Texture question - difference of rawhide vs leather

[Soil]

For the aesthetical aspect, though, I would recommend you go for a more varied surface because it's a lot easier to get your texture to look natural that way.

[Sahran]

How would this be as a rough take on rawhide? I was lazy and just recolored it, because in order to 'redo' the leather I would have to repeat a lot of processes (I had to flatten it here). There's still a bit more roughness than there should be, but I will work from the grounds up in later examples.

Do you think it looks more like rawhide? I need to either remove the lacing bits (they appear to have been hung on the insides judging from a modern recreation) or recolor that, so focus on the torso and shoulderpad. I should also probably redo the normal to get it smoother, but I am a bit lazy.

I have to admit I have an appreciation for the more reddish leathery look that I posted earlier, but I want to try and be accurate and authentic as possible. If I can verify that rawhide leather (scale more than likely, but I can then presume that they would have used it for other leather armor) had lacquering, would the previous examples be viable? Given it looks much like the lacquered leather samurai posted?

[Merlkir]

To be honest, rawhide is more like the light parts of the shield. Less saturated and lighter than what you have. And no need to start over, really.

(depends if you wnat it to be normal rawhide, or some kind of waxed, or laquered)

[Sahran]

Funny that it'd be the light part of the shield - I figured that was one of my sloppiest works (It's nothing more than a hair/fur overlay adjusted to be pale, with another overlay to dirtify and such it). I assume you mean the color more than the pattern atop the white parts of the shield?

I'll see about lightening it further, but I have to admit there's a sense of weirdness about having such light colored leather. Most stretched rawhide I've seen is that near bone white shade, but applying it in the context of a cuirass feels very weird. Then again, a "Linothorax" (actually leather spolas) was probably just that, rawhide leather. Which would explain the pale color, I guess!

I'll have to read over leather in antiquity further. Checked the dissertation I was reading and the author said for some source (I assume Nuzi) the rawhide scales all were painted or lacquered on the outward side. I cannot imagine that anything but the poorest of folk or 'barbarians' wouldn't have applied wax, paint, or lacquer. In fact that makes me wonder about applying some unique painting to the leather, too. I assume if it were lacquered I'd be able to justify the darker brown or red brown color - Samurai's picture being an example of lacquered rawhide (and most of the modern rawhide scale or lamellar pieces I'm seeing are that brownish or red shade, and I am assuming that many of them are using actual rawhide).

To Summarize for clarification, Merlkir:

1) If I want it to be pure, untouched rawhide, it needs to be like the light parts of the shield.

2) If I want it to be lacquered rawhide, it could easily be what I have right there, or even what I had earlier with it being reddish-brown?

3) Would lacquered leather be able to be shaped into two broad bow shaped plates (think a lorcia segmenta, except joined at either side rather than front and back)? In other words, lacquered leather could be shaped into segments like in the picture.

And in your experience did anyone use untouched, not lacquered or painted rawhide for armor? Or for shields?

[Merlkir]

To Summarize for clarification, Merlkir:

1) If I want it to be pure, untouched rawhide, it needs to be like the light parts of the shield. More of less, yes.

2) If I want it to be lacquered rawhide, it could easily be what I have right there, or even what I had earlier with it being reddish-brown? Yes. If that Japanese armour is really laquered rawhide, then yes.

3) Would lacquered leather be able to be shaped into two broad bow shaped plates (think a lorcia segmenta, except joined at either side rather than front and back)? In other words, lacquered leather could be shaped into segments like in the picture.  I think so.

And in your experience did anyone use untouched, not lacquered or painted rawhide for armor? Or for shields? For shields yes. Reenactors do it and it seems to be working. For armour I can't say I know of any evidence of that.

[Sahran]

Appreciate it, mate! And if it's not quite accurate then toobad, SITD is already mythological so I'll just fall on that excuse. 

Regarding shields, goes without saying the rawhide can and often/usually was painted or dyed or lacquered, since most of the time barring the 'stretch animal hide with fur on it' I usually see hide-covered shields being more than bone colored.