[ANSTHRLD] A Question

[Tim McDaniel]

On Sat, 8 Mar 2003, Joseph Percer <jpercer at stx.rr.com> wrote:
> I'm doing some research into a friend's device, and why it was
> returned....  the AG issue said: Fast Track Returned for being thin
> line heraldry.... Is this meaning that the emblazon was just not
> clear enough, or something different?

I can't look up the exact item, but I can describe what "thin-line
heraldry" is in general.

The old rules (before May 1990) had a clearer statement in this case.

    AR6.  Armorial Simplicity Rule. ...
    c. Complexity Limit.  There should not be a variety of tiny
    charges or details indistinguishable from a distance.

The current rules:

    3.  Armorial Identifiability - Elements must be used in a design
     so as to preserve their individual identifiability.

     Identifiable elements may be rendered unidentifiable by
     significant reduction in size, marginal contrast, excessive
     counterchanging, voiding, or fimbriation, or by being obscured by
     other elements of the design.  For instance, a complex line of
     partition could be difficult to recognize between two parts of
     the field that do not have good contrast if most of the line is
     also covered by charges.  A complex divided field could obscure
     the identity of charges counterchanged.  Voiding and fimbriation
     may only be used with simple geometric charges placed in the
     center of the design.

> I forgot, the blazon was Vert, a bow nocked of an arrow and drawn
> Or.

Again, without seeing it I can't opine.  But I once had a submission
with an arrow returned for thin-line.  The problem is that it had a
natural-looking arrow with head and fletching in their natural sizes.
We redrew with oversized mutant head and fletching and thickened
shaft, and it was passed.  _A Pictorial Dictionary of Heraldry_, Bruce
Draconarius of Mistholme and Akagawa Yoshio (a must-buy for an armory
herald), has good depictions in ithems 19-22.  The fletching on the
plain arrow is about one-third the length of the entire arrow.

Daniel de Lincolia
--
Tim McDaniel (home); Reply-To: tmcd at panix.com; work is tmcd at us.ibm.com.