STUDY 001 · The fess
A band of gold
A gold horizontal band on blue gives us a simple field–ordinary relationship to describe.
Azure, a fess Or.
Rebuild this shield in the atelier ↗ ✦ The teaching collection
The armorial.
A cabinet of original shields. Every one illustrates a visual idea, carries a readable blazon, and opens directly in the Atelier so you can take it apart.
These are teaching designs, not registered arms.
Every shield in this collection was composed for the project. Use their names to locate an exercise. They identify neither historical bearers nor grants, and the collection is not a register of ownership.
✦ Original illustrated specimens
16 designs to read and change.
STUDY 002 · The chevron
The white chevron
Compare the chevron at large and small sizes to see which features keep it recognizable.
Vert, a chevron Argent.
Rebuild this shield in the atelier ↗ STUDY 003 · Birds
Three martlets
A classic bird charge, in a composition designed for the classroom—not a historical family attribution.
Azure, three martlets Argent.
Rebuild this shield in the atelier ↗ STUDY 004 · Botany
A single fleur
One recognizable charge carries an entire shield.
Gules, a fleur-de-lis Or.
Rebuild this shield in the atelier ↗ STUDY 005 · Crosses
A red cross
An extremely old geometry in armory, here presented as an unassigned teaching example.
Argent, a cross Gules.
Rebuild this shield in the atelier ↗ STUDY 006 · Crosses
The saltire
An X-shaped ordinary, visually distinct from the upright cross.
Sable, a saltire Argent.
Rebuild this shield in the atelier ↗ STUDY 007 · Chief
Above the field
Three blue stars placed on the white chief of a red field.
Gules, on a chief Argent three mullets Azure.
Rebuild this shield in the atelier ↗ STUDY 008 · Per pale
Parted in two
The field is divided vertically into two areas. Compare that division with a pale placed on one field.
Per pale Or and Azure.
Rebuild this shield in the atelier ↗ STUDY 009 · Per fess
Two horizontal fields
Two halves, each a distinct tincture. Compare to a fess on a single field.
Per fess Argent and Vert.
Rebuild this shield in the atelier ↗ STUDY 010 · Quarterly
Quarter study
Four compartments demonstrate the geometry of a quarterly field; the design is an unassigned teaching example.
Quarterly Gules and Or.
Rebuild this shield in the atelier ↗ STUDY 011 · Placement
Roundels on a pale
The little word 'on' in the blazon matters: the roundels live on the vertical ordinary.
Or, on a pale Azure three roundels Argent.
Rebuild this shield in the atelier ↗ STUDY 012 · Shells
A scallop triptych
Three stylized scallop shells let us compare charge count, placement, and recognizable shape.
Sable, on a fess Or three escallops Gules.
Rebuild this shield in the atelier ↗ STUDY 013 · Botany
Roses at the chief
A trio of stylized flowers illustrates the relationship between an ordinary and what it carries.
Vert, on a chief Argent three roses Gules.
Rebuild this shield in the atelier ↗ STUDY 014 · Bend
The diagonal
A bend cuts the field cleanly without dividing its tincture.
Or, a bend Gules.
Rebuild this shield in the atelier ↗ STUDY 015 · Rare colours
A purple experiment
Purpure appears less frequently than the most common colours, but belongs in the basic palette.
Purpure, three annulets Or.
Rebuild this shield in the atelier ↗ STUDY 016 · Placement
Stars on a cross
A deliberately simplified exercise in the language of stacked forms.
Azure, on a cross Argent three mullets Gules.
Rebuild this shield in the atelier ↗ Looking for objects and displays?
Visit the object studies to examine licensed photographs, source records, and the evidence behind real armorial compositions. For registers and institutional sources, continue to the research directory.