Cardassian regional clothing--the ruviyal of Nevot

Nerys Ghemor · March 27 2009, 09:23 PM

This is just a WIP so far, but it will give you an idea of what the Nevotda ruviyal looks like, as described in "The Exile." This is a man's traditional dress for the region of Nevot. In the main Sigils and Unions universe, this (and other regions' traditions) is rarely seen except on very special occasions in Nevot, because of the cultural homogenization resulting from totalitarian rule.

In the Catacombs of Oralius sub-universe, there's much more appreciation for the diverse traditions of various Cardassian regions. Up until the Occupation, there was a thriving trade in fashions between regions, and occasions where (for instance) Nevotda dress might become popular in Rivçal, or on a certain colony world.

I've tried to keep a recognizably "Cardassian" aesthetic, but allow much more regional flavor than we ever got to see in canon. My inspiration was the traditional clothing of the Han Chinese.

In my continuity, Nevot is the region where Dr. Istep, Glinn Va'Kust, and Legate Broca come from. But Broca, of course, is NOWHERE near cool enough for THIS.

Istep would definitely be cool enough...but I don't want the chance of my boss figuring out he's the template for the character's looks! And Va'Kust...he's definitely cool, but the fit would be a real challenge because he's built like a tank!

I wanted to make sure I scanned in the lineart before I started doing anything with colored pencils, so that way I'll have a record of what I did in case I frak anything up.

As I do the colored pencil work, I expect some of the extreme contrast with the lineart to go away, so the effect will become rather more subtle.

(Oh, and from a real-life perspective, how I LOVE the Cardassian aesthetic--it lets my love for Art Deco really come out to play.

Oh...and the scanner ate the lovely, subtle light grey of the paper I'm using.

)

BolianAuthor · March 28 2009, 12:07 AM

Wow... that looks awesome. I'm glad to see someone diving in, and fleshing out the Cardassian culture more. I always envisioned their art to have a sort of Indo-Persian quality to it, and this looks like it could fit within that. Please show us more!

-BolianAdmiral

Nerys Ghemor · March 28 2009, 12:20 AM

Now that's funny--I can't help noticing your avatar, which is the very same guy I'm drawing!

(Though of course the likeness is a challenge in this case since all we have from the series is a blurry profile shot!)

For my own version of the Cardassian aesthetic, I've drawn a lot from Asian/Indian sources. I think for me, when I see some of the styles in-series (especially the women's hair), it evokes Asia. For this in particular, I was looking at the Chinese hanfu style of dress (such as this). But all of it goes through this kind of Art Deco filter to give it a more specifically Cardassian look.

There's another drawing--though it's got a LOT of errors in it and I'll eventually have to redo it--where I drew the clothing of the region of Hăzăk, where Macet and Daro are from in my stories, and I based it on the sherwani suit of India...kind of like this. (Though I had to do a LOT of adapting to make it work in the neck region!)

I'll certainly keep you updated as I work on this more.

BolianAuthor · March 28 2009, 03:47 AM

^

Hehe... the character in my avatar is kind of a "screen test" for me... I'm working on a new Trek story, with a Cardassian Starfleet Captain, named Goren Jetal. I was curious how a Cardassian would look in command red, and I found that image.

I like what you're doing, design-wise. Personally, in my own works where I feature the Cardassians, I go with a more persian influence, as if it were Iran or Turkey, or India, on another world. DS9 certainly hinted towards an asian influence to the women's fashion... most notably, the hairstyles.

The Cardassians have always been my favorite humanoid Trek race. My all-around favorite being the Tholians. One thing I might offer...

In my "Star Trek: Entomalians" story, I created a new term for the leader of the Cardassian Union, because I was sick of them using the term Leggate for seemingly everything. So, in my story, the leader of the Cardassian Union is called a Prelek, and the character in my story was Prelek Joret Getal. If you feel that you would also like an alternative to Leggate, please do feel free to use Prelek, with my blessing.

-BolianAdmiral

Nerys Ghemor · March 28 2009, 06:28 AM

I appreciate the offer--but I do already have an alternate term in my version of the Cardassian language. (I do also have an explanation as to why the term "Legate" is commonly used in Federation Standard, though...the Cardăsda term has a sound in it that tends to be very difficult for FS speakers to pronounce properly.)

And I certainly look forward to your story! Am I right to assume it'll be set quite a ways forward in the Trekiverse timeline?

BolianAuthor · March 28 2009, 06:34 AM

^

Thanks. I look forward to learning the term you have in mind.

The new story with the Cardassian Captain is set 75+ years post-TNG, and is still being developed by Praetor and myself. The original "Star Trek: Entomalians" saga has been posted here in the BBS fanfic section, but it was a while ago... I am currently doing a final revision of it.

If you ever want to offer any suggestions regarding Cardassian culture, I'm open to them!

-BolianAdmiral

Nerys Ghemor · March 28 2009, 06:41 AM

If you'd like my opinions, I'd be happy to give them--but there's no reason you shouldn't feel free to develop their culture as you wish.

Nerys Ghemor · March 30 2009, 05:40 AM

Man, the scanner is really frakking with the colors...I may end up when this is done trying to take a photo of it and seeing if it comes out any better.

Just trust me that it looks a LOT better in real life than it looks here. But...here's a sampling of the coloring work so far.

BolianAuthor · March 30 2009, 07:12 AM

I love the colors so far. Please continue!

I am amazed I'm the only one who has bothered to post about this... doesn't anyone else appreciate stuff being done with the Cardassians? This is cool! C'mon, guys!

Thor Damar · March 30 2009, 06:10 PM

BolianAdmiral wrote:

I love the colors so far. Please continue!

I am amazed I'm the only one who has bothered to post about this... doesn't anyone else appreciate stuff being done with the Cardassians? This is cool! C'mon, guys!

I do, as you can tell from my avatar,and I am really enjoying this exploration of Cardassian aesthetics. If anyone is going to have an interesting sense of style it would be our Cardassians!

Nerys Ghemor · March 30 2009, 06:56 PM

Thanks for looking, guys...glad you like!

Nerys Ghemor · March 31 2009, 06:25 PM

All right...new WIP! I know this doesn't look like much progress, but you wouldn't believe how long it takes to do all the layering and blending required...

I'm going to save the hair and face for absolute last, because I have no doubt they'll be the most difficult areas.

Thor Damar · March 31 2009, 06:32 PM

I'm liking the interplay between the black and the purple, it really makes it stand out. It's also good to see the proper Cardassian Gray predominant in this design.

Nerys Ghemor · March 31 2009, 07:32 PM

Thor Damar wrote:

I'm liking the interplay between the black and the purple, it really makes it stand out. It's also good to see the proper Cardassian Gray predominant in this design.

Thanks.

I actually have three different grey palettes going here--warm greys for the main part of the robe, cool grey for the sash and trim, and French grey for the skin.

(All of these being Prismacolor pencils.)

Nerys Ghemor · April 1 2009, 06:58 AM

OK...new WIP. The main part of the robe is now complete, plus a little sample of how the sleeves are going to look.

There will only be two more WIPs from this point forward: the complete robe, and then the face/hair (which will be last).

Enjoy!

March 27 2009, 09:23 PM	#1
Nerys Ghemor Vice Admiral Location: Cardăsa Terăm--Nerys Ghemor	Cardassian regional clothing--the ruviyal of Nevot This is just a WIP so far, but it will give you an idea of what the Nevotda ruviyal looks like, as described in "The Exile." This is a man's traditional dress for the region of Nevot. In the main Sigils and Unions universe, this (and other regions' traditions) is rarely seen except on very special occasions in Nevot, because of the cultural homogenization resulting from totalitarian rule. In the Catacombs of Oralius sub-universe, there's much more appreciation for the diverse traditions of various Cardassian regions. Up until the Occupation, there was a thriving trade in fashions between regions, and occasions where (for instance) Nevotda dress might become popular in Rivçal, or on a certain colony world. I've tried to keep a recognizably "Cardassian" aesthetic, but allow much more regional flavor than we ever got to see in canon. My inspiration was the traditional clothing of the Han Chinese. In my continuity, Nevot is the region where Dr. Istep, Glinn Va'Kust, and Legate Broca come from. But Broca, of course, is NOWHERE near cool enough for THIS. Istep would definitely be cool enough...but I don't want the chance of my boss figuring out he's the template for the character's looks! And Va'Kust...he's definitely cool, but the fit would be a real challenge because he's built like a tank! I wanted to make sure I scanned in the lineart before I started doing anything with colored pencils, so that way I'll have a record of what I did in case I frak anything up. As I do the colored pencil work, I expect some of the extreme contrast with the lineart to go away, so the effect will become rather more subtle. (Oh, and from a real-life perspective, how I LOVE the Cardassian aesthetic--it lets my love for Art Deco really come out to play. Oh...and the scanner ate the lovely, subtle light grey of the paper I'm using. ) __________________ Are you a Cardassian fan, citizen? Prove your loyalty--check out my fanfic universe, Star Trek: Sigils and Unions. Or keep the faith on my AU Cardassia, Sigils and Unions: Catacombs of Oralius!

March 28 2009, 12:07 AM	#2
BolianAuthor Writer, Battlestar Urantia Location: Torrance, California	Re: Cardassian regional clothing--the ruviyal of Nevot Wow... that looks awesome. I'm glad to see someone diving in, and fleshing out the Cardassian culture more. I always envisioned their art to have a sort of Indo-Persian quality to it, and this looks like it could fit within that. Please show us more! -BolianAdmiral

March 28 2009, 12:20 AM	#3
Nerys Ghemor Vice Admiral Location: Cardăsa Terăm--Nerys Ghemor	Re: Cardassian regional clothing--the ruviyal of Nevot Now that's funny--I can't help noticing your avatar, which is the very same guy I'm drawing! (Though of course the likeness is a challenge in this case since all we have from the series is a blurry profile shot!) For my own version of the Cardassian aesthetic, I've drawn a lot from Asian/Indian sources. I think for me, when I see some of the styles in-series (especially the women's hair), it evokes Asia. For this in particular, I was looking at the Chinese hanfu style of dress (such as this). But all of it goes through this kind of Art Deco filter to give it a more specifically Cardassian look. There's another drawing--though it's got a LOT of errors in it and I'll eventually have to redo it--where I drew the clothing of the region of Hăzăk, where Macet and Daro are from in my stories, and I based it on the sherwani suit of India...kind of like this. (Though I had to do a LOT of adapting to make it work in the neck region!) I'll certainly keep you updated as I work on this more. __________________ Are you a Cardassian fan, citizen? Prove your loyalty--check out my fanfic universe, Star Trek: Sigils and Unions. Or keep the faith on my AU Cardassia, Sigils and Unions: Catacombs of Oralius!

March 28 2009, 03:47 AM	#4
BolianAuthor Writer, Battlestar Urantia Location: Torrance, California	Re: Cardassian regional clothing--the ruviyal of Nevot ^ Hehe... the character in my avatar is kind of a "screen test" for me... I'm working on a new Trek story, with a Cardassian Starfleet Captain, named Goren Jetal. I was curious how a Cardassian would look in command red, and I found that image. I like what you're doing, design-wise. Personally, in my own works where I feature the Cardassians, I go with a more persian influence, as if it were Iran or Turkey, or India, on another world. DS9 certainly hinted towards an asian influence to the women's fashion... most notably, the hairstyles. The Cardassians have always been my favorite humanoid Trek race. My all-around favorite being the Tholians. One thing I might offer... In my "Star Trek: Entomalians" story, I created a new term for the leader of the Cardassian Union, because I was sick of them using the term Leggate for seemingly everything. So, in my story, the leader of the Cardassian Union is called a Prelek, and the character in my story was Prelek Joret Getal. If you feel that you would also like an alternative to Leggate, please do feel free to use Prelek, with my blessing. -BolianAdmiral

March 28 2009, 06:28 AM	#5
Nerys Ghemor Vice Admiral Location: Cardăsa Terăm--Nerys Ghemor	Re: Cardassian regional clothing--the ruviyal of Nevot I appreciate the offer--but I do already have an alternate term in my version of the Cardassian language. (I do also have an explanation as to why the term "Legate" is commonly used in Federation Standard, though...the Cardăsda term has a sound in it that tends to be very difficult for FS speakers to pronounce properly.) And I certainly look forward to your story! Am I right to assume it'll be set quite a ways forward in the Trekiverse timeline? __________________ Are you a Cardassian fan, citizen? Prove your loyalty--check out my fanfic universe, Star Trek: Sigils and Unions. Or keep the faith on my AU Cardassia, Sigils and Unions: Catacombs of Oralius!

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March 28 2009, 06:34 AM	#6
BolianAuthor Writer, Battlestar Urantia Location: Torrance, California	Re: Cardassian regional clothing--the ruviyal of Nevot ^ Thanks. I look forward to learning the term you have in mind. The new story with the Cardassian Captain is set 75+ years post-TNG, and is still being developed by Praetor and myself. The original "Star Trek: Entomalians" saga has been posted here in the BBS fanfic section, but it was a while ago... I am currently doing a final revision of it. If you ever want to offer any suggestions regarding Cardassian culture, I'm open to them! -BolianAdmiral

March 28 2009, 06:41 AM	#7
Nerys Ghemor Vice Admiral Location: Cardăsa Terăm--Nerys Ghemor	Re: Cardassian regional clothing--the ruviyal of Nevot If you'd like my opinions, I'd be happy to give them--but there's no reason you shouldn't feel free to develop their culture as you wish. __________________ Are you a Cardassian fan, citizen? Prove your loyalty--check out my fanfic universe, Star Trek: Sigils and Unions. Or keep the faith on my AU Cardassia, Sigils and Unions: Catacombs of Oralius!

March 30 2009, 05:40 AM	#8
Nerys Ghemor Vice Admiral Location: Cardăsa Terăm--Nerys Ghemor	Re: Cardassian regional clothing--the ruviyal of Nevot Man, the scanner is really frakking with the colors...I may end up when this is done trying to take a photo of it and seeing if it comes out any better. Just trust me that it looks a LOT better in real life than it looks here. But...here's a sampling of the coloring work so far. __________________ Are you a Cardassian fan, citizen? Prove your loyalty--check out my fanfic universe, Star Trek: Sigils and Unions. Or keep the faith on my AU Cardassia, Sigils and Unions: Catacombs of Oralius!

March 30 2009, 07:12 AM	#9
BolianAuthor Writer, Battlestar Urantia Location: Torrance, California	Re: Cardassian regional clothing--the ruviyal of Nevot I love the colors so far. Please continue! I am amazed I'm the only one who has bothered to post about this... doesn't anyone else appreciate stuff being done with the Cardassians? This is cool! C'mon, guys!

March 30 2009, 06:56 PM	#11
Nerys Ghemor Vice Admiral Location: Cardăsa Terăm--Nerys Ghemor	Re: Cardassian regional clothing--the ruviyal of Nevot Thanks for looking, guys...glad you like! __________________ Are you a Cardassian fan, citizen? Prove your loyalty--check out my fanfic universe, Star Trek: Sigils and Unions. Or keep the faith on my AU Cardassia, Sigils and Unions: Catacombs of Oralius!

March 31 2009, 06:25 PM	#12
Nerys Ghemor Vice Admiral Location: Cardăsa Terăm--Nerys Ghemor	Re: Cardassian regional clothing--the ruviyal of Nevot All right...new WIP! I know this doesn't look like much progress, but you wouldn't believe how long it takes to do all the layering and blending required... I'm going to save the hair and face for absolute last, because I have no doubt they'll be the most difficult areas. __________________ Are you a Cardassian fan, citizen? Prove your loyalty--check out my fanfic universe, Star Trek: Sigils and Unions. Or keep the faith on my AU Cardassia, Sigils and Unions: Catacombs of Oralius!

March 31 2009, 06:32 PM	#13
Thor Damar Rear Admiral Location: Thor Damar, God of thunder and monologue..	Re: Cardassian regional clothing--the ruviyal of Nevot I'm liking the interplay between the black and the purple, it really makes it stand out. It's also good to see the proper Cardassian Gray predominant in this design. __________________ Current avatar brilliantly drawn by Gul Re'jel

April 1 2009, 06:58 AM	#15
Nerys Ghemor Vice Admiral Location: Cardăsa Terăm--Nerys Ghemor	Re: Cardassian regional clothing--the ruviyal of Nevot OK...new WIP. The main part of the robe is now complete, plus a little sample of how the sleeves are going to look. There will only be two more WIPs from this point forward: the complete robe, and then the face/hair (which will be last). Enjoy! __________________ Are you a Cardassian fan, citizen? Prove your loyalty--check out my fanfic universe, Star Trek: Sigils and Unions. Or keep the faith on my AU Cardassia, Sigils and Unions: Catacombs of Oralius!