I participated in my first rapier tournament today, it was fucking awesome. I got authorized like five minutes before it started so I was already a little tired before the melee. Everyone vs everyone all at once, and if the person who killed you gets out you get to go back in. At the end of ten minutes, no one else can come back in and we find the winners. I did THREE rounds of that, and came in second place in one of them. I absolutely want to go to war one of these days. I was sweaty and yucky and hot the whole day but it was worth it, melee was awesome.
~Hang on folks, this is gonna be a long one~
So recently, meaning back in January, I joined the (one and only) local Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) rapier combat group.
At first, I thought it was just fencing. I had no idea what I was getting into- it was recommended by a friend, also in this group, who knew I thought it was modern fencing. This friend decided not to enlighten me, and once I got to my first meet. Well. Safe to say, I was surprised.
(gif from giphy)
SCA Rapier Combat, it turns out, is not modern fencing.
Its more... Princess Bride-sy.
It was AWESOME. I got so many bruises. So many. But it was all worth it.
It continues to be amazing. Tuesdays are my favorite days due to this new sport. I own my own goddamn sword.
Anyhow I digress, a big part of the SCA is the persona you build within the Society. You need a name, a region (country, etc), and a time period- anywhere between the year 600 to 1600- as well as some more optional things such as a detailed history and a personal coat of arms.
As a fan of Arting as a whole, the prospect of delving into Heraldry and making my own coat of arms is very appealing.
Except, I’m somewhat of a perfectionist and very sentimental. I’m also indecisive as hell.
Choosing a Charge (the plant, animal, building, human or human bit, symbol etc on one’s shield ((disclaimer, what I know here is basically the result of nights spent googling instead of studying, so if I’m wrong, please tell me))) was and continues to be very difficult. Because it will be a symbol representing Me, as a sword fighter and person in the SCA, for years to come.
Choosing everything else will come after- I already know most of what I want to put on the rest of my device, my motto (Towards Sea over Snow, hehehe) and my colours.
But the charge is personal, symbolic, and very important to the whole.
Anyhow, the point of this post and all the ones like it in the future is to document the development of my charge, because I’m not stopping ‘till I draw one that’s just right.
Finally, to finish off with all this introductory stuff- here’s Agrimony-Art’s SCA Adventures in Heraldry, pt.1: The Alphyn, Rampant Regardant
Now, according to wikipedia (great source, I know), the Alphyn has no particular symbolism as a heraldic charge. That’s ok, the SCA doesn’t really care about symbolism and neither did the time period they use (apparently, again, dubious sources of knowledge here- apart from the fact this was a comment made by our Heraldry master/manager/person to ask- but still). However, the page (which can be found here-> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphyn ) does mention they were once described as being used as “judges” in ye olden chess game, instead of bishops. That’s pretty cool, but I’m not a good judge of anything (especially if my friends comments about my funny puns are anything to go by). Except desserts. I am quite good at judging desserts.
Anyhow!
The Alphyn piqued my interest mainly because, well, its a mofo wolf dragon!
(This is the picture on Wikipedia, creds to whoever drew it, I wish I could find you my dude)
Lookit! She’s gorgeous. Apparently it’s tail is also knotted, which I would like to believe means a promise kept, or a vow- maybe she always keeps it’s word. Who knows? That’s my opinion. Apart from that the Alphyn is a draconic wolf, with a long tail, and I love creature designs with long tails, dragons, and wolves- so she’s a perfect match.
Now I want to make it my own, with a different Attitude (which I believe is the position of the Charge) and in my own style.
After little debate, I chose my preliminary three favorite attitudes (all pictures from on this wikipedia page-> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attitude_(heraldry) ):
The Rampant Regardant:
The Passant Regardant:
The Sejant Erect:
I am so, so sorry for those of you on mobile devices. IDK why the pics are so large ok. I did warn this was gonna be a long-haul post.
Anywho. For pt. 1 I chose to do a “rough/clean idea” of my Alphyn, à la Rampant Regardant.
It was an annoying start.
And it continued to be so, maybe because I’m unused to the stiff posture of Heraldic Charges? The front dragon arms annoyed me from minute 1.
The knotted tail was also an issue. Thank you google, for easy access to sailor knots. I believe this is the figure 8? Took me a solid bit to figure out how the hell to draw it. Proof provided.
Don’t even mention the fur. Or the front arms. Also, excuse the mess of solid black lines, that was for a later layer and I just... Idk.
Lemme just say, Thank Mae for firealpaca and photoshop in general’s Transform Tool. First the dragon feet were too big, then the head, then the knot didn’t look right, then the raised back foot, then the ears, and the head, and the neck, and the dragon feet, and the mane, and the head, and the knot, and the dragon feet.... did I mention the fucking head.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
I stopped here, because I did not feel like doing another layer, and I felt this was good enough for a “rough/clean idea”. Can you tell I gave up by the time I got to the tail? I can.
There’s just.... something inherently annoying about this piece. Maybe if I spent more time on it, refined it and added more deets, it would look better. Maybe. Who knows.
But something about it, specifically from the waist up, annoys and irritates my very non-existent soul. No matter what I do, the head just.... looks too big. Too wrong.
I’m going to restart.
Anyhow, this was SCA Adventures in Heraldry pt.1, one of my personal, non-novel/webcomic related projects. I hope this painful process was enjoyable, till next time.
The Academy of the Sword by Gerard Thibault d'Anvers at Karnac USA
Gérard Thibault d'Anvers (ca. 1574–1627) was a Dutch fencing master and author of the 1628 rapier manual Academie de l'Espée ('The Academy of the Sword'). His manual is one of the most detailed and elaborate extant sources on rapier combat, painstakingly utilizing geometry and logic to defend his unorthodox style of swordsmanship.
All photos save for the first belong to Rainillt De Bello Marisco.
This example features a design which does not completely cover all of the mesh of the mask -- the possibilities are endless!
Materials used: Acrylics, painter pens
Total time: At least 8-10 hours, on and off. The design was tricky.
If you’re interested in commissioning me for a custom mask painting, please send a message here, or through email: [email protected]
