See more ideas about fantasy clothing, anime outfits, character outfits. One thing Ive always wondered is if someone wearing plate could fall down just right in a muddy battlefield, and get stuck there in the same way a large flat rock gets stuck laying in mud. "White tunics" have been worn from 2016 to a good forty thousand years ago. (Cough-cough-cough.) There is simply more characterization, not only of Gem but the other characters, too. Examples of the latter are The Fifth Element and The Hunger Games. Richard the Lionheart, for instance, was celebrated amongst his peers for his ability to chop his enemys skulls down to the teeth. Not a Dabble user? Leonidas in 300, for instance, almost certainly wore a helmet in the battle with the Persians! Who is your character at the beginning of the story, and how can you dress them to establish their normal? Its a good time. Think of the process like dressing a doll: start at the beginning and up build the layers. Just click the button below to find out more. That said, once you describe how a person dresses you shouldn't really keep doing it unless it is relevant to the plot. And right at the heart of it were the leaders of societythe medieval lords. Is your character trying to attract positive attention? No problem! It really doesnt take much. The front part of helmets, or the visors, were there to raise or open so the wearer could breathe during taxing hand-to-hand combat or scan around the battlefield. One of the first things I learned when I moved to L.A. is that writers do not dress professionally for big meetings in Hollywood. Shoes made with bendable displays already exist, allowing you to change your shoe's design on the fly. Play with the question of presentation and power! Each lesson breaks down the analysis of one component of a fashion collection, progressing from a consideration of the designer's technique and influences to the . In other words take what exists and apply it differently. Arrows will bounce off steel crafted in such a wayunless from close range, as we discussed last week. The final design with all its layers will often hide elements of the clothing that a client may want to see later. Think the previously mentioned Fifth Element and Hunger Games clothing versus Star Trek, Star Wars and so on clothing. Look at this picture, is it insane for an author to try to describe this on a character? Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts If a knight fell from a horse, he could quite easily pick himself up, not stuck on the ground like a tortoise knocked on its shell. The senses were deadened: sight limited, sound muffled, breathing stifled (depending on the type of helmet). But thats the case wherever you go. Well cover everything from helmets and plate armor to chainmail. The more people that join this thriving group the better it becomes. But your reader is going to picture something whether you guide them or not. To illustrate this in a way we did with the futuristic shirt example let's take a standard medieval tunic and turn it into a fantasy-themed version. 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. 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. Continued successes could see knights rise higher up the ranks. Make sure you know whats hot and whats not in your specific setting, as well as what specific words the locals would use. 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. Characters Wear More Than Just Clothes. Its all in the craft.Its good that youre here to learn how to describe clothing in writing, because its a powerful tool. What also worries me is that in Chapter 3 I used a lot of descriptions of the house, like the main characters room and then I had him go to various other rooms, looked at pictures of his family he has yet to meet so chapter 3 had the least story development or social scenes but the ones it had were good ones and I ended it with a scene that creates more development and story hype. - 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). First and foremost, remember that clothing description is still storytelling. Adorable. What exactly are you trying to communicate about the character, setting, or situation? Thanks I will be following your blog from now one I just came across it today. If all else fails use Google images and find some visual aids and inspiration sources, they can work wonders. To navigate your way through this guide, just click the links below. 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. I'll allow my fangirl side to shine for a second and use the Legend of Korra as an example of how mixing styles can work amazingly well. It's something we have today as well, but they're oddly uncommon and work great for more futuristic looks. The line could be thin or thick, glowing, metallic-looking or just plain, padded or smooth, patterned, decorated or simply a seem. Ideas are forever being shared and discussed. Thanks Benjamin! Each suit was tailored to the individual. Follow edited Jun 17, 2020 at 9:43. You can immediately show a character is wealthy with descriptions of fine clothing. Heres a video showing the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of leather armor against arrows. These are usually a little trickier to do well as they can look familiar quickly, but it's a usually a good element to have at your disposal. I like the way you wrote this information. Maybe a bit of both. Mantel describes the cardinals vestments: They bring out the cardinals vestments, his copes. If your character comes home and immediately sheds three layers of down and fleece, Im going to assume theyre not in San Antonio, Texas. Who doesnt like being comfortable when killing? Further reading How To Write Fight Scenes. Thank you for reading our blog! 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. What would high stakes clothing look like in your story? A common (wood) elvish theme is to have lots of green tints, flowery elements and intricate embroidery. Sweaters or jumpers? - Another way to use color is to make things seem like they're glowing even if they're not and to use gradients. 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.. Tell us how the wool of your protagonists sheath dress scratches the skin on the underside of her arm. Lets talk about how to use clothing description as a storytelling tool, how to dress your character for their personality and setting, and how to make clothes interesting to anyone. Advertisements. We even have the technology to create clothing without seems. Not really. Now this won't work for every piece of clothing of course, not everything has buttons or edges that allow for simple changes we don't already use today, so here are a few ways that are commonly used to make things look more futuristic: Community . 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. 160 Best Character description ideas | character description, fantasy In battle, you are trying to strike a moving target, so mail was sufficient as most blows were glancing ones. 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. Now add a thick, layered scarf or attach a hood to this tunic and you're already well on your way to a customized look. One way to deal with clothing is to not try to be unique. The details create an authentic sense of a prominentcardinals dressin the 1500s. 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 . But the biggest challenge can sometimes be simply making something look futuristic or historic fantasy-ish, which is the main focus of this guide. 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? 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. Make it look very clean and smooth and it immediately feels more modern. Imagine your own armored knights storming through the battlefield like iron giants. - Gadgets, hair styles and accessories. But it provided an odd sense of security. Finally there's the aspect of fashion to take into account. Join Kickstart your Novel and get professional feedback on your first three chapters and story synopsis, plus workbooks and videos. Really, the topic of this article is not how to describe clothing in writing as much as it is how to tell a story with clothes. Does it Matter What Your Character Wears? - The Write Practice 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. I sincerely hope youve found some inspiration for your fantasy medieval armor. Our characters are always (mostly!) - As far as colors go they often seem to be either toned down or bright and happy (or even over the top), depending on the style. Hopefully, you now have more wardrobe ideas for your characters than just red shirt, blue pants. But what about the process of actually sharing these details in your novel? "Garb" or "dress" (without an article) is a rather drab abstract noun for what a person is wearing. Theyll see it automatically. When youre shopping for yourself, you know what you like but you dont know how to describe it. 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. I mentioned my online writing group at the beginning of this guide. Before I delve into the more detailed aspects of creating clothing there's one final thing to keep in mind and that is that fashion repeats itself. Your main character just put on some makeup and changed into a fancy dress, complete with heels and a tiny handbag. He received his BA Honours in English Literature and his undergraduate in English Literature and Music from the University of Cape Town. Although such armor exists in fantasy worlds, its important to understand how things work in the real world, even at a basic level. With these two changes alone you already have an item that didn't exist in medieval times, but is familiar enough to work in a fantasy setting. Besides knowing who we design for we also have to know what the rules for designing are within the universe of our characters. It's part of culture, so it's definitely something to keep in mind since your fictional universes will have some form of culture as well. If its 1st person you'll describe things from the POV of your character, and I find that that's different than if you're in, for example, 3rd person. Which of these clothing types is your character most likely to reach for when starting their day? And what weve covered here today is only just the tip of the iceberg. In my case my character is new in town and this description of clothing doesnt come until hes getting ready for the party in chapter 4 and its in the context of getting dressed, there are reasons behind it, the party is a very big deal for him getting his foot in the door with other teens in town and he wants to be impressive or maybe wants lot of attention with all the sparklies.
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