Calling all Artists!

[raziel083]

I hope this is the right forum topic to go under...

Okay so I'm currently writing a story...i'm 6 chapters into it. I'm trying to describe the armor/outfit that forms around one of my main characters, and I'm having a hard time naming, and describing what it looks like as it forms around him.

So what I'm asking from an artist if they'd be willing to, is if they would be able to and if they could sketch something based on how I've described the armor or outfit. I'd like to know how well I'm describing it. Main character is a male but I'm open to also see it on a female. I'd even take suggestions on how to better describe the clothing and improve the writing even. Because in all honesty, writing was something I was never into. This was something I decided to do because a story came into my head and just kept developing over time. So I'm no professional whatsoever. But I'm enjoying this project a lot and I'm investing myself quite a bit into it.

I understand you have artists here that probably create as a livelihood so I understand that, but if there are free lancers that want to do it, that'd be great. Down the line I'm probably gonna look to actually hire an artist to create all of my characters. So just a thought as well. So here is the description:

..[] poses himself with his eyes closed and from his right side an irridescent violet wave slides around him enveloping his body. A long black trench coat with a high neck collar appears along with dark silver or gunmetal colored buttons that line down in columns of two on one side halfway down the front ending right above his waist. The bottom half of the coat tapers off to his sides leaving a wide tail on his back going all the way down past the knees.

With the same color as the buttons, a studded leather vest forms under the coat that go all the way down past his waist line, secured by a belt of dark silver with lines of dark violet forming patterned lines along the belt. High top military looking boots climb up his legs just below the knee with a color of black with gunmetal buckles for fastening.

Pants are a simple black with violet pinstripes. On the sides of his thighs form hardened leather pads that are secured with straps fastened around his thighs. His gloves look like those worn by pugilists yet formed to still give enough ease of movement. Forearms bare sharp studded bracers that climb up to his elbows. Simple black matte pauldrons form on each shoulders with the inner sides of them curving up slightly to form up his neck. A heavy clothed hood slides over his head with a half face armored mask for his lower face with two curved spikes climbing up from the 2 bottom corners of his face.

So there it is. I'm curious and excited to see if anything can be worked off of this

[Shynra]

I'm not an artist, but regarding the writing: it seems to me you're over-indulging in this. Three paragraphs to describe a character's physical appearance is too much, you lost me way before the end there. This level of detail is unnecessary and will take anyone out of the narrative. I recommend cutting it back to at most 1/5ths of what it is now. Leave out the straps and buckles, for one. For the most part, readers are going to be applying their own imagination anyway. It doesn't matter that much.

[raziel083]

Thanks for the input Shynra! This is honestly where I've had the hardest time. Deciding whether i'm giving too much or not enough detail. I'm trying to convey what my vision is and i keep thinking more detail is better and never thought about losing people to too much. I'll keep that in mind for the future.

[Ripster42]

Don't listen to them! I mean, I didn't read it either, but ARR ARRR martin spends pages talking about food. Who gives a shit!