Have you ever wanted to create your own coat of arms? Well, in this instructable, I'll be teaching you to do just that.

Coat of arms were commonly used in the Middle Ages, especially by knights to identify each other fighting in battles. Coat of arms generally represent a person, but they can also represent a family, a group of people, or even an institution.

Supplies

- Card stock

- Pencil

- Pencil Crayons and/or markers

- Fine liner

- Paper for sketching your design (optional)

Step 1: Step 1: Choose the Design of Your Shield

For your first step, you have to choose what design you want. This covers the shape, the tincture, and the ordinary. The shape would be the actual 'shield' part of your coat of arms. There are lots of different shapes, but the normal shield shape would be the most common. The tincture would be what colour you want it to be. Each colour represents something different. The ordinary would be everything else, but for now, we'll focus on the ordinary. The ordinary would be what divides the shield into different sections.

(I've included examples of colours and different ordinaries in the pictures along with example coat of arms.)

Step 2: Step 2: Choose the Charge

The charge is any symbols that are on the shield itself. They can be in the background, the ordinary, or both. There can be one large charge or several smaller ones. You can use anything as a charge, but many people choose things like objects, people, or animals, and the symbols you choose should represent you. However, regarding the colours, you should never put colour on colour, or metal on metal. (The colours being red, blue, green, black, and purple. The metals being gold/yellow and silver/white).

A good source for symbols and what they mean would be this.

Step 3: Step 3: the Helmet

The helmet is placed on top of the shield, and they used represent a person's rank. For example, royalty would be represented with a gold helmet with several bars, and blue or red silk inside. The helmet is also be replaced with a crown in many coat of arms. For this, you can choose either a helmet or a crown that you like.

Step 4: Step 4: the Crest

The next step is the crest. The crest stands on top of the helmet/crown. The crest is generally an animal, and once again is supposed to represent the owner of the coat of arms. The crest also generally holds something that also symbolizes something. For example, if you're an artist, you could have your crest hold a pen.

For symbols and what they mean, you can once again use this website.

Step 5: Step 5: the Torse and the Mantle

The torse (or the crest wreath) is a twist of silk or fabric that goes on top of the helmet. The torse is generally two colours that represent something. These colours can be the colours that you used for your shield, or they could be new ones. The mantle is a swathe of something silk or ribbon-like that falls around the helmet to the top of the shield.

Step 6: Step 6: the Motto

The next step is your motto. The motto is written on a ribbon/banner underneath the shield. The motto is generally in Latin, but it can be whatever you language you want it to be.

Examples of mottos include:

- Carpe diem - Seize the day

- Dominus illuminatio mea - The Lord is my light

- Lux et veritas - Light and truth

Step 7: Step 7: Drawing Your Coat of Arms

Once you've decided all the elements of your coat of arms, you should sketch out a draft of how you want it to look like. That way, you can change certain elements of it in case you want to change your design. Once you're done that, sketch out your design onto a piece of card stock. When that's done, fine line it and then colour it.