Hitzler Family Coat of Arms Project
Joe approached me with a special family project. Unaware at the time, Joe was already consumed with researching his family roots and looking for a way to bring it to life. The Hitzler Family Crest already existed, in fact several variations and edits have been made over the years dating back to 1499 in a key event in the family (leaving details out). The man on the crest and the shield both hold the brown trout which can be traced back to his origins of Swabia region where the family brought their catch home from the nearby Danube River. With respect to symbolism, every element you see in these older versions of his family crest, Joe uncovered both the meaning and origins.
There was more research to be done. Following the family lines, a timeline was constructed. Loaded with knowledge, Joe sought a way to update the traditional Family Crest into a full Coat of Arms. With the ultimate goal of creating a new family heirloom to pass down to future generations, we struck up a conversation. New and modern elements needed to reflect both the past and present of his family history. This meant adding the "supporters" surrounding the shield and a host of other elements. With family origins coming from Germany to the United States, the idea of adding Eagles flanking the sides was born.
So began my discovery as well. I thought, I can't create just anything free form, there's history here. Can I move the mantling? Can we turn the helmet? Can the shield shape change? One thing was for certain, we needed to stay true to some of the original versions and follow the traditional Coat of Arms formats, but put a new twist on it. Like Joe said, this is like updating a brand for enhancements. While enhancing, you leave the core parts of what makes the brand work and its purpose in tact. If you look at the components of a Family Crest or a Coat of Arms you'll see these fundamental elements. However, I was certain that we would break some rules to modernize and bring symbolism and meaning to this version making it truly reflect the present and the past.
Time to explore. I started in my sketchbook journals.
First ink sketch, the brown trout
I shared my notes and progress during the whole journey. Some on Instagram and much more directly.
Looking at style. Looking at objects. Looking for meaning and symbolism based on the research, my goal was to put as much thought into the elements as I did the overall design.
Draft 1 of the Hitzler COA
Well, that's great. I had a full sketch. But, not all the elements are right. And it's way more complicated that the traditional Coat of Arms. Is that okay? And I have some scaling issues. And so on. Time to get input. So, I worked close with Joe and got to the second draft.
Draft 2 of the Hitzler COA
Okay, we honing in on a final layout. However, there was still work to do on sizing, scale, text placement and more. The next phase was getting this sketch transferred to high-quality paper to make any final tweaks and get the ink process started.
Drawing transfer process to final paper
Now time to make all the details and millions of lines to show and hide symbolism...
And, after many studio sessions, here is the final with archival Ink, hand drawn on heavy cold-pressed watercolor paper.
If you research Coat of Arms, you may notice little things like the eagles normally turn into the shield. The idea for this project is the eagles turn in as to reflect a timeline of migration geographically. Every detail has been thought about to hold some meaning for Joe and his family. They now hold the key and reference included in the final delivery of the art. Which is how it should be. It's their past, their family, and now their moment in time to create the future for the families next generation. Until some point in time in a future generations the cycle may begin again.
Thank you Joe. I learned so much on this project and love to put the detail into the work like you've done in taking care of your family history documentation.
Like Joe's ancestors, he called on the time honored tradition of Artists and Patron collaborating on a hand made commission to have a special place in the family home, where ever that may roam.
- Andrew