So, I got this idea stuck in my head the other day – a Spanish Inquisition banner. Don't ask me why, these things just pop up. You know, "NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!" That whole bit. Figured it'd be a laugh to make one.
Getting Started - The Big Idea
First thing I did was a bit of looking around online. What did their banners even look like? Saw a lot about the cross of Santo Domingo, and the Holy Office had their own symbols. Lots of red, some imposing looking crosses, that sort of thing. I wasn't aiming for museum quality, mind you, just something recognizable and, well, a bit intimidating, in a fun way. I decided the cross of Santo Domingo was the most distinct and probably the easiest to get right, more or less.
My chief weapons for this project were going to be:
- Some old red felt I had lying around in a craft box.
- Black and white acrylic paint.
- And a whole lot of patience, because my artistic skills are... well, let's say they're developing.
Surprise and fear... fear and surprise... I figured those were good design principles for this. And maybe a bit of ruthless efficiency in getting it done.
The Actual Making Of It
Okay, so I grabbed that red felt. It was a decent size, big enough for a respectable banner, maybe about two feet long. I decided to cut it into a classic banner shape, you know, with that V-shape at the bottom. Or is it called a swallowtail? Anyway, I just eyeballed it with some scissors until it looked banner-ish enough for me.
Then came the tricky part: the design. I decided to go with that cross I mentioned. I sketched it out lightly with a chalk pencil first, directly onto the felt. Took me a few tries to get the arms of the cross looking somewhat even and the proportions looking okay. It's harder than it looks, drawing a symmetrical cross when you're not exactly Leonardo da Vinci.
Once I was sort of happy with the chalk sketch, I broke out the paints. I went with black for the main cross outline and filling it in. Painting on felt is always a bit of a gamble. Sometimes it soaks right in, sometimes it sits on top. I just went for it. Slow and steady, that was the plan, trying to keep the edges clean. I used a fairly thin brush for the outline and a slightly bigger one to fill it in.
There was a moment, I'll admit, where I thought I’d messed it all up. The paint smudged a bit on one side when my hand slipped. Classic. But hey, nobody expects perfection in a surprise DIY banner, right? I managed to tidy it up a bit with a damp cloth before it fully dried, and then painted over the slightly fuzzy edge again. Added a few small white details afterwards, just some simple geometric shapes around the cross to make it pop a bit more.
The Grand Unveiling (to Myself)
After letting it dry properly for a few hours, it was done. I held it up. And you know what? It wasn't half bad! It definitely had that Spanish Inquisition vibe. A bit rough around the edges, sure, but that adds to the homemade charm, I reckon. It's got character.
It's not going to win any art prizes, and it certainly wouldn't have passed muster back in the 15th century, but for a bit of fun and a quirky decoration, it's perfect. A nice little project, and a good reminder that sometimes you just gotta make stuff, even if you're not entirely sure what you're doing at the start. The main thing is, I actually did it, and it looks pretty decent hanging on my workshop door. Unexpectedly so, you might say.
