smith of Heraldic Graphics about rendering his own version of my
armorial bearings. His artistic expertise was self-evident, and in concert
with an excellent grasp of computer graphics, his work easily
transitioned into the 21st century realm of heraldry. His pricing was a mere £28 for the work seen at left, and was MORE than worth the price -
this is not merely some "canned" computer program into which
stock graphics are pasted - it is quality artwork. His original website may be seen at http://www.heraldicgraphics.demon.co.uk/.
15.
I commissioned Andrew
Stewart Jamieson to produce a rendering
of my arms. Born in 1961,
Andrew studied Heraldry, Calligraphy and Manuscript Illumination for three years
under one of the great heraldic artists of the 20th century, Anthony Wood. In
1983 Andrew graduated with a First with Honours. Since that time he has worked
as a freelance heraldic artist and designer accepting commissions from the
College of Arms, The Catholic Church, the Order of Malta, the Military, the City
of London, the House of Lords and many corporate and private clients. His work
has been published in many books and he also wrote and illustrated the very
successful Pitkin Guide, Coats of Arms. As well as producing
the traditional work for which he is best known Andrew has been experimenting
with more contemporary styles which although look to the mediaeval period for
inspiration are also more in tune with 21st Century tastes. In heraldic art as
in any art, Andrew believes that the artist should explore and extend the
boundaries of their work to avoid rigidity, self repetition and
stagnation.
16.
This
version is a computer-enhanced version of the original
John Ferguson artwork appearing immediately above it
in the table. Through the use of Corel PhotoPaint, the
original black & white image was colored, and then
bevel and chrome effects were added.

17.
This is
a 100% computer-generated version
of my arms, though not quite in the standard manner
expected. While the computer/art skill is quite significant,
the crest was rendered affronté, which would usually
not be done unless so blazoned. Regardless of this minor
issue, their work is quick, quality and reasonable.
18.
Susi
Galloway is an extremely talented artist of many disciplines,
one of which happens to be heraldic paintings. Fascinated by ancient
arts she chose a Heraldry Master Painter to teach her the skills of the trade
over a period of 4 years. She produces heraldic work in black & white line
art, line drawing in flat colors
(digital or on paper), line
drawing in color, shaded (digital or on paper), and hand painted in oil, acrylics or water colors (on paper or canvas).
She also produces handpainted genealogical trees. Her
website may be seen HERE.
19.
Dudley Bateman began painting armorial achievements
in 1981 following his retirement at the age of 51 from
the Royal Air Force after nearly 35 years service. Unable
to find suitable employment due mainly to few if any
jobs and rampant ageism rife at that time, he was obliged
to put to use his natural artistic abilities in order
to supplement his meager service pension. An interest
in history coupled with an eye for line and colour set
him on the road to painting armorial bearings following
a visit to Norwich Cathedral with its wealth of armorial
achievements. From small beginnings working in a spare
bedroom, Dudley now works from home in a custom built
studio from where he sends his work all over the world.
He is well known in heraldic circles, especially in
East Anglia where he resides with his wife Margaret,
and carries out work for local councils, university
colleges, businesses, clubs etc, as well as for individuals.
His work has been featured on three different television
stations as well as local and regional newspapers. His
website may be seen HERE.

20. Andrew Stewart Jamieson had already produced a black and white line art version of my arms (#15), but when I received his full
color painting of roughly the same drawing,
I was overwhelmed. This points out the obvious difference between a simple line art drawing and a painting done by one of the world's premier heraldic artists.
21. Marco Foppoli is an Italian heraldist whose works stand out as unique in contemporary heraldry. His passion for Graphics and an inborn interest for Historical matters
mix up perfectly in Heraldry, becoming soon a relevant part of his job
of Graphic Designer and Illustrator. Through an attentive study of
ancient codexes and Medieval rolls of arms, his style finds out and
revisits the formal beauty as well as the graphic elegance of the
Gothic and Renaissance heraldry. His extensive website may be seen HERE.
22. I embellished Marco Foppoli's work along the style of those done by my Heraldry Embellished company.
23. I have admired Baz Manning's work for years, being fellow members of The Society of Heraldic Arts. Some years back I offered to update his website, which may be seen HERE. His artistic formats include Shield Maker, Heraldic Arts, Heraldic Researcher, Recording, and Photography. The initial talent - that of Shield Maker - separates him from the bulk of heraldists working today, as he is one of only a tiny handful worldwide who have mastered the art of working with, and painting on, wood and other media. Quite by surprise, Baz rewarded me with a tabletop shield of my own armorial achievement, the shield painted on the obverse, the crest
on the reverse. The shield itself is 3.75" wide and 4.5" tall, standing on a brass post mounted to a wooden base, the overall height being 9". I included herewith Baz's explanation of the logic behind the unique rendering of the crest:
"I am a great one for literal interpretation of blazons. I would
normally apply accuracy first and foremost but your crest has taken me on a voyage of discovery which altered my attitude this time. I was taught at college that the blazon should always be referred to so as to avoid mistakes that can grow over the years like Chinese whispers. But I was also told by the late John Brooke-Little that he considered this at great length during his career as a herald and came to the conclusion that the painting on the patent is as relevant and will sometimes be what the herald had
intended if the blazon is ambiguous. In your case, of course, I had to substitute your various on-line images for a patent but the blazon was still quite specific: your crest is blazoned as a satyr, not just a satyr's head as everyone depicts it. This is why Daniel drew a full satyr on your bookplate; he was not giving you a token supporter but simply placing your crest as blazoned to the side of the achievement. However, there is the consideration to be made that the depictions you use all show a head and not
the full body. This has to be what was intended or you would have changed it long ago. So for once I went with common usage and fell into line with your other artists, so started thinking about a head.
"The colouring was a problem for me. I was not comfortable with the red of sanguine and wonder even now why so few of your artists have got it right? I could have discussed all this with you and you will remember that I did approach you for your definition of sanguine, which made me think deeply about it again, but now maybe you can
tell me your thoughts about the satyr
- full body or head? Anyway, the final issue was bats wings which means just that to me: bats, not dragons' wings.
"My studies and thoughts led me to the conclusion that I should revert to the origins of heraldry on the battlefield and create a monster to strike terror into the hearts of your enemies. A satyr is not a tame friendly creature but a spirit which could once have been human, altered by its own innate corruption and dwelling in the lower
energies of lust and base desire,
unpurified by love. Whether once human or the spawn of the devil its purpose is to corrupt the lives of those around it. He has a certain magnetic appeal which stimulates the earthy, baser side of human nature and if we are drawn into his sphere we will be in serious trouble. Bunyon said that the road to hell is easily travelled but the road back long and arduous. The satyr may be one of the first creatures to tempt souls onto this path but his true nature will only become apparent when they are lost. The laurel
wreath signifies to me his connection with the earth while the bat's wings make it a creature of the night, which is why I painted them with a dark blue, as well as for the colour balance this achieved. My interpretation of sanguine is darker than maybe it should be as I saw his complexion burned from his time in the fiery pits of hell. His red eyes are inhuman and show he can seek you out in the darkest of nights. This is one unpleasant dude, a fearsome creature which, like all good heraldic beasts, is best
avoided!"
I strongly encourage armigers to visit Baz's website and commission their own tabletop shield while he is still accepting commissions.

24. A unique and brilliant interpretation of my coat of arms by Russian heraldic artist Michael Yurievich Medvedev. Michael states: "The raguly of your arms (actually I would call it counter-raguly) was interpreted differently by different artists; structurally, my version is closer to that chosen by Andy [Jamieson].
"There was a problem with the bat's wings as only the Spanish blazon - they are indicated as a replacement for the ears; the basic English blazon implied that the ears - be they visible or not - are on their places, and this was the way Marco [Foppoli] interpreted that. This was also the solution preferred by myself. My main point was to
represent a satyr closer to the ancient Greek images, and to play with the fragments of the field Azure as quasi-charges. I dare to hope that you will enjoy it all at least to some extent; I confess I enjoyed it immensely."
Michael's website may be seen HERE.
25. Australian heraldist Barrie Burr is known internationally for his skillful renditions (emblazons) of armorial bearings using digital technology. He has developed this art to a high level while continually expanding his knowledge of heraldry. He is an active contributor to various international forums and a member of international
heraldic bodies, including acting as Principal Heraldic Artist for the Royal College of Heraldry of the Principality of Hutt-River (near Perth, Western Australia).
Mr. Burr's methods parallel my own previous work with Heraldry Embellished, utilizing both existing armorial clipart along with self-created elements/augmentations to produce "homogenous" digital renderings of achievements.
26. Ljubodrag Grujic, an heraldic artist based in Pancevo, Serbia, uses primarily modern electronic vector techniques to create his artwork, but pays special attention to producing high quality works that do not fall behind more traditional heraldic techniques. The bulk of his work so far consists of several hundred private commissions
worldwide, but the most influential pieces in his portfolio were the new states arms and flag for his country, commissioned by the government of Serbia, as well as the new dynastic arms of the Royal House of Karageorgevich of Serbia and Yugoslavia. In January 2011 he defended the MA thesis “Influence of the English language as the source and intermediary language on the basic Serbian heraldic terminology.” He collaborates with several heraldic associations and is a firm believer in bringing heraldry into the
21st century as a living, breathing art form. In addition to drawing heraldry he also writes scientific texts on heraldic terminology and history.
Regarding my own achievement, Ljubodrag relates:
“Since you already possess numerous renditions, I took some liberty at combining very strict blazonic notions with liberal designer solutions. The biggest concern for me with the bulk of your already existing heraldic works is that they have counter-raguly line of division. As it has been already mentioned and probably
debated at some length, there is always a question of sticking strictly to the blazon come hell or high water. There is always, but always, a fine line between following the blazon to the best of one’s understanding and what the armiger really wanted, the former being logically more sound. There’s also a question whether the notion behind “raguly” is that the protruding geometrical lines (that only partially resemble branches, since “raguly” is in a different category than “ragged”) could only be placed around
the subordinary in a zig-zag manner or could the protruding lines be placed parallel one to another? Analogy with other lines of partition says that only a zig-zag manner of placement is truly “raguly” and that the other one is “counter-raguly”. The other logical view, though, could be that the cross raguly or chevron raguly are depicted in the Anglo-French heraldries as essentially symmetrical ordinaries, but it could also be argued that they are ordinaries and thus follow different logic or, even better, that
there are continental examples where cross raguly dutifully follows the zig-zag manner of placing the “raguly” bits. Long story short, the choice for this kind of raguly solution seemed firmer which in no way implies that other heraldic artist where dead wrong.
"Another question with the “fretty raguly” is the width of the “fretty” charge. The earlier historic examples have really thin “bendlets” placed widely apart which would go well along with the additional raguly division. If you take into account that the raguly division should be relatively wide itself, my choice
also seemed the only logical one, at least to my frame of mind.
"The last consideration with fretty raguly is its 3D shading. Although Anglo-French heraldries are very strict concerning 3D depiction of basic shield division and ordinaries, my approach is a very modern one, which is even more warranted if one takes into account that fretty is not any of those.”
His website may be seen HERE.
27. A "Standing Knight" version of my achievement as rendered by Andrew Stewart Jamieson.
28. Sivane Saray is a relative newcomer to international heraldry, but is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after heraldic artists working today. Based in Belgium, his style is reminiscent of both Marco Foppoli and the late Daniel de Bruin, though with his own unique flair. The finished achievements are somewhat "rough," though uniquely the artist's own. His Facebook page may be found here - https://www.facebook.com/sivane.saray.
29. Dimitri
Prica developed an interest in graphic design from
boyhood but never pursued studies therein past his
week-long stint as an intern in a web-design company,
where he was first introduced to Inkscape. At the start
of 2019, with a resurgence of free time, he immersed
himself in the creation of logos based on various
orthographies of the world, from Mongolian ʼPhags-pa to
the Ditema syllabary. His residing in Japan at the time
then led to a keen interest in Monshō-gaku, the
monochromatic heraldic devices of the Samurai. Finally,
he was reminded of his fondness for all things knightly
and dove headlong in the world of heraldic design and
artistry, equipped now with the expertise he had
acquired in vector graphics. A little over a year later,
he began offering art in three different styles: a 12th
century manuscript style, modelled after the Zürcher
Wappenrolle; a (mostly) flat shaded style most adapted
for ex-libris; and a more complex, highly-detailed style
with lighting effects, diapering, and the works! He can
be found on Instagram -
www.instagram.com/aemdal
30. This is a personal badge I created
and assumed for myself after years of tossing ideas back
and forth in my head. The end result features a
rendering of a Giant Ground Pangolin (one of a few
species of the most illegally-trafficked animal in the
world - these harmless creatures are killed for their
scaled, and only later for meat - the scales are given
the same sort of superstitious properties as Rhinoceros
Horn or Tiger Penis, especially in Asian markets - I
urge anyone and everyone to do whatever they can to help
this incredibly-endangered creature -
https://youtu.be/kzUXS70ebQo - contact me for
more info). The drawing was produced by my
sister-in-law, Terrie Smith (www.terriesmith.com),
an incredibly talented artist that works in several
forms of media. She rendered the Pangolin at my
direction, and then I crafted a suitable badge
"backdrop" upon which to place it. The blazon for the
Badge is: Argent, a Giant Ground Pangolin
intortant proper, within a broad circular scroll Azure,
fimbriated Or, with the motto Melior Nullo Nullus Melior
inscribed upon it around. All placed on an olive wreath
Vert and ensigned above with an American coronet proper
of eight mullets, five visible, alternate Argent and Or,
and at the top, issuant therefrom two flags in saltire:
dexter White and sinister Orange.
After many years of agonizing over a final design for a signet
ring, deciding between a full achievement of arms, shield alone, crest and
shield, crest alone, etc., I finally decided upon a simple but appealing design.
With the aid of Dennis Endean Ivall, I chose to have my only my crest
and the baronial coronet of a Lord of Munster (see above for more
info on this "lordship") engraved on a signet ring. However, I am no longer in possession of this ring, having sent it back to Carl Lemke for modification several years ago. He has refused to return the ring or my money.

|
|
|