how to describe fantasy clothing

), The geographical location of your story. The geographical setting might suggest that your characters are expected to abide by strict rules for modesty or are celebrated for being wild and free. For fantasy stories to be more believable, we need to understand how it interacts with our characters, especially if theyre enchanted. Ill add it to my to do list . There is simply more characterization, not only of Gem but the other characters, too. It illustrates brilliantly the differences between fantasy armor and the boring armor of reality, in this case, Gothic armor. I'm talking about the jagged, triangular shapes you find on some stealth planes or the digital camouflage patterns. Share. Describing armor and clothing. : r/writing - reddit Its fun to play with power in clothing, because it's a relative concept. What is the prevailing value in the society of your story? The novels protagonist Rodion gives Katerina the last of his money to host a funeral. 04. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. The time period of your story. Make it look very clean and smooth and it immediately feels more modern. They can be important too.If you want to breathe life into your stories, it's time to give tertiary characters a little love. - Change lengths. The more people that join this thriving group the better it becomes. A few easy changes are to make one side longer than the other, so basically creating a diagonal cut instead of the standard horizontal one. Dont worry, thats not a trick question. Mantel describes the cardinals vestments: They bring out the cardinals vestments, his copes. Using this site means trees will be planted. An anxious college student buys a flower crown in the hopes of feeling young and free at Coachella. It's also an indirect way to describe their physical appearance by examining how the clothes fit them. Perhaps its because the genre was born out of stories that emerged from the Middle Ages like Beowulf and King Arthur (around the 10th-11th century). Writing Tips on Describing Clothes - Pen and the Pad Pingback: The Life of the Medieval Lord - Richie Billing, Pingback: How To Create Your Very Own Living Breathing Fantasy World - Richie Billing, Pingback: Fantasy Races - The Ultimate Guide To Elves, Orcs and Dwarves | Richie Billing, Pingback: Killer Diseases of the Middle Ages | Richie Billing, Pingback: Medieval Cannons: The Essential Guide | Richie Billing, Pingback: On Writing: Fantasy Without Magic Of Metal and Magic Publishing, Pingback: The Lives Of Medieval Peasants - Richie Billing. Lets take a look at some ways you can develop those unique ideas: In this section, well take a look at some cool pieces of knight armor in fantasy that people have designed over the years, to give you even more inspiration for your own designs. If your character comes home and immediately sheds three layers of down and fleece, Im going to assume theyre not in San Antonio, Texas. So we've covered ways to make clothing look both futuristic and historic, but these are all just guidelines and mostly based on what's been done before. - 'Stealth'. stylish, expensive clothing, yet not specific to a certain time or place. One does not refer to "a garb". Well come to this below. 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. Impress someone with my indifference? In other words: To describe a fantasy world, use either neutral terms, or made up words. Well also take a look at female fantasy armor and those used by, Mail was particularly effective against glancing blows. Use your first-person narrators senses sight, hearing, touch, etc. This can be a very effective way if your universe is based on an existing culture. You really can tell a lot about a person by what they wear, or what they dont wear. Your main character just put on some makeup and changed into a fancy dress, complete with heels and a tiny handbag. As such, the contemporary tales that have followed, like Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Dungeons and Dragons and everything in between, have paid homage to that era. - "Digital look". [Find more articles on character description in our complete guide to character creation.]. What I would like to ask is how you would go about describing very specific details on more complex clothing? It may be apocryphal, but Harold Godwinson is said to have done just that at the battle of Hastings in 1066. 28 First of all, beautiful dress and mask! Have fun with it. So Id say in films its more for cinematic effect and also for clarity so the viewer can see whos doing what. Baggy jeans. Such coats were made from brass or iron, though steel was deemed best due to its toughness. But they are a common element used in fantasy clothing in all sorts of works of fiction. Do all your characters embrace it? If you arent keeping at least a few secrets from your friends and loved ones, are you really living? Now, if you write historical fiction, its important to research the clothing of your chosen era. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 'There is a blog for every aspect of the writing journey.' The jacket has a narrow, rectangular neckline which reveals part of the fancy shirt worn below it and is worn with a light rope belt, which is held together by a simple knot. And what weve covered here today is only just the tip of the iceberg. Only in certain situations is a description even needed. It gives you an idea of the capabilities that armor can have. One way is to avoid what we call filter words. They should be doing that. Because like all other character details, its not enough to paint a picture. You can even use different pieces of clothing to cover up body parts differently. Expensive indeed, and heavystronger horses had to be bred to handle the weight. Look how she sits with her mouth open! The appearance of armor was a big deal for knights. William the Conquerors society was shaped with war in mind. Clothing description also presents an opportunity to play with different points of view. She also writes for film and television with her brother and writing partner, Phil Wurdeman. First and foremost we need to know who we're designing for. How were women treated in the Middle Ages? Now on the other end of the spectrum we have fantasy clothing and more history based clothing. Im writing a little in the Epic Fantasy genre and there were quite a few useful notes I wasnt aware of here. When heated, steel turns from yellow, to brown, to blue, to red. They also wear talismans, jewelry, and other objects. Play with the question of presentation and power! A four-layer, bubble-gum pink taffeta skirt. But status can be communicated in more subtle ways, too. Understanding how to describe clothing in a story well will help you create fuller, richer character portraits. So below, well take a look at the relationship between the genre of fantasy and medieval armor. What are the rules of your characters world? Just click this link and dont even think about touching your wallet. His pants are simple and narrow and reach down to his hard leather shoes. Which was, indeed, a little weird straight off! Stylish. But Ive also noticed that artful clothing description does make a character, a setting, and even a moment more engaging. Get an image of a blank shirt and simply draw the lines on it, it'll form a great base to work with. Whats the respected uniform, and does your character wear it? Think of other interesting combinations: A teacher who dresses provocatively; a beggar with an innate sense of style. This description generator will create a mostly random description of either a dress or a suit, fit for formal occasions and other fancy needs. It's easy to try this out too, at least the simple line version. The answer can guide you towards certain fashion trends to inspire your characters wardrobe. For example, fur usually wasn't used as a piece of decoration for clothing and if used at all was often worn around the neck and shoulders or underneath other (often hide) clothing to keep warm. Which brings me to my next point. - Break up clothing into more separate pieces and give them their own styles. Sometimes they're more interesting and lovable than the main characters themselves and end up stealing the show., Secrets. Helmets were arguably the most distinctive feature of an armored knight. But they could also dress in modest, inexpensive-looking clothes. Troubles with Clothing in Fantasy + Some Ideas - Brielle Andela The pieces around the vital organsthe chest and headwere thicker and heavier than those on the arms and legs to try and reduce weight as much as possible. One of her poems is (legally) stamped into a sidewalk in Santa Clarita, California. Lets talk about how to describe clothing in writing organically. Nudity was often either a complete taboo or just common place in many cultures throughout history, so by changing these taboos (and others) you immediately create a fictional piece. It can genuinely be tough to come up with cool ideas for epic fantasy armor without drifting back to things that weve seen in the likes of Dungeons and Dragons, The Elder Scrolls and movies like Lord of the Rings. Both doublets and chain mail were worn in conjunction with plated armor for that added protection, particularly for areas plate could not cover, such as arms and the groin. For instance, if I'm reading a story and the narrative mentions jeans right off, I'm thinking mid twentieth century or later (while dungarees would be late nineteenth . This usually involves dresses from some time pre-renaissance and a tunic or shirt paired with trousers for men and women who are doing warrior stuff. Theyre just too important defensively. For example, a meticulously dressed character who is discovered in a disheveled and poorly dressed state. Arrows will bounce off steel crafted in such a wayunless from close range, as we discussed last week. (Where do they buy their clothes? These detail could suggest that your character is miserly or down-to-earth despite their wealth. In the historical fiction books Ive read, none of the heroes took off their helmets unless they were knocked off, or bashed in. The good news is that attire is not only important, its also kind of fun when you start digging into it. It really doesnt take much. - Use lines to break up a piece of clothing and create a kind of mosaic. Similarly, show how different characters personalities are through apt clothing description. From time to time we may use affiliate links to help with the costs of running the site. A scarlet pantsuit. You can quickly convey a number of things about your characters based on the clothing they wear. Dragon scales, fiery furs and feathers and other elements can quickly turn a standard item into a fantasy one. Stealthy clothes bring to mind burglars clad in black outfits and soft-soled sneakers. To navigate your way through this guide, just click the links below. It's what we're slowly doing today. But if you do want some guidelines, inspiration or just help this guide'll hopefully provide it. [Help] Coming up with Fantasy Outfits : r/fantasywriters - reddit And ninety-nine percent of the clothing descriptions in your first draft are just jeans. I get it. The reason we fuss over physical descriptions is not because its so important that the readers imagination gets it right. Not to pile on, but dont forget to make sure you know which materials wereand werentavailable in the world of your novel. Thus his plain dress is, ironically, indicative of higher status. Its not an aspect of character design that bubbles up naturally from the depths of my creative soul. A common (wood) elvish theme is to have lots of green tints, flowery elements and intricate embroidery. This is a fun one. Clothing description is something I have to actively choose to create, too. So its unsurprising to see soldiers wielding swords and axes and shooting bows. Both can lose clout simply by the way their peers respond to their wardrobe choices. Although such armor exists in fantasy worlds, its important to understand how things work in the real world, even at a basic level. Thanks I will be following your blog from now one I just came across it today. Press J to jump to the feed. Do not describe a character's clothing except as that point of view character would do so. In this section, Ive included some more guides on creating fantasy armor designs that you may find useful. Describing clothes? : r/writing - reddit Im struggling to properly figure out how to describe clothing for a fantasy setting Im trying to create. For example, if a character is going on a date, you could write: Gem wanted to look sexy for her date downtown (but not easy), so she changed into more comfortable clothes. I love to wear baggy trousers in summer. And if you dont write historical fiction? Creative Words to Describe Outfit & Clothing - INK Improve this answer. This is further influenced/confirmed by the show Forged in Fire where the judges were a half step from putting their heads in their hands when a smith put his hot blade in water instead of oil to cool it down. Clothing tells your reader a lot about your characters goals and motivations within a given scenario. Plain: Ordinary clothes of one color like gray, beige, or black. Blades hacking, slicing and puncturing, cutting open gaping wounds and severing limbs and heads from bodies. Do they strive to be humble before their god or do they want to spend this one and only life as their bold, ostentatious selves? Heating to the perfect temperature was key. A coat of mail was a complex web of metal rings, each locked with an iron rivet. s a fantastic image that Thomas Feichtmeir, AKA Cyangmou has put together. They're the ones who are always there to lend a helping hand, crack a joke, or provide some much-needed emotional relief.And let's be real, sometimes they dont go unsung. This one is simple, right? Changes in characters clothing can help revealcharacter development. Blunt weapons were effective, causing haemorrhaging and concussion, so padded garments known as a doublet or gambeson were worn underneath to provide added protection. I don't mean make your characters walk around naked, but exposing (or covering) body parts in ways we don't today helps make ordinary clothing look different, which in turn helps sell the idea of it being futuristic. You could introduce magical enchantments or ability-granting traits. Never hose for men and probably never puffy breeches. Also bear in mind that not all clothing descriptions have to be presented as She put on x or He was wearing y. You can draw your readers attention to an item of clothing by having your character draw on their jeans or fiddle with their collar. And its in designs that you can really go wild with your own fantasy armor. To create a more futuristic looking style an easy way of doing it is to incorporate technology into the clothing itself. And well dip back in time to look at medieval armor and how it was used and crafted. Imagine your own armored knights storming through the battlefield like iron giants. Select the most striking details and move on. The landladys dress highlights, by contrast, the downward spiral of Katerinas fortunes, and she responds to the landladys prideful clothing with her own wounded pride: Look at her, shes making round eyes, she feels that we are talking about her and cant understand. Get it right, and you transport your readers to a vivid world. Some wore a trapper a covering of full chain mailand down the line, some horses even had their own plated armor. 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. (Cough-cough-cough.) Stockings, long gloves, scarves or separate layers of clothing make a huge difference. My story feels like its set more in medieval times, but I don't want my characters running around in full out tunics and. There's also the element of technology that has to be taken into account. Heres a video showing the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of leather armor against arrows. These small but mighty players can add depth, complexity, and a fresh perspective to your plot. - Convert future clothing to a historic version. Lets take a look at how clothing description indicates your characters identity, goals, and culture. Another type of cheap armor, one up from gambesons, was boiled leather, also known as cuir bouilli. I didnt even know how to begin describing this piece of clothing. Its okay if Todds checks his designer watch three pages after you mention his silk tie. Can you imagine tweaking this to make your own set of fantasy armor? 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. Characters can also comment on or react to one anothers clothing, as long as the exchange reveals something about the world or relationship. 100 Male Fantasy Outfit Concepts & Designs ideas | fantasy clothing A person who doesn't want to draw attention to themselves would dress completely differently today than they would even a few decades ago. That's why it's valuable to learn these terms. As with body armor, great efforts were made with the designs of helmets. Through fashion terms you can understand the fundamentals of the fashion industry. How do they change, and how does their clothing reflect that change? One character might demonstrate their power by showing up to prom in a designer gown. Fully geared up, you were a walking fortress. The fact the clothes seem to stand by themselves indicates just how heavy they are with jewels and embroidery. Military service was always well-rewarded and violence applauded. Slog through another meaningless day in a world where nothing matters? In battle, you are trying to strike a moving target, so mail was sufficient as most blows were glancing ones.

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