From Coat of Arms to Tartan: The Cadilhac Case.

[cadilhac]

@OC Richard: Ah! So I guess that with the miniature, you didn't have any of the fine (and arguably clumsy) lines, so this would give:

which is probably the most satisfying arrangement to date :-)

[Todd Bradshaw]

I guess my first thought on these would tend to be "Do you want a tartan that comes off as being mostly black?" There is no right or wrong, good or bad answer to that, but from a certain distance that's probably the look you will get.

[cadilhac]

@Todd Bradshaw: Well, yes indeed :-) I may end up lightening some colors, as I told you, but I want some prominent black. I also plan to pleat at the stripe, on the red cross, hence even blacker from the back, with flashes of blue. Brightening up the blue for contrast could also be good!

For instance:


Thanks!

[Todd Bradshaw]

Depending on the sett size and width of the red stripe, it's hard to estimate just how much black will be showing next to them. That did brighten things up quite a bit though. In my own opinion it helps balance the blue and gold stuff against the black and red stuff.

[cadilhac]

@Todd Bradshaw: Marvelous, thanks! A programmer friend of mine spoiled me an episode of Game of Thrones, so he has to repay me with some code: that'll be the Online Kilt-O-Maker then! :-) Thanks for the preview of the back! As I'm a lowly scientific researcher, I'll probably go for a lower cost box-pleated kilt, giving less stripes, and thus more balance between the black and the red in the back. At a third of the 5.8" that the sett is currently taking, that would amount to 10 pleats. I'll let the design sit for another week, then I'll go and order; with the delivery time being what it is, if I want the kilt to be ready for September, better act very soon!

Cheers!

[Tarheel]

My favorite (box pleat) will look good in this tartan. Sometimes a budget brings unexpected treasures. I think you will be pleased.

[AFS1970]

Coming into this a bit late but reading this brought up some questions.

With the use of the Quebec tartan, is this because of some family connection or simply because you like it? If there is a family connection then using it as a starting point makes more sense to me. If not is there a district or regional tartan that there is a family connection to that might provide some more inspiration?

Using the colors of the coat of arms is an interesting idea, but as has been shown there has to be some changes to the proportions. The white or grey being a major part of the coat but not all that attractive as a major part of a tartan. The open collar being a relatively small part of the coat but a big part of the tartan. I think all of these factors can still work, as has been shown by some of the later suggestions.

The main color, which is almost a background color (at least to my mind), can set the tone of the tartan. I personally am not a big fan of black tartans, although I have seen some that I like individually. I wonder if swapping the black and blue might make for a brighter and more blue based tartan? When I look at the coat of arms my eyes are drawn to the blue at the top and not so much to the black of the dog, although I think they are probably somewhat equal in proportion to the entire coat.

All in all, nice job with the design(s) and this has helped me learn more about designing a tartan.