Things You'll Need:
- X-Acto knife
- V-Shaped wood chisel
- Sandpaper - 100 and 400
- Wood finish
- Metal ruler
- #11 X-Acto blades
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Step 1
Find the correct coat of arms by consulting a recognized expert source on heraldry. Heraldry was established to identify royalty, knights and those families given royal charters and high social standing. The shield emblem is the center of the coat of arms.
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Step 2
Carve the shield first since it should be the element that protrudes the most from the background. The field is the background of the shield and the patterns on the shield are called the charge. The shape of the shield is a matter of personal preference as the heraldry shield is determined by the historic time period in which it was carved. The most common shapes are: classic(straight top with two curved sides); continental (three straight edges with bottom bracket-shaped edge); edged (two large curved sides and double curve on top); badge (shaped like a police badge); and elegant (double curved top with two indentation in center of side curves).
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Step 3
Outline the crest (top), mantling (decoration at the top), supporter (often animals on each side of the shield) and area containing the motto. The elements need to be worked on separately, but they should be roughed in at the same time to keep the coat of arms symmetrical. Use an X-acto knife to carve these details taking special care to keep the design symmetrical. The best method for maintaining the symmetry is to carve away the wood from the edges towards the center. Work the edges inwardly as carving is a reductive art form (the amount of wood is reduced by carving) as opposed to painting which is an additive art form (paint is added to the canvas).
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Step 4
Dig out the wood between the various elements to give the coat of arms depth. Use a medium chisel with V-shaped carving edges in order to dig into the wood and create the space between design elements. Switch to the X-Acto knife to peck away slowly between the elements. Do not attempt to carve out large areas of wood with quick digs; use small strokes instead. This detailing step needs to be done with great care as the elements are all connected one to another.
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Step 5
Finish the close up work using a magnifying glass. A metal ruler can be places against the straight edged elements in order to carve a perfectly straight edge. Use the smallest X-Acto blade to carve out the excess material. Mottoes are the words that are sometimes included below a coat of arms. These are often written in Latin. The words should be carved in what is called sculpture bas-relief, which is low relief. This is the easiest method to carve mottoes, in this way you dig the motto into the wood as opposed to carving around the words and creating a raised relief motto. If you carve a motto into the coat of arms this step should be done last. Concentrate on sharpening the edges of the design elements.
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Step 6
Sand the coat of arms and add a finish before painting. Place the piece into a vise using rawhide strips to protect the edges of the sculpture. Fold the sandpaper over and make a sharp 90-degree edge in order to sand around the design elements. Use a 400 grade sandpaper for the final sanding. Sanding should take away the rough edges and burs. Water can be used with the sandpaper to produce a high gloss finish. A nice finishing touch would be to use various colors of wood finish to highlight the elements of the coat of arms instead of paint. The sanding and wood finish preserve the coat of arms and keep the design crisp and clear. The coat of arms can then be added to a plaque or metal frame.
