Following my research based around Samurai armour, I decided to attempt to wrap my head around the general concept of how to make it look nice and presentable in my work.
I have never drawn armour before, never mind something as complex and detailed as what Samurai used to wear, and as a result of this, I practised shading and refining the shape of some armour using Ryoma from Fire Emblem Fates as a reference, due to the fact that he is entire based on a Japanese Samurai.
Official Sprite of Prince Ryoma belonging to Intelligent Systems in the mobile game Fire Emblem: Heroes
Although the armour looks incredibly plain in comparison to the reference images seen above and to the side of my interpretation, I have learned the basics on how to shade the plates of the armour, to make it gleam and seem more reflective of the light.
This practise was both a lot of fun and very helpful to me, as now I will be able to shade armour in the future with ease as I have learned a technique to make the shine on the scales seem more natural and nice to look at.
To shade armour with relative ease (with my own technique), you have to first:
1. Choose a direct light source to direct the gleam on the plates to.
2. Using an ’add’ layer, airbrush in said direction, and create two lines at the top and bottom of each plate in the same direction and with the same opacity to mimic the light curving around the plate. Smudge around the airbrushed areas and give it some definition/form depending on how harsh you want your depth to be.
3. From the direction the light faces away from, shade the sides of the plates with a ’multiply’ layer, and either increase or decrease opacity depending on preference.
After educating myself on weapons used in Japanese battle, I decided to do some research on the group that predominantly used these weapons: the Samurai. As Samurai are a huge part of Japan’s history, I wanted to dive into the progression of the noble group, and analyse the armour to potentially include in my animation.
Japanese Samurai Armour and The Samurai
The Samurai were a large group of warrior-noblemen in Japanese society, inhabiting Japan with their strong honour code known as Bushido from as early as the 12th century. The word ‘Samurai’ translates to ‘ones who serve’, and a fitting name, for the Samurai were incredibly fierce warriors who were loyal to their Daimyo (or lord) and fought with their all for them.
In 1185, following many years of civil war, the clan of Minamoto Yoritomo defeated his enemies, the Taira. In 1192, the Emperor appointed Yoritomo the role of supreme military leader – also known as Shogun (Seii Tai Shogun – Barbarian Conquering General). The ruling military leader was expected not only to be a master of war but also to excel in literary and administrating skills. A large majority of Samurai were well-spoken, versed in poetry, were buying customers of painters and sculptors, and attended literary meetings held by imperial court nobles and monks.
As time progressed and rival daimyo (the regional warlords) fought with their respective armies to expand their territories, Japan was quickly plunged into civil war. These confrontations lasted until 1615 when the warlord Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated his final enemies and Japan finally became unified under one powerful family. The military capital was formed at Edo, the modern-day Tokyo.
As time progressed and rival daimyo (the regional warlords) fought with their respective armies to expand their territories, Japan was quickly plunged into civil war. These confrontations lasted until 1615 when the warlord Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated his final enemies and Japan finally became unified under one powerful family. The military capital was formed at Edo, the modern-day Tokyo.
Armour was used until the end of the Meiji period, and the last use of the samurai armour was in the year 1877 during the Satsuma Rebellion.
During the Heian period (794-1185), the unique Japanese samurai armouro-yoroi and do-maru appeared.
The main section of the Samurai body armour is a do/cuirass (armour for the upper body), which is made from groups of plates: oblong-shaped pieces of steel linked together by strips of leather, covered with layers of lacquer (varnish), similar to a shell.
The helmet section of the Samurai armour is decorated with ugly features on its face mask in order to terrify and put off the enemy, and below that, a neck curtain of jointed metal is connected to provide extra protection, connected to shoulder guards made from small places weaved together with silk braid, which allows for amplified movement. The helmet has two empty holders to either side, which are used for a hair pommel (something that curves upwards, usually part of a sword or saddle).
After looking into Samurai, I have a clearer knowledge of the history of Japan in general. I have decided that I would like to base the assets of my animation on pre-Edo Japan, as the Edo period was a newfound life of peace, which goes against my idea of a battle in my FMP. I will do an armour analysis before I start my concepts, in order to get a better idea on how to draw Samurai armour.
Games Design Y2 