I'm doing a research for the character design of my final year project, that’s Middle Ages Fashion Trend.
Background of my study
The Middle Ages started from 500 A.D. to 1500A.D in Western Europe, between the fall of Rome and the rise of the Renaissance. Kings and great lord ruled the society with their money and power. The peasants were under the nobles and worked for them. This made the Middle Ages people’s clothing showed their classes and states.
Reason of choosing my area research
Research on middle age fashion let me to understand what kinds of costumes were worn by middle age people. How their clothing looks like? What are the material they used and the reason they used that for their clothing and armor, especially soldier, hunter and warrior. Therefore, I can put these knowledge and information on a middle age character design make him trustable and reasonable, and also support my final year project study.
Related theory to my studies
Laver’s Law
James Laver (1899–1975) was an author, art historian, and museum curator who acted as Keeper of Prints, Drawings and Paintings for the Victoria and Albert Museum between 1938 and 1959. He was also an important and pioneering fashion historian described as "the man in England who made the study of costume respectable".
Laver followed the theories of Thorstein Veblen and John Flügel, using them to develop his favorite theories. These were:
Hierarchical Principle = dressing to indicate one's position in society
Utility Principle = dressing for warmth and comfort
Seduction Principle = dressing to attract the opposite sex.
Laver's Law was an attempt to compress the complex cycle of fashion change and the general attitude towards any certain style or period into a simple timeline.
Fashion trend life cycle:
• 10 years before its time: indecent
• 5 years before its time: shameless
• 1 year before its time: daring
• current fashion: smart
• 1 year after its time: dowdy
• 10 years after its time: hideous
• 20 years after its time: ridiculous
• 30 years after its time: amusing
• 50 years after its time: quaint
• 70 years after its time: charming
• 100 years after its time: romantic
• 150 years after its time: beautiful
The problem statement for the research
The middle ages are very ancient and there are only few of pieces about the middle ages fashion. People only can get the information from the books and old painting. From the research we need to know what is the medieval or Middle Ages and what were the costume of the people at that era. Besides that, the material they used for their clothing and armor and is important, just like the symbol of that era. Material and color let audience clearly notice the appearance of the middle age costume.
Question and objective
Research Question: A case study on middle age fashion trend for animation.
The research of the middle age costume helps me to get a correct and reasonable design for my character. So I can decide the material, color, and appearance of my character‘s costume.
I use the materials that were usually used in medieval costume and armor, such as leather, fabric and metal or bronze for the clothes, belt, pouch and armor of my character. To make the character more fancy and special because of the story and characteristic, I look for some references from game character design and modify my character’s costume.
Methods- quantitative
Require answer from 11 people:
Case study
During the early middle Ages, men and women both wore a long tunic called a "bliaut," belted at the waist, and perhaps a cloak. A shorter garment with a more tailored contour replaced the tunic and was worn with hose, then evolved into a long sleeved, jacket-like garment, often quilted, which tapered at the waist and flared at the hips. Hose (thigh high stockings held up by straps), and had to be tied to the bottom of the doublet because they didn't stay up well. Shoulder padding and short capes were added. Noblemen wore tights under their tunics. They wore woven tights which did not fit very tightly because knitting had not yet been invented. Men wore leather shoes. In the earlier paintings men wear shoes with square toes, but later the shoes have pointy toes and even curve up at the toes in a kind of hook, just to be extra fancy.
Materials and Manufacturing
Wool
Wool was the most common raw material for medieval clothing. The quality of wool varied widely, depending on the breed of sheep and where it was raised.Coarse, scratchy, undyed dark wool were used for the cheapest cloth, possibly blended with linen or hemp. More expensive fabric would be lighter and finer, could involve a patterned weave instead of a straight basket weave, and would have been softened by fulling.The most expensive woolen fabric would have been nearly as fine as silk.
Wool color:
Red was the most expensive, luxurious, and prestigious color, taken from the kermes insect.
Black was so popular amongst nobility in the late middle Ages.
Silk
Rich people could actually afford to wear silk, and the not-so-rich could sometimes afford a little brocade or ribbon to trim their woolen garments.
Linen and hemp
Most linen was left white because it does not take dye very well, worn as head coverings and veils, underclothes, aprons, infant clothes, and work clothes for hot weather.
Leather
Shoes, belts, gloves, artisans' aprons, and armor (or padding for armor) are made by leather.
Color
Blue - gentleness, associated with Mary.
Red- power, passion, wealth, and blood.
Green – envy / spring and youth.
Yellow - disfavor and associated with various vices, avarice and cowardice.
Black- not used as a color for mourning until nearly the Renaissance, and then only by the wealthy.
White - purity, but was not worn by brides -- whatever their station, people were simply married in the very best clothing they owned.
References:
Website
http://historyofeuropeanfashion.wordpress.com/page/2/
http://www.medieval-life-and-times.info/medieval-clothing/index.htm
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/fashion-in-the-middle-ages.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Laver
http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/
Google Books
Clothing in Middle Age
Medieval Clothing and Costumes
Book
History of Fashion Medieval Fashions Coloring Book (Tom Tierney)
Ancient and Medieval Arms and Armor (Carol Belanger Grafton)
Character Design and Color
Model in Zbrush
Model in Maya
No comments:
Post a Comment