Timewaster's Guide Archive

Yeah, I can't remember any specifics either way. The stuff is kinda ubiquitous, but the Shattered Plains get scoured pretty hard.

I'd think  it was mostly barren up top, with patches of hardy vegetation in places that provide any hint of shelter (also 'cause visually I'd want to break up the endless rock here and there with a little life). Think Badlands territory. Once you get down into the chasms, I think it's more lively, though after storms it probably takes a few days to recover.

Peter, did Brandon ever come up with a biology for how the grass anchors itself without a soil medium? Does it dig in or does it only flourish in crem patches (I'd imagine the latter, with grass seeds accumulating in puddles that quickly dry into spots of crem, the leaves forcing their way out but able to withdraw as usual), or is there something else?

That's the only kind of grass, unless you go to Shinovar.

From what I understand, that's mostly what he's doing. He's got other responsibilities, but that man is working his ass off.

Nice job!! I like it!

Maybe add some blue Push lines?

Would you mind if I did a drawover on this render? It'd be easier than trying to explain where I think you should make changes.

Off hand though, I wouldn't have every plateau sink in the center with the raised lip... it's more about them being flat along the top (but not smoothly flat) and having some elevation variances above the base level that allow some bluffs to be higher than the ones on the opposite side.

I think the widths of the chasms are good, but the depths could be deeper. The plateaus themselves could be larger as well.

That photo is pretty close to how I imagined it (though remember that there's an issue of scale here, the chasms of the Plains are usually about 15-20 feet wide, not 50-100 feet as those in the photo appear to be), but I know there must be some height variation in the plateaus because Brandon describes them pushing the bridges across from higher to lower rims, and of course at some point we have the Tower.

I would say it's not quite as jagged and tilted as Whelan's cover, but not as flat as that photo reference... split the difference, and remember that they are the "shattered" "plains"... both words are operative descriptors, so while it's broad and flat(tish) the land is cracked and split...  Brandon's original vision was of a broken dinner plate, if I recall correctly.

I would think that the breaks are more jagged, not so much the smooth and rounded curves that they are in natural formations carved by water.  The Highstorms create flashfloods that do carve out the chasms somewhat more, but they do so violently rather than slowly over millenia. So again, somewhere split between smoothly carved canyons and jagged, shattered crockery.

The book is pretty clear on the subject, every suit of Shardplate is unique and no two look alike. The only rules are that it A)looks like plate armor and 2)is constructed ONLY of plates, no chain or leather or anything like that. At the joints the armor is made of smaller and smaller segments that interweave, passing around or across each other as joints flex and move. 

I like to start with a basis in historical types of plate armor (I like 14-16th century stuff, especially the Italian and German designs, 'cause that was about as good as it got before it started to fade out of fashion), and then I extrapolate from there into new ideas that are free of pesky concerns like weight or practical manufacturing. Figuring out the joints is the tricky part, but check out lamellar armor, laminar armor and  scale armor to see some ways in which plates can interact. Then imagine the plates can be as small as you like, and you don't need to explain how they hold together, and let your imagination start to fill in the spaces.

Because of its organic nature, I imagine most of the inner joints in Shardplate being comprised of scales surrounded by banded plates that merge into solid plates in the traditional places.

I really like that angle, excellent concept! It captures well the description of Szeth's power and its use in combat.

If you're working with a wacom, my strongest advice is to sketch things out on separate Layers, and don't hesitate to be as messy as you need to be. If it doesn't look right, set up a new Layer and try again! One of the absolute greatest things about digital drawing is that it allows you to experiment without the consequences inherent in physical media... being messy doesn't have to ruin a page or take up space and deplete supplies anymore. Your only limitation is your ability to use the tools and your mastery of drawing skills.

I sketch a LOT when I compose anything now, and I believe my work is much better for it. It allows me to draw through shapes and work out anatomy and perspective challenges for as long as it takes to get it right, and only then do I need to commit to the lines.