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Hart House
St. Bart's
Queen's Beasts
Heraldry 4 Kids - Design your own shield
1. Design Your Own Shield Online on the Internet
 | Make Your Coat of Arms is an extension of FamilyIQ's popular family education website. FamilyIQ specializes in helping individuals, couples, and parents learn skills that result in better personal relationships, happier family relationships, and more effective parenting of children and teenagers. FamilyIQ provides online courses, tests and support that help you learn more about yourself, your partner and your family and how to be a better parent. | |
 | Shields, Knights and Heraldry is free software for kids to make their own shields (coats of arms). The associated page on making an authentic medieval shield discusses the origins and functions of coats of arms, and their relationship to the culture of the Middle Ages. The software includes dozens of traditional medieval designs to use on shields and the rules of heraldry and emblazonry. Fun, educational hands-on learning. Make your own Coat of Arms online, no downloading, no installation, PC or Mac. |
2. Heraldry Colouring Book
 | Click on the image on the left to view and/or to download a pdf file containing a heraldry colouring book for kids. Learn about the traditional names for heraldic colours (tinctures) and the common designs available for the shield. Some sample devices (objects that one can draw onto the shield) are provided in this colouring book. An instructive and fun way to learn more about heraldry. |
3. Design Your Own Shield on your computer
- a) A Microsoft Windows 95 program is available to download and install on your personal computer entitled "Blazon for Windows 95" authored by Pete Barrett. You can download this file (zipped) by clicking here! (360KB).
- b) Another Microsoft Windows program is available to download and install on your personal computer entitled "Blazons! 2000" authored by . You can download this file (zipped) by clicking here! (5.5MB).
4. Design Your Own Shield on Paper
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This Knight's shield may offer protection from a fire-breathing dragon, but it's not very colourful or heraldic. You can make your own arms based on symbols and colours that are meaningful to you.
To design your own arms follow the Instructions below. A full achievement (or coat of arms) awarded to an individual, would normally include a shield, helmet, mantling, and crest - in this project we will design only the shield.
- Large sized devices (clipart) will fit the blank shield. Choose medium and small devices if using a shield divided into sections (The basic geometrical figures are called Ordinaries. Click here to see more designs using Ordinaries and Lines of Partition). You may also decide to draw your own unique devices on your shield.
- To follow heraldic convention, don't place two coloured objects on top of each other in your design. This 'rule', in place since medieval times, helped to ensure that heraldic designs used on the shield, banner, or surcoat could be easily distinguished at a distance. A black Unicorn on a gold shield is correct (a colour is on a metal), while a black Unicorn on a blue shield wouldn't meet this rule because two colours are against each other. Use the metals, gold (Or) and silver (Argent), to help your design comply with this ancient guideline.
- Colours and certain patterns (furs) used in heraldry are called tinctures. Place your mouse over the shields below to reveal the heraldic name for each tincture. The heraldic description of a coat of arms is called the blazon, and the tinctures are used to describe how the arms are coloured or patterned with fur.
| T I N C T U R E S - Colours |
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| T I N C T U R E S - Metals & Furs |
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Instructions for creating your own shield:
- print a Shield from the selection below
- print some pages of clipart
- colour or paint the Shield and clipart (if using paint you may want to print on heavier paper)
- cut-out your coloured clipart and paste onto the Shield
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| LARGE DEVICES |        |
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| Medium & Small DEVICES |
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| Medium & Small DEVICES |
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| Medium & Small DEVICES |
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| Medium & Small DEVICES |
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