Welcome to DrawShield

Create shields, learn blazonry, study heraldry

Welcome to DrawShield!

- A Suite of Heraldry Programs and Resources.

On these pages you will find tools to help you understand Heraldry and Blazonry and create heraldic images. Some of the things that you can do on this site are:

Look at the list of recent updates Create and share your own shields by entering a blazon Create a shield by choosing from a menu Generate a random blazon View over 13,000 user contributions in the Gallery Consult Heraldry Reference Books Create a Warhammer 40K Pauldron

New to the site? Try the "Getting Started" video below...

What is Blazonry?

Blazonry is a special language, part English, part French, used to precisely describe the colours, shapes and objects that appear on a heraldic shield. There are several places to get help and information about DrawShield and the art of blazonry.

Drawshield User Guide

There is comprehensive document which explains most of the functions availabl, along with complete reference to all the terms that DrawShield can understand and a tutorial on the language of Blazonry for those new to Heraldry. The Catalog which shows thumbnail images of most of the things that DrawShield supports.

Although DrawShield is not undergoing major developments you can find out about recent additions, changes and bug fixes on the What's New? page.

Important

DrawShield is provided for education and information only. The use of heraldic devices is restricted in many countries, independently of copyright. The granting of a Coat of Arms is solely the right of the appropriate Heraldic Authority for your nationality and country of residence.

See the FAQs for more information.

Other Information on Blazonry and Heraldry

If you would like to learn more about Blazonry and Heraldry there are many books available on the subject, almost all of which cover at least the basics of the blazon language. As well as the guide and tutorial mentioned above there is a good on-line Grammar of Blazonry written by Bruce Miller of the Society for Creative Anachronism, most of which can be applied directly to Drawshield.

To get the best out of DrawShield you really need to learn blazonry - this is very authentic (just like a proper herald!) and gives you a great deal of flexibility but can be difficult to learn and frustrating to use! If you prefer a more guided approach to creating coats of arms please take a look at Heraldicon.org.

Looking For Your Family History or Coat of Arms?

DrawShield is just for creating and sharing heraldry, if you want to find your family coat of arms or family I suggest contacting a professional genealogist. If you are in North America I can highly recommend coadb.com. (Disclosure: the author has provided consultancy to coadb.com). If you are in the UK I suggest contacting Green Dragon Genealogy for a personalised and professional service.