how to describe fantasy clothing

Great idea. Ill add it to my to do list . Make sure you know whats hot and whats not in your specific setting, as well as what specific words the locals would use. Give your wealthy character a pair of Louboutins and dress your non-wealthy characters in hand-me-downs. Well come to this below. Or it could be that they want to be charmed by their own image when they look in the mirror. - "Digital look". 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. You dont need it to sign up. Characters can also comment on or react to one anothers clothing, as long as the exchange reveals something about the world or relationship. They are more common around the chest and torso in Asian cultures though, so keep that in mind when adding diagonal lines. Such simple things, but the clothes really helped show Jesus plight. Clothing description is something I have to actively choose to create, too. Reeking of piss on the battlefield was another weapon in the arsenal I suppose. Think of other interesting combinations: A teacher who dresses provocatively; a beggar with an innate sense of style. You really can tell a lot about a person by what they wear, or what they dont wear. Do all your characters embrace it? Its a good time. Adorable. Be specific and accurate. What I would like to ask is how you would go about describing very specific details on more complex clothing? So Id say in films its more for cinematic effect and also for clarity so the viewer can see whos doing what. Thanks Benjamin! All of these advancements will become more and more common as time goes on, so it'd make sense for them to be part of our clothing in the future. Ideas are forever being shared and discussed. - Geometry. Am I trying to blow the interview? I really loved this article, but I have one question, it was very helpful. By playing around with this you quickly create very subtle, but more unique fantasy-themed items. The same goes for other types of technology that could realistically be incorporated into the design of your character's clothing. They're the Robin to your Batman, the Luigi to your Mario, the Samwise Gamgee to your Frodo Baggins. Clothes that are loose and hanging in folds. 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. You can quickly convey a number of things about your characters based on the clothing they wear. Its fun to play with power in clothing, because it's a relative concept. But the definition of sneaky depends on your characters situation. Its okay if Todds checks his designer watch three pages after you mention his silk tie. Maybe their goal is to entice a mate. In most cases simply copying the style of whichever era you've based your story on is enough, but it can be fun to create your own styles and in some cases it'd make sense to have your own styles as well. Something like this: As you can see, a knights armor is made up of a lot of different pieces. I mentioned my online writing group at the beginning of this guide. Pingback: Fantasy Weapons - Medieval, Magic And Other Types - Richie Billing, Helping writers on their journey and readers find their next favourite story.. Stealthy clothes bring to mind burglars clad in black outfits and soft-soled sneakers. So this really reaffirmed that approach for me. Use your first-person narrators senses sight, hearing, touch, etc. ), The geographical location of your story. Stiff with embroidery, strewn with pearls, encrusted with gemstones, they seem to stand by themselves. 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. For example, think about a wealthy person and how that person might dress. Impoverished with children to care for, she uses her last money to give her husband a dignified funeral. And if you were skilled at surviving and killing, it was a good way to make a living. The padded material could absorb blows from blunt weapons and provided some protection from cuts, but against well-forged weapons they were useless. I'll make a separate point for sci-fi/futuristic clothing and fantasy/historic clothing. Not quite. How to describe clothing: 6 simple tips Use clothing to show status and position Build (or thwart) expectations using clothing descriptions Describe clothing to contrast character personalities Show clothing to avoid over-relying on telling Change clothing to highlight character development Use clothing details to create authentic setting Thats a good example of using clothing to reinforce the narrative of a characters arc. Well also take a look at female fantasy armor and those used by, Mail was particularly effective against glancing blows. Slog through another meaningless day in a world where nothing matters? Lets take a look at how clothing description indicates your characters identity, goals, and culture. It may be apocryphal, but Harold Godwinson is said to have done just that at the battle of Hastings in 1066. Clean, powerful strikes were needed to disable a foe wearing mail. Mention the familiar swooshing of the neighbors tracksuit as he runs by the house every morning or how the aunts jacket always smells like cold air and pine needles. The answer can guide you towards certain fashion trends to inspire your characters wardrobe. - 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. One way to deal with clothing is to not try to be unique. Select the most striking details and move on. See more ideas about fantasy clothing, anime outfits, character outfits. Blades hacking, slicing and puncturing, cutting open gaping wounds and severing limbs and heads from bodies. Youre already obsessing over hat styles and what the undergarment situation was at the time of your story. Fashion photographer Bill Cunningham said, Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life. Try applying this philosophy to clothing descriptions in your writing and see what happens. 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. You suddenly know which details to include, which to leave out, and whether to call it a blood-red cloak or a goji berry wrap. The fact Gem goes with jeans and a tee could suggest that she trusts her aunts advice. Make it look very clean and smooth and it immediately feels more modern. Here are a few different types: We mentioned gambesons above. Without decriptions of the clothing it's a bit boring, the novel becomes a list of people the reader can't imagine doing things. 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. Or at least they know what century theyre in. 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. The image you create has to play a role in the narrative.Consider the character arc. I can only imagine the pain of the chafing! Now, for the feedbackit depends what POV you're writing in. Richie Billing writes fantasy fiction, historical fiction and stories of a darker nature. They mixed more traditional Asian styles with the more Western Industrial Revolution period styles. The aim was not to cause any impediment to movement. What would high stakes clothing look like in your story? Sometimes the simplest changes are enough to create something completely new and ideal for a particular universe. 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: Instead of a nobleman being described as wearing red silk slippers, parachute pants, a bejeweled cloth belt, a flowing blouse and an ascot; you can simply describe him as wear very fancy and extravagant clothing befitting his high status in society. At a quarter to six, Gem pulled off the low-cut top Emma had wolf-whistled and clappedat when theyd met for their usual weekend catch-up. It took a while to get ready, with the help of somebody else needed, usually squires, who began with the feet and worked up from there. Because it actually is possible. Wearing a suit of armor was like being in your own private world. Only when youre keeping secrets in fiction, you can make them even darker and deeper than any you might ever have in real life. But your reader is going to picture something whether you guide them or not. One specific form of descriptive writing that particularly affects setting and characterization is the portrayal of characters' clothing. Clothes can betray our greatest joys and our deepest insecurities. 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. 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. What your character wears can tell us a lot about how they feel or how they want to feel. I'm sort of into historical armor so would get a kick out of finding an excuse to talk about vambraces/rerebraces, spaulders, etc. Using this site means trees will be planted. 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. With historical fiction one interesting aspect is to bring back the reader to that time period. What is the prevailing value in the society of your story? A knight, by definition, was a lord. The details create an authentic sense of a prominentcardinals dressin the 1500s. 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. From lowly serfs to great warriors, all could wear and fight effectively in chainmail. Chain mail is a great piece of fantasy armor to use in your stories purely because of its flexibility. In other words, research. Or else that she feels shamed by her Aunt and thus decides to be good. Thank you for reading our blog! These shallow details help us go pretty deep on character. I tend to avoid describing clothing. 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. Like Dostoyevsky, think how something as small as a characters change of clothing can affecttheir own or others behaviour. Which of these clothing types is your character most likely to reach for when starting their day? 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. I once wrote about imbuing everyday objects with meaning because talisman create great opportunities for symbolism! Shoes made with bendable displays already exist, allowing you to change your shoe's design on the fly. - Use lines to break up a piece of clothing and create a kind of mosaic. Once quenched, the steel was re-heated to make it more resilient. Affordable . Heating to the perfect temperature was key. A self-conscious kid tries to disappear inside their oversized sweatshirt. It really doesnt take much. Are the characters of your dystopian novel forced to make do with burlap and mud? That was the theory. 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. Tell us how the wool of your protagonists sheath dress scratches the skin on the underside of her arm. You could introduce magical enchantments or ability-granting traits. In reality, a medieval lord could pretty much do what they liked. Theyre the kind of thing that often happen organically, but you can actually make use of character secrets to make your stories better.

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