Welcome
Welcome to the Book of Traceable Heraldic Art, a compilation of armorial illustrations intended to facilitate the design of devices and badges within the Society for Creative Anachronism.
This collection was initally meant to facilitate submissions at Pennsic Heralds’ Point, but it has since proven useful in other contexts.
Work In Progress
This is a snapshot of an ongoing project, incomplete and subject to revision. It may — nay, most certainly does — contain errors.
It is not complete, but the common field divisions and ordinaries are included, along with a fair number of complex line variations, and a growing collection of mobile charges. There are also a number of other supporting documents and worksheets that may be useful to heralds which are available as part of the broader collection.
Important: Note that the inclusion of a charge or illustration in this collection does not guarantee that it is registrable. Always check with knowledgable heralds before submitting your armorial design.
If you spot problems or have suggestions for improvements, I would love to hear about them!
Multiple Sources & Alternative Depictions
This collection has been assembled from multiple sources, with illustrations by different artists, as shown on the credits pages.
There are multiple variations included for some elements, reflecting a range of proportions or styles or artistic options, indicated by page titles containing (1), (2), etc. In some cases the choice of variation may be constrained by other elements of the design; in others any option will work, and the choice of which to use is up to the submitter, herald, or scribe.
Scaled For Submission Forms
The fields and ordinaries are scaled to match the SCA’s standard armory submission forms.
The complex lines have been scaled to multiple sizes that should allow their use with most field divisions or ordinaries. Some combinations of divisions and ordinaries using those lines are included, but in other cases you may need to construct them yourself.
The mobile charges have been scaled to multiple sizes that should be traceable in most possible positions on the field. The largest size should fit comfortably on the SCA’s standard armory submission forms as a sole primary device, while the smaller sizes can be used in combination with other charges.
Printing & Tracing
If you print single-sided copies of these pages you should be able to lay a submission form over them to trace the desired elements.
A light table or light box will make the job of tracing easier; a simple one can be purchased online for $15-25, or you may be able to improvise one with a desk lamp under a glass table, or by placing a string of holiday lights inside a clear plastic storage tote, or by taping the pages to a sunny window.
Web Downloads
The latest version of this document is online at http://heraldicart.org/.
In addition to printable PDFs, the web site also includes files for each charge in PNG and SVG formats, as well as the original source files in OmniGraffle format, any of which may be used to assemble digital images of armory for submission or display.
These images use a gray background to indicate charge areas. Convert these to black-and-white or fill with the appropriate color.
