KEVIN ARKINSTALL, FSHA

Kevin is a talented illustrator with exceptional calligraphic skills. He lectures in association with Urchfont Manor College where his tuition guides students with no experience and demonstrates how to achieve strong and lively heraldry, whilst emphasising character, the importance of line, and some of the tie-ins with calligraphic work.

He works in a variety of mediums, including using gouache colours and 24ct shell gold, hand ground from pure gold leaf.

Kevin often has discussions with clients about whether their coat of arms can be depicted in any way differently to the painting on the official documentation of their Grant or Matriculation. The answer is, of course, as long as the content, position of charges, and colours are accurate, almost anything is possible. It always seems counter intuitive that for an art form so dedicated to preserving and illustrating graphically the character, aspirations or achievements of an individual, that so many are willing to accept what often amounts to a template of standard forms.

Over his career, he has striven to instill as much character and strength into each piece of work, whether it be purely calligraphic, heraldry and calligraphy, or purely heraldic in nature. Craft skills and rich materials are important to the final realisation, but crucially, it is in finding the character of the piece which draws him back to the subject time and again.