Pingback: Fantasy Weapons - Medieval, Magic And Other Types - Richie Billing, Helping writers on their journey and readers find their next favourite story.. Your main character just put on some makeup and changed into a fancy dress, complete with heels and a tiny handbag. And if you were skilled at surviving and killing, it was a good way to make a living. And lets not forget the trusty steed. A simple t-shirt could be cut diagonally in the front, give both shoulder parts a different style from the arms, elongate one side and so on. This one is simple, right? Mail was one of the first types of metal armor developed, arguably by the Celts, though other sources say its origins came from Eastern Europe. - Another way to use color is to make things seem like they're glowing even if they're not and to use gradients. But that doesn't mean you can't deviate from these guidelines completely and do whatever you wish. Your email address will not be published. The changes and improvements made by technology will often create new trends or alter old ones to the point you may as well consider them a new one, so depending on the technology available in your fictional universe you may wish to create a completely new trend. A jacket or coat of mail was usually worn with a hood, or coif, of the same material to protect the head and neck. One of her poems is (legally) stamped into a sidewalk in Santa Clarita, California. For example, the corset wasn't popular until the 16th century and while earlier versions can be found incredibly early they weren't common place. In fact, you should be putting lots of thought and development into protagonists because thats who the story is about.But how much thought have you given to your tertiary characters? I second the idea of describing the reactions of the characters to the city. The padded material could absorb blows from blunt, A Guide To Writing Stories That Genuinely Helps, "Helped me land my first book deal" - Jack Shannon, Author, Get More Writing Support From Fellow Fantasy Writers, A complete guide to worldbuilding, with a template. You can also check out some of my other guides too, like: If you have any questions about this guide on fantasy armor, please get in touch. This is a fun one. Because it actually is possible. We therefore see in the fantasy genre characters equipped with grand helmets and beautiful pieces of plate armor. Helmets were arguably the most distinctive feature of an armored knight. What backstory or character motivations could combinations of appearance and reality suggest? With the major shapes in the thumbnails defined, choose the one that best exemplifies the feeling you're looking for. Chapters 1 and 2 were pretty decent and I started chapter 4 with him dressing for the party. Only the most sophisticated, Dr. Urbino among them, wore their ordinary clothes. Very informative. So its unsurprising to see soldiers wielding swords and axes and shooting bows. Its all in the craft.Its good that youre here to learn how to describe clothing in writing, because its a powerful tool. Slog through another meaningless day in a world where nothing matters? Another important function of clothing description in stories is to create an authentic sense of time and place. Blades hacking, slicing and puncturing, cutting open gaping wounds and severing limbs and heads from bodies. Yet Dr. Urbinos status as a respected doctor is earned he has nothing to prove by dressing smarter. Meanwhile, the character who works two jobs while going to school full-time might scour the Goodwill rack for a designer tag to help them fit in at the same party. If all else fails use Google images and find some visual aids and inspiration sources, they can work wonders. But for writers like me who get stuck in the white socks, green dress rut, heres a quick reminder: Details about fabric, fit, quality, and color are super effective when it comes to creating a sense of character, place, or moment. Technology goes beyond simply what kind of clothes could be made though, it also relates to how technology is incorporated into style in general. For example, think about a wealthy person and how that person might dress. Using a squared, pixelated look or circuitry patterns usually works great too, which can even be combined with layered clothing to create the circuitry feel. You can quickly convey a number of things about your characters based on the clothing they wear. Using this site means trees will be planted. Thus, "a dress" is inappropriate for a (male) prince, unless he is pretending to be a woman. It's your creation, your imagination and your time you use and spend, so make sure you use and spend it on something you enjoy. But they werent administrators. These detail could suggest that your character is miserly or down-to-earth despite their wealth. See how Dickens contrasts the fact-obsessed, overbearingteacher Thomas Gradgrind and his wifes personalities through (among other details) their clothing description. Youre already obsessing over hat styles and what the undergarment situation was at the time of your story. The answer can guide you towards certain fashion trends to inspire your characters wardrobe. It's easy to try this out too, at least the simple line version. (Cough-cough-cough.) Let it hang diagonally across their chest and over their shoulder instead. Its not an aspect of character design that bubbles up naturally from the depths of my creative soul. True, it all depends on your purpose. Use fashion and clothing history archives if necessary. It's what we're slowly doing today. Such coats were made from brass or iron, though steel was deemed best due to its toughness. Lets talk about how to describe clothing in writing organically. Knights were, indeed, hard to defeat in battle. It gives you an idea of the capabilities that armor can have. I tried to add as much variety as possible, but without turning the whole description into a mess. Clothes that are suitable for everyday wear rather than formal occasions. Shoes made with bendable displays already exist, allowing you to change your shoe's design on the fly. I'm sort of into historical armor so would get a kick out of finding an excuse to talk about vambraces/rerebraces, spaulders, etc. Its something readers definitely appreciate, which I found with Pariahs Lament. Our characters are always (mostly!) Excuse the on hold background music. Maybe theyre wearing an article of clothing that once belonged to someone theyve lost. Normally I dont dress characters with such complex clothing that takes more than a few sentences to describe but the vest was inspired by a picture I saw and it took at least a paragraph to describe. Your character might also have a job or hobby that requires protective clothing. Even things like tattoos, hair colors, eye colors and so on can help with this. (Find out more). By using fur for decoration you quickly create fictional pieces in no time. Maybe your character heads out on the town wearing a daring leopard print jumpsuit, only to have their best friend immediately ask where they got the kitty costume.. Similar to how pixelated designs tend to look more futuristic so do designs full of geometrical shapes. Maybe your character is snuggled up in their fleece pajamas while the blizzard rages outside. But put me in a job interview wearing the same outfit, and youd probably start making new guesses about my intentions. Blunt weapons were effective, causing haemorrhaging and concussion, so padded garments known as a doublet or gambeson were worn underneath to provide added protection. Ready to sketch vivid characters for your novel? This is great! Its about building a life and a world, and that is something you can do. As a result, feudal England became rife with young murderous men. Here are some classic characteristics you can draw out through clothing description. 1. One major element that makes creating more futuristic clothing easier is to make sure it doesn't look familiar, to make sure it doesn't look like something you'd come across today. For fantasy stories to be more believable, we need to understand how it interacts with our characters, especially if theyre enchanted. I saw Jesus Christ Superstar a long time ago and Jesus was in a sharp black suit. - Diagonal lines: Diagonal lines aren't all that common in historic clothing and they usually only came in the form of neck lines, the edges of unbuttoned jackets or from large pieces of fabric being held up (think ancient Rome). Richie also runs The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed, a podcast devoted to helping writers improve their craft. I like the way you wrote this information. When heated, steel turns from yellow, to brown, to blue, to red. Adding these other bits of lesser-known fantasy armor to your stories can really add extra depth to your worldbuilding. Katerina is affronted by Amalias fine dress because it is new and shows pride. Below, well take a look at the armor found in the fantasy genre, covering everything from chain mail to helmets. And what weve covered here today is only just the tip of the iceberg. Whether its a matter of indulgence or survival, feeling good is a deeply relatable goal. Whenever other races or species are involved, like elves and trolls, it's often best to give them clothing that differs from whatever humans (and other races) wear, even if those differences are subtle. If you stopped to think about it, you may even notice yourself imagining things as specific as age, hobbies, and ambitions. The more you know about real clothing and armor, the more tools in your bag of tricks for describing awesome fantasy pieces. See more ideas about character description, fantasy fashion, fantasy clothing. Every time we got separated in a public space, I discovered myself in a sea of mature women with the same haircut and pastel tops. Some wore a trapper a covering of full chain mailand down the line, some horses even had their own plated armor. As knights became fully armored, so did their mounts. When you use clothing to define who your character is, remember that it can also clarify how they feel about themselves and how they fit into the world around them. The good news is that attire is not only important, its also kind of fun when you start digging into it. Well also take a look at female fantasy armor and those used by, Mail was particularly effective against glancing blows. You can also fulfil (or contradict) impressions your characters (or readers) form based on appearances. To make it futuristic you could change where the buttons are, they're normally quite low and form a v-neck line when buttoned up, how about moving them to the top and creating an upside down V shape at the bottom. Those warriors came from the people who lived on the lands under the watch of the knights. A possible source of conflict for a story, perhaps! Either way, their goal is to be desirable, whatever desirable means in this situation. 2012 - In pre-thermometer times this was difficult as you can imagine, so instead, armorers observed the colour of the heated steel. Or at least they know what century theyre in. A man's padded undercoat worn under a doublet and over a shirt; a woman's (often padded) under-tunic or the skirt of her riding habit. Any suggestions on how to properly do this? Using the work of Alexander McQueen, this unit guides students through the analysis of a fashion collection, introducing them to the critical language and methodologies needed to evaluate fashion design and runway presentation. Hello, I am attempting to write my first fantasy novel (and my first novel), and I'm having difficulty visualizing what kind of clothes my characters should be wearing. Describe these in passing to add visual colour and authenticity to your character descriptions. They can be important too.If you want to breathe life into your stories, it's time to give tertiary characters a little love. Its hard to really appreciate just how sickeningly awful medieval warfare would have been. Have fun with it. Besides knowing who we design for we also have to know what the rules for designing are within the universe of our characters. Such simple things, but the clothes really helped show Jesus plight. Designing fantasy armor for your characters can be an awful lot of fun. So Id say in films its more for cinematic effect and also for clarity so the viewer can see whos doing what. William the Conquerors society was shaped with war in mind. But if you do want some guidelines, inspiration or just help this guide'll hopefully provide it. (Hopefully, I dont really know your life, so maybe not. "He was wearing a spandex tank top" is an improvement from just mentioning that your character's wearing a shirt; but consider adding the element of color: "He was wearing a black-and-yellow-striped spandex tank top.". Thanks Chuck! It was pretty easy to make, though laborious, and easy to repair. Another similar and perhaps way more popular example of this is Steampunk. Because like all other character details, its not enough to paint a picture. Once quenched, the steel was re-heated to make it more resilient. Mantel describes the cardinals vestments: They bring out the cardinals vestments, his copes. Whereas a more confident or attention seeking person might seek out the edges of what's socially acceptable more or just wear more stylish and potentially more colorful or flamboyant clothing. If there is one thing I hope you take from all of this, its that none of this is about describing what a character looks like. As I write this, I am wearing jeans that are too big, a gray t-shirt I inherited from a former roommate, and a pilled hoodie from a lighting vendor that works with my friends husbands company. Beyond medieval Europe, you have the Far East, the Romans, Viking Before you know it youll have designed a full set of fantasy roman or viking armor. Sometimes they're more interesting and lovable than the main characters themselves and end up stealing the show., Secrets. Here, for example, Hilary Mantel describes a Cardinals residence being plundered by the Kings men in 1529 England, in her historical novel Wolf Hall. However, you can tell your reader interesting things through a mismatch: A wealthy character might show off their expensive clothing. Another type of cheap armor, one up from gambesons, was boiled leather, also known as cuir bouilli. As for showing with clothing rather than telling, a writer could say, He was lazy and inattentive to his appearance about a character, or they could say his clothes always looked like hed just pulled them out of a pile in some corner of his bedroom and had thrown them on without a glance in the mirror. Our imaginations can do a surprising amount with just a few key details. Whether its a beekeeping suit, climbing helmet, knee pads, or sun-protective fabric, what your character wears provides a clue about whats at stake in the coming scene. Clean, powerful strikes were needed to disable a foe wearing mail. Dostoyevsky describes how Katerinas landlady, Amalia Ivanovna, dresses for the funeral: the table was properly laid at the time and fixed, and Amalia Ivanovna, feeling she had done her work well, had put on a black silk dress and a cap with new mourning ribbons and met the returning party with some pride. Thanks, Teresa, and for sharing that great example from the stage. Select the most striking details and move on. Not to mention the social status of a person. Well, mostly. It's also an indirect way to describe their physical appearance by examining how the clothes fit them. The reason we fuss over physical descriptions is not because its so important that the readers imagination gets it right. Discover an extensive list of terms you may want to know here. Privacy Policy. What your character wears reveals where they come from, how they rank in society, how they want to be perceived, and even how they feel about themselves. The same goes for other types of technology that could realistically be incorporated into the design of your character's clothing. Instead of saying, for example I saw that the station gate was coming down and the last train was about to leave, you could say The station gate is already screeching closed. Clothing description also presents an opportunity to play with different points of view. You can continue to alter it to add cultural elements, like the previously mentioned elvish elements or you could stick with this and keep it simple. Cookie Notice A lowly one at that, but one very much capable of climbing the ladder. Borrowed armor wouldnt fit as well as a suit made for the wearer and wouldnt be as well balanced, so someone in borrowed armor would be more likely to have problems moving in his armor. Be specific and accurate. for any particular parts of an outfit. Leather could be stitched into coats, or added to mail to provide added protection. Maybe a bit of both. Once blue, it is quenched a second time, permanently fixing its hardness. Odds are, youve got a character who dresses to stay alive. Mail was particularly effective against glancing blows. But it provided an odd sense of security. One way is to avoid what we call filter words. One way to deal with clothing is to not try to be unique. PsstDoes Your Character Have a Secret? Use your first-person narrators senses sight, hearing, touch, etc. A warrior had to fight the enemy, and to fight his armor as well would be too distracting. - Furs and other animal parts: A quick and obvious way of making something look more fantasy-themed is by simply adding elements of fantasy creatures. Okay, maybe not.Secrets in real life can be a little trickywe all have thembut they have a way of blowing up in our faces, depending on how big they are.Your characters are really no different. There's a few other elements to keep in mind as well, but in most cases it's best not to worry at all, let your imagination go wild and simply create and enjoy what you want to create. Elsewhere, Mantels novel is full of descriptions of garments for specific, era-appropriate purposes: Riding cloaks, town coats, and other clothing people of means would have worn at this time. Impress someone with my indifference? "Garb" or "dress" (without an article) is a rather drab abstract noun for what a person is wearing. Delighted to hear youre finding this useful. Other clothing pieces could be various types of hats and scarves, (trench) coats and even something as simple as pockets or buttons used for fastening rather than as decoration to name just a few. Fancy dresses. 70s-inspired. Advertisements. Mail was lightweight and flexible. Pingback: A fantasy writers guide to weaponry Richie Billing. You can try all Dabbles premium features for free for fourteen days. From time to time we may use affiliate links to help with the costs of running the site. On the other hand you may wish to add layers for the same purpose. Clothes that are loose and hanging in folds. Fully geared up, you were a walking fortress. Some helmets had chain attached which hung around and protected the neck, called an aventail, and most were padded inside, for added comfort. Creating new clothing styles for fictional worlds can be a daunting task, there's just so much out there already and so many elements to play around with to create a fun and unique style, no matter whether the art form is visual or not. Theyll see it automatically. 04. Compare this, then, to Dickens description of Gradgrinds wife in the following chapter (Gradgrinds wealthy but poverty-claiming friend has just told Mrs. Gradgrind he was born in a ditch): Mrs. Gradgrind, a little, thin, white, pink-eyed bundle of shawls, of surpassing feebleness, mental and bodily; who was always taking physic without any effect, and who, whenever she showed a symptom of coming to life, was invariably stunned by some weighty piece of fact tumbling on her; Mrs. Gradgrind hoped it was a dry ditch? When youre shopping for yourself, you know what you like but you dont know how to describe it. Heres a superb glossary, with pictures, of all types of armor. Thanks Liv, Im glad you found this helpful. Tell us how the wool of your protagonists sheath dress scratches the skin on the underside of her arm. But your reader is going to picture something whether you guide them or not. On occasion, Abi pretends to be a poet. - Use lines to break up a piece of clothing and create a kind of mosaic. In visual mediums like TV or comics, cool outfits are on-screen the whole time, and they're the first and most obvious impression you'll get of the character, so they have a big impact on how the character is perceived. To navigate your way through this guide, just click the links below. Examples of the prior are Star Trek, 2001: A Space Odyssey and to some degree Star Wars and Tron. As time marched on, small plates of leather or iron were added to the mail to protect key areas, such as vital organs. Great idea. To add to the previous mosaic part stealth technology can provide great patterns. A vintage polka dot dress with a sweetheart neckline. Press J to jump to the feed. The more people that join this thriving group the better it becomes. Youre not infodumping. And when Mother Nature gets involved, even the best suit of armor can have problems. The unsung hero of so many stories. But status can be communicated in more subtle ways, too. As soon as the actor enters stage right or left, we have an inkling of whether theyre a wealthy landowner or peasant, an elegant heiress or humble flower-seller. Well cover everything from helmets and plate armor to chainmail. A person who doesn't want to draw attention to themselves would dress completely differently today than they would even a few decades ago. Armor, therefore, wasnt that heavya full suit weighed approximately 50 pounds, which is around 3 to 4 stone. The reader does not need the full outfit in one go. show how hard is to escape in a narrow street. The fact that Pauldrons, gauntlets, and even leg armor were fashioned into elaborate designs. As a quick question, in film you see a lot of heroes and leaders not wearing helmets. I tend to avoid describing clothing. Someone jumps down from a boundary wall wearing dark clothes and clutching a bag, that's enough of a clue they're a burglar, and if the protagonist now has to chase them then a description of the form those clothes take down to the buckles on the shoes is going to break the flow.

Who Appoints Director Of Niaid, Timothy Treadwell Mort Enregistrement, Arima Boat Seats, Mayor John Cooper Net Worth, Assumptions Of Gatekeeping Theory, Articles H