Fantasy Art School

Drawing A Knight in Full Plate Armor

When You think of Medieval Armor you are probably thinking about Platemail. This is the armor shown by the knight in the picture here. This platemail was not instantly available to knights of the middle ages. It was the culmination of metalworking arts and blacksmiths knowldge and skill over a period of several centuries. The full suit of armor came from the development of individual pieces over these centuries. Eventually all these pieces were put together into one complete set. Note: If you have not yet done the lesson on how to draw the human figure you may want to do that lesson first. This lesson is an extension of that one. The Drawing I made to go along with this lesson is further down the page.

Duke of Burgundy Suit of Armor Suits of Armor are more than just metal suits! They evoke a certain medieval feeling - a romantic heroism. And suits of armor were made for function and also for visual effect. These suits evolved and changed dramatically over the centuries of the middle ages.

The Major Parts of A Knight's Medieval Armor:

• The helmet: This is the piece that covers the head and face. This piece developed over the centuries being first more like a hat then eventually becoming something called a Bassinet which was almost like a basket that covered all of the head yet kept the face open. Eventually the helmet became a self-contained piece with a visor that could be slid up and down.
• The gorget: This is the piece around the knight's neck. It protected the area of the body between the helmet and the chest piece. These were made from various materials including sheets of metal or chainmail.
• The Chest Plate: This is the most impressive part of the knights armor. It was two pieces of plate molded to fit the knight's body and it was usually in two pieces (front and back() that were buckled together.
• The Shoulder pieces: These could be very specialized with lparts that stuck out as a way to guide weapons away from the body. These shoulder pieces were also sometimes part of the arm pieces.
• Arm pieces: Covered the arms from shoulder to wrist. They had to be flexible at the elbow and were often assembled at this point with multiple sheets that could accordion over each other.
• Gauntlets: These are the gloves that protected the hands and fingers. The fingers were often made of consecutive sheets riveted together much like the shell of an armadillo.
• Leggings: Covered the legs and were jointed at the knees. Leggings were very important to a knight because when he was mounted on his horse his legs were very vulnerable to strikes from opponents on the ground.
• Foot Wear: Was also important to the knight because of its proximity to the opponent on the ground. The foot wear was often made from several sheets of plate jointed together so they could flex and fit into the stirrups.
• The Shield: This was a very important part of a knights protection and shields came in very many shapes and sizes.

Continue on with the lessons

John Howe Fantasy Art Workshop

John Howe is one of the world's most renowned fantasy artists and has for many years worked as a leading illustrator of Tolkien's works and periphereal products.

John increased his extensive fan base working alongside Alan Lee as Conceptual Designer of The Lord Of The Rings movie trilogy.

This is John Howe's first ever practical art book, presenting a wide selection of his work, practical demonstrations and a foreword by Terry Gilliam.

Here's how I do it, and why': this is the premise behind John Howe's very first practical exploration of his artistic inspirations, approaches and techniques. Perfect for practical artists and fans of John Howe's work, this book provides step-by- step demonstrations, sketches and outstanding finished paintings, some of which were designed specifically for this book. The book covers a wide range of subjects essential to any aspiring fantasy artist, including materials and the creative process, as well as drawing and painting humans, beasts, landscapes and architecture. Readers will also find further inspiration and guidance on presenting work in various forms including film work, book covers and advertising.

This is a Storm The Castle Website

Fantasy Art School HOME PAGE

Fantasy Art Lessons

1. lesson 1 - Holding the pencil and getting a feel for it and warming up with lines
2. lesson1c how to draw a straight line
3. lesson 2 - Drawing some simple geometric shapes
4. lesson 3 - Understanding and using Perspective
5. lesson 4- foreshortening in perspective
6. lesson 5- Drawing depth and distance
7. lesson 6-Using lines of varying thickness
8. lesson 7- drawing form and shape with a medieval mace
9. lesson 8- Drawing metal - We draw a medieval helmet
10. lesson 9- drawing our first human form
11. lesson 10- Distorting the human form to create fantasy creatures
12. lesson 11 - doodling and creativity break
13. lesson 12 - a Morning star mace - drawing textures
14. lesson 13 - how to draw chainmail
15. lesson 14 - How to convey action in your fantasy drawings
16. lesson 15 - How to draw sword shapes
17. lesson16 -draw an armored knight
18. lesson 17 - Draw a fantasy dagger using the Five-S method
19. lesson 18 - Creating space in your drawings - A Dragons Lair
20. lesson 19 - Practice by drawing dragons
21. Lesson 20 - Drawing from Memory
22. Lesson 21 -Draw a Catapult

Fantasy Art Lessons from Guest Artists

1. How to draw a magical genie using Corel and Photoshop

Art Books & Supplies

1. Art Kits
2. Art Books
3. Fantasy Art Books

Stormthecastle.com
Castlefiction.com
The Telescope Nerd
Epic Fantasy.com
The Medieval Armory
THe Fantasy Guide
The Heroic Dreams Blog Knight-Medieval.com willkalif.com
make-video-games.com

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