When a person receives a simple Award of Arms, a plain depiction of the registered emblazon (picture of the heraldry) is always appropriate. The general convention is in an escutcheon or similar shield shape. The shield may be upright as if balanced on its bottom-most point or it may "lean" to the side. The vast majority of Period depictions of shields leaning show them leaning to the left as if resting against something.

In the SCA's past, Armory registered by women sometimes was drawn on a lozenge rather than a shield, as this was something found in English Coats of Arms. There is little or no evidence for lozenges leaning. Unless specified in the assignment, it is always appropriate to use an escutcheon.

Let's say someone's first Award of Arms-level award is an induction to an Order of Merit. They do not already have an Award of Arms. We still use the plain shield or lozenge. If you wish to create an Achievement of Arms that includes the badge of the order, you simply use the same shield, and add a ribbon striped in blue and white with the badge of the Order of Merit hanging from the ribbon (usually in a roundel).

In Atlantia, a Court Barony is an Award of Arms-level award. If the person does not already have an Award of Arms when receiving a Court Barony, it comes with an Award of Arms. The Achievement of Arms will include a Baronial coronet perched over the top of the shield or lozenge. Baronial coronets are usually shown with four pearls in an Achievement of Arms.

Supporters are an unusual "cool heraldic thing" that are rare to be bestowed. Usually, the person already has an Award of Arms, and there is typically not a scroll created as Supporters do not affect the Order of Precedence. In terms of an Achievement of Arms, the recipient's armory is bracketed by the Supporters. If not specified, it is up to the recipient to choose what their Supporters are with the caveat that they are not permitted to use variations on "Spike", the unicornate natural seahorse, as those must be explicitly bestowed by the Monarchs.

In Atlantia, when someone is elevated to a Peerage Order, they receive Supporters as part of their heraldic Achievement, but it is not considered a separate award for that occasion. DO include supporters on the Achievement of Arms for new Peers

Achievements of Arms for Grant-level awards and Orders are more elaborate. The general convention is the recipient has a helm and/or mantling displayed as part of the Achievement of Arms. Otherwise the method for decpicting the Achievement of Arms is the same as the Award of Arms-level awards and Orders. Mantling should be colored alternating between the two major contrasting tinctures of the recipient's armory. The helm may be shown facing to the side or facing forward.

When presenting a Court Barony with Grant of Arms (i.e. as is typically awarded when a Territorial Baron or Baroness retires), The Baronial coronet may be placed around the base of the helm or atop the torse of the mantling.

The Traceable Heraldic Art project site has a nice sample set of helms and mantling for Achievements of Arms