The fascinating world of heraldic signage
It all began with a primary school project. Bryan Rawlings’ interest in heraldry began at the moment his teacher set a project to design a coat of arms. The project grabbed his imagination and his design was considered to be so good it was put up on the wall in the school hall.
Thursday, 21 Aug 2014 15:06 GMT
Heraldic signage: from a basic drawing Bryan takes the work to a hand-painted 3D sign
Years later, Bryan now runs his heraldic sign-making business from a World War 2 Nissen Hut at the Brookleaze Industrial Estate in Keynsham between Bristol and Bath. His work is what can only be described as a niche industry, that of heraldic signage. It’s a business that very few participate in but it needs a range of skills honed over many years to be able to manufacture from start to finish coats of arms for colleges, courts and other public bodies.
I now have an armoury of skills, techniques, facilities and contacts to make virtually any kind of sculptural, three-dimensional artistic product, in any suitable material”
Bryan says: “I have worked closely with other specialist companies including a patternmaker, and several foundries, some of them art foundries, from whom I learnt a lot about making casting patterns for various types of metal castings. Also I have worked in conjunction with a woodworking specialist on antique furniture restoration, from which I have learnt woodcarving skills. I now have an armoury of skills, techniques, facilities and contacts to make virtually any kind of sculptural, three-dimensional artistic product, in any suitable material.
“I enjoy the challenge of creating sculptural interpretations of the extremely diverse designs that I am presented with, but best of all are the occasional 'fine art' sculptural commissions that come along. These have included a fully three-dimensional sculpture of an eagle with a three metre wingspan finished in gold leaf, and even portrait busts.”
Art worker: Bryan first needs to draw the intricate designs onto a board
Commissions are mainly word-of-mouth and personal contacts built up over the years, although in recent times Bryan has marketing his work through the internet, SignLink magazine and Facebook.
He says: “The internet has been an important tool for the business. It is the ideal form of advertising for a niche company that can supply world-wide, and which is so specialised that, before the internet, people would have found it very hard to find. In the past month I have completed an order from the USA, and another from Japan. I have just had the website completely redesigned and modernised, which I believe will be a valuable investment.”
Bryan left school to attend art college in Somerset before completing a degree at Stoke-on-Trent in art specialising in ceramic art in the 1970s. Following a spell as a teacher of art he worked for a sign-maker, and after various ventures in business set up his own one-man firm first in Bristol and then in the period confines of the Nissen hut at Keynsham, near Bath.
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