Assorted Lessons in SCA Heraldry

Contrast

Answers to the Quiz

In each of the following blazons or blazon fragments, is there adequate contrast?
[Answers Below]

1. Per chevron azure and sable... - Yes.

2. Per chevron invected azure and sable... - Probably not. The contrast between azure and sable is so low that the complex line is probably unidentifiable.

3. Per chevron engrailed gules and sable.. - Yes.

4. Per fess Or and sable, a chief sable. - Yes, but this looks like Sable, a fess enhanced.

5. Per bend sable and Or, a chief azure. - No. The azure chief has inadequate contrast with the sable part of the field; it does not touch the Or part of the field.

6. Per pale sable and Or, a chief sable. No. The chief has no contrast with the sable half of the field.

7. Argent, a bordure compony argent and azure. No. A bordure compony may not share a tincture with the field; this looks like a bunch of blue blocks around the edge.

8. Argent, a bordure compony Or and azure. - Yes.

9. Argent, a bordure checky argent and azure. - Yes.

10. Per fess checky argent and azure and vair.. - No. The top and bottom are both blocks of blue and white in slightly different patterns.

11. Gules, a lion checky argent and azure. - Yes.

12. Gules, a lion checky argent and gules. - No. This lion is too complex an object to share a tincture with the field.

13. Per fess gules and argent, a lion Or. - Yes. This is not very good, but it is legal.

14. Per fess gules and argent, a lion barry argent and azure. - No. the lower half has inadequate contrast.

15. Per fess gules and argent, a lion barry Or and azure. - Yes.

16. Sable, an eagle barry argent and gules. - Yes.

17. Checky argent and sable, an eagle sable. - No.

18. Checky Or and gules, an eagle sable. - Yes.

19. Per pale argent and azure, a sheaf of three arrows sable. - Yes.

20. Per pale argent and azure, a sheaf of three arrows gules. - Yes.

21. Per pale argent and azure, a sheaf of three arrows Or. - Yes.

22. Azure, a bend vair. - No.

23. Sable, a bend vair. - Yes.

24. Checky Or and gules, a chief sable. - Yes.

25. Checky of six panes gules and Or, a chief sable. - No, because in this field two-thirds of the top edge are gules, which officially has poor contrast with sable.