Les Waggoner – October 8, 2023
As I struggled to sketch out my coat of arms concept, I became frustrated by an inability to balance modern aesthetics with traditional heraldic principles. In searching online for inspiration, I discovered tutorials by Monika Zagrobelna on fantastical creature anatomy and avian sketches. Her artistic expertise in breaking down the biological structures that inform imaginary or mythic creatures was incredibly helpful for my thought process.
Attempting to apply Monika’s wing and feather techniques to my own Phoenix and Dragon charges yielded moderate improvements. But it struck me; why not inquire if she might be willing to bring her talents to this project herself as a commissioned artist? Though initially doubtful she would accept such an unusual commission, I decided to reach out on the possibility of collaboration.
When I first contacted Monika about a coat of arms commission, I was uncertain she would be receptive. Heraldic emblazoning wasn’t her specialty, and I doubted I could afford her skills. However, despite my reservations, I decided to inquire anyway.
To my pleasant surprise, Monika responded enthusiastically. Though this was quite a big project, she indicated that it was something that needed to be done right! Understanding that she recognized the import of this project was encouraging to me and confirmed my decision to reach out to her. Her price was reasonable and though she had never attempted heraldic art before, she was excited by the prospect.
She outlined the process and divided it into stages:
- Rough sketch – to set the basic poses of the animals, as well as the general look of the whole composition
- Cleaned up sketch – refine the look of the elements (but the lines themselves would remain sketchy)
- Clean line art & shading – the final look of the whole image, in black and white
- Colors – if needed, this is where we would add them
- Optionally, vectorization of the artwork – a vector image can be cleanly resized for any purpose without any loss of quality
Additionally she reiterated what the project was going to be and what she perceived as the final product and deliverables.
Given how the process was outlined, my belief that I chose the right person was reinforced..
Heraldic art requires adhering to long-standing traditions, but also allows room for personal symbolism and creative flair. In one of my initial emails, I described it as being complex in its simplicity.
Monika had a firm grasp on the scope of this project, which would take her out of her comfort zone in some ways. She expressed the need to do the research in order to get a better grasp on heraldic artistry.
I provided as much information as I could in order to facilitate the project, pointing her to some of my previous posts, which document my latest attempts at getting the concept registered and emblazoned. Even to the point of final changes to the registered blazon being made shortly after my initial contact with Monika.
As we moved forward, we discussed the positioning of the charges. Her initial sketch was impressive and incorporated all that I had hoped to see. However, since the blazon wording had been simplified extensively during the final registration process, I felt that we needed to adhere to the standards and keep each charge within their own quarter, instead of my original concept of a yin-yang.
A testament to her skill, the fundamental structures of the achievement were produced, and even the initial loosely drawn sketches were everything I had hoped for and more. The amazing technical accuracy of the mythological figures was evident despite the unfinished state. As she cleaned up the sketch and we hammered out positional tweaks, We gained immense appreciation for the sheer artistry involved in emblazoning a coat of arms. Each creature began emerging with life and energy flowing through it. She added and verified the look of the text making sure that I was approving at every step.
As she refined the images, verifying with me and allowing me to participate in each step she expertly in penned my vision. We adjusted the positioning of the charges to be contained within their quarters. The sun more to chief, and the tree more to base. We adjusted the look of the mantel and the helm placement and positioning. With the look and feel finally correct, I informed her that I was happy with it and was ready to move to the coloring phase. Upon hearing this, she gently informed me that we were just now finishing up the rough sketches and still had to clean up the line work and apply shading. I was flabbergasted, and once again had to marvel at her ability and attention to detail.
As shading was added, the depth and dimension reached another level entirely. Monika played with variations in brush stroke style and contrast, seeking to find a modern interpretation while keeping the general presentation true to heraldic traditions. Her talent for replicating aged hand drawn look through digital means was hugely valuable in maintaining an authentic look.
Once we had decided on the weight of the lines, The look and feel of the shading. Some additional positional changes, which I was initially concerned that it would already be too late to make. I was relieved when she indicated that the shading was layered and the positional moves would not be an issue. Thus we shifted the sun’s position a bit more to the center of the piece, though not much. Thus, she concluded the cleaning up of the lines and the adding of the shading.
As we entered the coloring phase, Monika offered suggestions and direction based on how she felt the piece should go. I was invariably amazed at how closely her concepts matched my vision. Not perfectly, mind you, but it was almost always simple minor tweaks that were needed. We opted to stay with more muted colors, rather than the bright modern colors that are prevalent in modern day advertising. This enabled her to keep with a more historical look, as if the piece was completely hand drawn or replicated form an ancient text.
By the end of the project, Monika had molded the provided concepts and ideas into a cohesive masterwork, igniting a passion for the art form. Her blend of artistic prowess entwined with her ability for client collaboration should be set as an industry “gold standard”. As we concluded the project, I found I had developed an intense appreciation for her ability beyond that of the impressive skills she has publicly displayed on her website thus far. I am so grateful I took the leap and reached out to her. Thank you for all you do, Monika; your efforts are truly appreciated more than you will ever know.