Posts Tagged ‘heraldry’

Baker Street Crest

Thursday, March 7th, 2013

Baker Street Crest by Amy Crook

Baker Street Crest by Amy Crook

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the alphabet, I’ve done another B! I took the design for H is for Heraldry, with all its Sherlock-centric themes, and turned it into a B for 221B Baker Street. There’s actually a lot of John Watson in this crest, almost more so than Sherlock Holmes, with the generosity, loyalty, and martial readiness. Sherlock is in there, too, though, both of them rampant and ready to defend their little kingdom.

I decided not to bling up the gold in this one, sticking to a nice bright, warm yellow to represent the Or field on the shield. This also makes them easier to reproduce, so I’ve got note cards for sale on Etsy with the crest, so you can send your next piece of snail mail in style.

Baker Street Crest, 5″x5″ pen & ink and Copic markers on paper.

Baker Street Crest, detail, by Amy Crook

Baker Street Crest, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the detail on the cheerful hedgehog and rather snooty otter. Below, I’ve put it in a frame and you can see how the original stacks up next to my iPhone.

Baker Street Crest, framed art by Amy Crook

Baker Street Crest, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
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H is for Heraldry

Thursday, September 6th, 2012

H is for Heraldry, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook

H is for Heraldry, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook

I have to admit, when deciding on the colors and symbols for this letter with the help of Google, I also enlisted certain fannish friends. That’s how I ended up with Hedgehog Rampant and Otter Rampant as the creatures, making the H secret fan art on top of everything else.

The symbology of the elements of this particular shield are, at least according to Google and artistic intention (which I’m given to understand the latter is more important, anyway):

  • Gold/Yellow (Or): generosity
  • Blue (Azure): strength, loyalty
  • Black (Sable): constancy, grief
  • Chevron on the shield: protection, faithful service
  • Otter: one who lives life to the fullest
  • Hedgehog: provident provider
  • Arrows: military readiness
  • Holly: truth

H is for Heraldry, 5″x5″ mixed media on paper, nfs (sold). If you’d like an H of your own, you can find out how to commission one here.

H is for Heraldry, detail, by Amy Crook

H is for Heraldry, detail, by Amy Crook

Although the glitter looks a bit anemic in the scan, when it catches the light it’s really a lovely bright gold with a nice layer of golden yellow beneath it to add richness. Below, you can see how it looks framed and hanging out on my bookshelf with a little sneak preview of next week’s letter. (HI!)

H is for Heraldry & I is for Impressionism, framed art by Amy Crook

H is for Heraldry & I is for Impressionism, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Daily Art, Illuminated Alphabet, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
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