Monochrome?

[ThinBlueLine]

Greetings all,

I have been considering having a tattoo done of the Hannay crest badge and, being of the historian persuasion, I have been doing a fair amount of research to make sure I have the correct design.
I have recently stumbled across something that confuses me slightly. The following comes from "The Court of the Lord Lyon Information Leaflet No. 2, Scottish Crest Badges:"

"Crest Badges are for wear by the clansmen, and as they are made of silver or white metal they should never be illustrated on paper or other materials in colour, other than white or silver. Line drawings should be printed in
monochrome."

If I am reading this correctly then it means that the crest badge should be done in black and white or greyscale despite the color that would be in the wreath (blue and white).

For the most part this should not be a problem since the two major elements, the cross and the crescent, of the badge are black. However, I want to make sure I do not violate any rules of propriety by making an error with the wreath.

For illustrative purposes here is a colored version of the badge (not exactly the style I want to use, but it shows the two elements of the crest and the color of the wreath):



Any assistance offered will be greatly appreciated.

[MacMillans son]

That is interesting.

Of course, we see drawings of clan badges all the time that are in color, I am assuming now that they are not properly presented in that way. I am quite new to the idea and practices of heraldry, and things overseen by the Lord Lyon. I am not clear, for instance, where the Lyon court's powers or authority end, and where a clan chief's begin relative to specific clan items such as these.

I look forward to more input from those in the know.

[Chas]

Heraldicaly, the strap or belt should not be in blue, that is reserved for the Order of the Garter, which is a blue garter/strap/belt. That particular graphic is bad anyway as the belt changes colour to a dark blue as it goes through the buckle, which of course it wouldn't do in reality.

It has always been my understanding that a clan crest badge should be portrayed in monochrome by a clan member. Only the owner of the crest (the clan chief) has the right to portray it in colour. All other use is by his grace.

That having been said - it is your body. You have the right to adorn it as you see fit. Personally, I think that if you were to use black ink on skin only, it would be just as wrong as using other coloured inks. Human flesh is after all not 'white'. So going for colour would be the best bet. If you are going to do it, it might as well be pleasing to everyone's eye.

Regards

Chas

[ThinBlueLine]

Chas,

You are exactly right about the belt and buckle. The image is by far not the best representation but it was the only one I could quickly link to that had the colored wreath.
I would not plan on coloring the belt and buckle anything other than in greyscale anyhow. The only colored element that has me concerned in the wreath.
You raise an interesting point about skin color. I had not really thought about the background of the image in relation to whether or not it is monochrome.

[Chas]

Don't you think the wreath might look a bit lonely - just three little blobs of blue? If it were me, I would consider a brown/tan for the strap, which would frame the crest. Certainly something to match your own skintone. The buckle, tang and strap end would be in brass/gold.

It might also be worthwhile considering a drop-shadow for the two crest elements. The very thinest of a red line (one pixel wide), on the lower and right edges might give the two a lift. If you look in the graphic the cross crosslet fitchy already has a minute drop-shadow.

Regards

Chas

[MacMillans son]

Of course, as Chas has said, it is your body, but if your goal is to be in keeping with the wishes of the traditional governing bodies, then it seems you may want to stick with this:

"Crest Badges are for wear by the clansmen, and as they are made of silver or white metal they should never be illustrated on paper or other materials in colour, other than white or silver. Line drawings should be printed in
monochrome."

In this instance, I would consider a tattoo a line drawing. And as you have no control over your skin color, would do a line drawing in some variant of the most common color of line drawings, black.

If, again assuming you are wanting to "follow the rules" so to speak, you wish to do something in color, Chas' directions would indicate that a request to your clan chief would be in order to receive his blessings (or not).

That, of course, is just my take on the information you and Chas have provided. Others, with far greater knowledge than me, may suggest otherwise.

Good luck!

[Riverkilt]

Never heard of rules applying to tattoos.....seems just the opposite.

Tats are deeply personal, often spiritual - if thought out and done sober.....

You're gonna wear it the rest of your life. Do it like you wanna do it.

[Failed God]

I would steer clear of monochrome for the tattoo myself. You might want to consider doing it in a Grey scale done to represent silver like a cap badge. A competent artist should be able to do it with shading and make it look convincing. I have a friend with a Cadillac tattoo done up to look like chrome and it works rather well.

[gary meakin]

I agree with Riverkilt on one hand. Your tattoo is very personal. It's your body, etc.
On the other hand you are getting a tattoo of someting that pretty much belongs to someone else.
I would go with the monochrome and I interpret that leaflet as meaning the drawing of the crest. Background is just that. Background. I don't think the color of your skin enters into it.
If you want color I would agree that you get the clan chief's blessing.

[macwilkin]

I agree with Riverkilt on one hand. Your tattoo is very personal. It's your body, etc.
On the other hand you are getting a tattoo of someting that pretty much belongs to someone else.
I would go with the monochrome and I interpret that leaflet as meaning the drawing of the crest. Background is just that. Background. I don't think the color of your skin enters into it.
If you want color I would agree that you get the clan chief's blessing.

Exactly -- it does belong to someone else. A "clansman's badge" contains the crest of the Chief, which is part of their coat-of-arms. It only makes sense to respect the customs and traditions of something that is technically someone else's property.


T.