I want to design armour that’s visually interesting – got any tips?

Shannon Ball, England

Answer Dave replies

I really enjoy working with fantasy-based characters, especially the more darker fantasy kinds such as those from Games of Thrones or The Witcher.

I like to create figures that don’t appear uniform. I find them more interesting when the armour is unique and varied, based on the encounters they’ve had throughout their lives. They’ve had to adapt to the situations they have been in and their design should reflect this. You can tell a lot about a person from the clothes they wear, and I enjoy expressing a warrior’s personality through their armour.

When trying to create a design, a good approach to take is to think practically and ask yourself a range of questions. When I’m designing characters, I try to think about them as a real person. Where have they been? What have they done? What kind of personality do they have? What have they done to reach this point in their lives? Try to think about environment this character lives in. For example, is it cold? If the answer is ‘yes’ then the clothing should be appropriate to keep the character warm. These are the kind of questions any good concept designer should ask themselves.

Think practically about your design and think about what the character would need to wear. This will quickly help you figure out what you need.

When painting, try starting with basic bold shapes at the beginning of your design and gradually build up your level of detail as you progress.