HOME | DD
RoninDude — Lin - Maybe In Another Life
Published: 2015-10-11 13:00:07 +0000 UTC; Views: 72564; Favourites: 2259; Downloads: 2335
Redirect to original
Description
Felt like exploring Lin's town a bit more. This sketch took me about 6 hours, on and off. And just for reference, I call anything a sketch if it isn't refined. This is more of a concept, to help me capture ideas. I know that some of you might not consider this a sketch, but I certainly do. XD Anyways, it took me a bit longer than I wanted, I think because I kept playing with the composition. Also, there's 3 focal points, so that makes it harder to balance... I hope it reads well enough, to show that the smith and the armor are under an awning... Oh, and yeah, I was a little lazy and grabbed Lin's pose from the other drawing, and changed her head so it would be facing properly in this shot. Fun stuff!About the picture:
"Each day the smith brought out his latest creations, displaying them in hopes of attracting the business of passing, would-be adventurers. Lin, on her way to work each morning, would often take a moment to admire the craftsman's handiwork. The remainder of her walk would be filled with fanciful daydreams of exploring long forgotten tombs and far away lands, equipped with such fashionable adventurer's gear. "Maybe in another life", she would think to herself... She had never been much of an adventuring type, being quite soft natured, and somewhat timid... But even if she couldn't go traipsing off to explore old ruins and fight wild beasts, she was glad to be surrounded by the thrilling tales and wonderful sights that her daily routine could afford her."
About the armor:
Since people seem very interested in the armor, I'll explain the design. It's made of three different pieces: a coat of plates (or brigandine, if you prefer), a breastplate, and the two shoulder pauldrons. A coat of plates is basically a vest made of overlapping small pieces of steel, sandwiched between two layers of leather or heavy cloth. In this case it has a leather backing and a cloth exterior covering. The rivets that hold it together are visible from the outside and distinguish the vest from a simple padded gambeson (under-armor padding). The breastplate is built for a female figure, and acts as an armored sports bra, supporting the breasts for high intensity activity, as well as distributing the force of an impact evenly to the ribs, instead of directly to the soft mammary tissue of the breasts. Because of its adjustable nature, it allows for greater comfort while wearing than a simple hauberk of chain mail would afford. This means less fatigue over time. Of course, the plate itself must be sized appropriately, so it's certainly a custom setup. The shoulder pauldrons attach to the shoulder straps of the breastplate, via loops that pass over the breastplate buckles. These are also adjustable. The armor is not meant as a military garb, but is more tailored for mercenaries or even just an adventurer who wants to maximize defense without minimizing comfort or dexterity. Basically, it's high quality light armor.
While it's not entirely historical, it's made from designs that would function, based on real world physics. In my fantasy world, women warriors are not rare, so armor has been made specifically for thier form. This means a woman doesn't have to wear armor made for a man, as was the case in our own medieval history.
Related drawing:
Would you like to see more of Lin, or some of my other characters? Or how about some sexy/cute pinups, posted every week? Check out my Patreon!
Lots of extra stuff can be found there:
Exclusive weekly pinups, posted every Friday or Saturday
High resolution images
PSD files with all the layers to how I do things, shared at the beginning of every month
Click the link to learn more:
www.patreon.com/RoninDude
Related content
Comments: 255
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I have to say Lin is my favorite character of yours. Women can be warriors too Lin, as that armor gives testament. It would be cool to see her in a full suit armor designed for her.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yes women can be warriors too, if they want. Lin doesn't want to. She likes working a tavern and hearing the stories from the adventurers who pass through, and daydreaming about it.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Armour that is sexy and practical, how it should be.
👍: 1 ⏩: 1
Sure, if that's the artist's intention. Freedom of expression, and all that.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Came for the girl; stayed for the armour; for the description...
Nice work.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Hehe cool! Glad you dig it.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
This armor reminds me of Grey Wardens armor from Dragon Age. 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Oh yeah? I cannot remember, unfortunately. But I do remember that the armor looked cool, so thanks!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Brilliant work, sketch or not. I read through the story. 
(Do you know of ? He gets a lot of cool armour and has quite a collection of stuff. I hope this isn’t an inappropriate place to mention him, but what with you saying you used to make your own stuff and all.)
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thanks! And, no, I am not familiar with their work.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
and here's the start story of dragonborn
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVy7YP…
in skyrim first she will have to kill in being wolfs and weak bandits and this is the start
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I honestly cannot stop admiring that armor. I've kept this open on my second monitor for hours, and I just keep looking back at it. At first I thought it was just a studded gambeson, but I noticed you'd written quite a bit and decided to take a look at your description of the piece. To think that you had such knowledge of armor! I must say that I'm quite impressed. As soon as I saw "brigandine" it made so much more sense, since, y'know, studs on a gambeson just end up being uncomfortable if you ever decide to put anything on over it. (I know this from experience)
I could really see how you thought of this armor, how you built it in your mind and in this painting. The fact that the breastplate is actually practical and not just double-cupped really is the icing on the cake, though. Most people don't understand that if you don't turn that breastplate into one, solid piece, all the force from an impact goes straight into the breasts and can cause serious damage to a woman's body. You understand how armor needs to sit on the body and how it's constructed inside and out, and that absolutely fascinates me. I feel that too few artists actually consider practicality in their armor designs, and while I understand that the appeal of games like Tera and WoW have altered the idea of what a woman's armor should look like, even some artists that attempt practical outfits don't pull it off this well. Floating pauldrons, for instance.
I almost cried tears of joy when you called the wooden longsword a waster in the picture you posted at the end of last month. It really excites me to know that you seem to have quite a bit of knowledge in the area of pre-renaissance armament, garb, and history, even more so that you now how to effectively apply it to your own fantasy creations.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I used to make a bit of armor and had access to a forge for years. I've always been interested in medieval arms and armor, and I frequently enjoy studying up everything I can, from the types of weapons to the way they did everyday ordinary things. Studying medieval culture is probably one of my favorite things to do, besides drawing. I mean, I am no historian, but I like to know what I am talking about when I open my mouth! I also used to study swordsmanship for about 10 years. Been thinking of getting into HEMA, lately (Historical European Martial Arts, if you didn't know). Specifically longsword training. There's some really cool sythetic nylon longswords over at black fencer armory. Check this one out:
www.blackfencer.com/en/home/64…
I seriously cannot stand the modern take on fantasy armor and armor, these days. Of course, that's because I have studied the reasons behind historical designs, so it makes it impossible for me to appreciate "the rule of cool" when applied to fantasy arms and armor. Clunky, tip heavy swords with spikes pointed in towards the handle, Armor with giant pauldrons that would scissor the head if a fighter ever decided to hoist their 40 lb sword overhead, and a slew of other completely impractical designs really just aren't cool, to me. But I try not to ruin other people's fun when it comes to enjoying such fantasy designs... But you can bet I won't draw them in my personal work! Commissions are another matter, hehe... XD
Anyways, I am glad that you appreciate the amount of effort I put into making my fantasy designs functional! It's just fun for me, though!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I'm not sure if you've ever heard of a group called the "SCA" or "Society for Creative Anachronism", but they are a world-wide reenactment group with a focus on historical merits. They aspire to teach and renew historical art forms and combat styles through a community of (mostly) educated people. The society is composed of people of all different races, genders, and interests that range from blacksmithing, to traditional cooking, to pre-industrial combat.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCA_armo…
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzTZVs…
www.blastedoak.com/blog/wp-con…
There's a link to wikipedia's article on SCA armoured combat, if you're interested in that, and the video is of Duke Brannos of The West talking about combat stance and proper balance. The video's a bit old, but the technique holds true today. The third is a map of the Kingdoms into which the SCA is divided. I think, Ray, that you reside somewhere in either the Kingdom of The West (central to northern California, Nevada, Alaska, Japan, and the Philippines) or the Kingdom of An Tir (Oregon through Canada to the Alaskan border). I'll link you to their respective websites so you can take a look if you're interested.
www.westkingdom.org/
www.antir.sca.org/
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I used to do a little bit with the SCA, and some of their events are cool! But in the end, It just wasn't my thing. They were great people, but the local chapter at the time (about 14 years ago) seemed more focused on fighting than anything, and only a couple of members even tried to put together convincing rigs. Mostly it was people wearing a simple headgear, neck guard, and then just hockey gear, beating each other over the head repeatedly with taped rattan sticks. There was one fella that hit so hard he would knock people to the dirt with one blow to the head. Just drug them down with each strike. It was a lot of bloody fun, but there wasn't anything there that seemed to say "historical study". It definitely wasn't swordsmanship, as much as it was club fighting. Just young bucks beating each other up. And at 33, I went through that phase already! Haha But that's not to knock them at all! Again, they were great people, and it was great fun. But it's just not what I am looking for.
I also remember a lot of politics between the different groups. The SCA people hate the Live steel groups, and visa versa, and no one respects the padded "boffer" fighters. XD I am sure that HEMA gets a bad reputation from the other two groups, too. In the end, all that elitism is tiring, to me. I suppose it's because each one claims to be "The most accurate" lol. But hey, my art keeps me busy enough, so I am not really looking to join a group at this time. I just want to do a bit of backyard fencing with some interested friends, work up a sweat, and have a reason to study those cool ancient western longsword fencing manuals and wear a gambeson.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Ah, yes the elitism. It's the reason my parents quit the SCA after my father was knighted. Not only do they think themselves better than all the other groups, but each kingdom or even barony/shire thinks themselves above their neighbors. The drama and deliberate bullshit just became too much for my parents, who were serving as a Baron and Baroness in Caid. That being said, I think that the issue you seemed to have with a lack of historical study likely stemmed from those that you surrounded yourself with. Yes, there are people that are mostly considered "stick jockies" who care for little outside of the combat, but there are still plenty of artisans and laurels who aspire to the arts. A lot of the stick jockies generally, as you said, only wore the simplest of armor sets, throwing hockey gear and a gorgot over a gambeson, and spent all of their time beating eachother with sticks. There are still some people out there who are both fighters and artists that take great pride in the armor they forge, staying true to historical accuracy. My mother was a well known seamstress, who created historically accurate garb for dozens of people in our kingdom, as well as several baronial coronets. She certainly did her research as well, as our house is filled with history books.
I can understand the stigma against boffer fighters, as that tends to lean more towards LARP than it does reenactment, but it was the way most people looked down on rapier combat that bothered me. Even now it's the "knuckledraggers" vs the "pansies".
I'm not gonna pretend that the SCA is the "most accurate", I mean, they won't even allow the use of wooden wasters, and there's been little headway into the use of synthetic/nylon wasters. The politics are awful, and the honor system has its obvious flaws. I try my best not to get involved and just spend time with the right people and enjoy myself. That's really what it's about in the end: having fun.
I can't blame you for quitting though.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yeah, you could be right about spending time around the wrong people. But honestly, fighting interested me the most, and again, the group was a jolly band of stick jockeys, but it wasn't what I was looking for, in a combat system. I eventually just went and grouped with similar minded people and we would go shinai, and study manuals on kenjutsu, kendo, and the like. But as I've gotten older, I have returned to having a strong interest in western medieval martial arts, or just western medieval history in general.
But yeah, the elitism sucks. Not interested in joining the argument of who's tougher! lol
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
A breastplate that's appropriately named, yet practical instead of completely ridiculous. Huzzah!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
While this is just a sketch, your art style and colors always pop. And it's very interesting this story idea you're doing by showing the lives and goings on through the eyes of common folk that we can more easily relate to. Lin is precious, gorgeous, and kind. It's great to see her character and personality shown especially seeing her curious - plus I'm a sucker for elf women and medieval stuff in general haha. Please continue this!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thank you! I enjoy doing these slice of life type of drawings, so you can expect more, in the future. I am glad you enjoy these!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You're welcome! You do fantastic work. She's a keeper.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
This is an interesting concept.. we readers often leaf through tons of Fantasy Realms and follow the Heroes within, the movers and shakers of the world, the Kings who rule and the Knights who fought , to even the monsters who threaten the Land..but I wonder, how would such a world look like through the eyes of the common folk?
If it is a land of differing races or even species, then what must the average Joe/Jane go through each day while hearing of some great Hero fighting against some Demon down the Kingdom's southern border or somesuch.. it might be worth it to take this Lin character that you draw and explore her world with that concept in mind.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
That's the basic idea I had for this character, actually. She's by no means an adventurer, but she does work at a tavern where a lot of those sort of folks frequent, so she get's an "outside" perspective on such heroes. It's definitely a fun topic to explore, even in the simple scenic pieces. I may take it farther, someday, when I can make the time.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
As much as she likes to daydream about epic adventures, she's really not the sort. It'd be out of character.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
That's cool, I enjoy both ur art and text, thanks. One question, where is the woman who is actually wearing this armor suit?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I am glad you like it!
There's no way we could know who the armor is made for. It could be a custom setup, or just a piece the smith finished to display and attract potential buyers. I didn't think of any details beyond what you see in the image.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Tnx for clarifying, I had some hopes that at some point Lin will actually meet this warrior woman.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Excellent discription and design of the armor. you've proved that fantasy armor can be practical and actually work. and it's a whole like more protective then a chanmail bikini heh
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thank you very much! I enjoy historical armors, and so I like to reference real armor when I design my fantasy armor.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I may have to make a point of order here. What you're showing here looks more like brigandine armor. The coat of plates is more of overlapping strips of steel, with the inner and outer leather riveted to them. The wearer still had to wear a gambeson underneath. Having played D&D for years, I took the time to research the armor styles made through history.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Historically, coat of plates was a broader term referring to an ancient design that appeared during the transitional armor period (12th-13th century), and brigandine refers specifically to later era versions (end of 14th century), which were more refined. I do agree that this could very well be classified as "brigandine", though it's not wrong to call it "coat of plates", as a historical CoPlate armor construction had a lot of variety to it. Large plates or small plates, front or side or back fastening straps, etc. Coat of Plates is generally distinguished from a brigandine by having larger plates, though there may be no distinction in some examples.
I suppose you could say that it's similar to the difference between saying "car" or saying "corvette". You can call a "corvette" a "car" without being wrong, as "car" is a subclass of "vehicle", and so on. I just decided to be a bit more broad, specifically to avoid arguments from history buffs. This isn't, after all, a historical design. I've spent quite a bit of time in various historical armoring forums when I was making SCA armor, but that was many years ago, and they do tend to like going round and round over specific classifications. The problem I see is that armor evolved constantly, so there is armor that exists during transitional periods that just don't fit into a single category.
All that aside, the point of my description is simply to give a basic understanding as to how this is constructed in my imagination, beyond just it's outer physical appearance. Calling it a coat of plates with a solid breast plate works well enough for my purposes. That being said, I am ok with calling it brigandine, too. To me, it's just semantics.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Sounds good to me. I've known people who were sticklers over something specific in D&D. Still, it looks like a very usable suit of armor for either men or women. I wanted to join the local SCA group at the University of Kansas - yes, I'm from Lawrence, KS - but there was a standing rule against assassins. Why have a medieval setting without assassins. Spoil sports!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I really love this picture and the armor !
I will like if one days you doing a comic of her adventure ! ^^
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I plan on doing some projects with Lin in it, and giving her some parts in a comic, too.
Glad you like her!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Oh yes! j'ai hâte de voir ça! (french, sry my english is not very good ^^' )
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
| Next =>