The Greater Therbani River Valley

Hi all!

Long-time lurker and tutorial peruser . . . This is my first map!

This map was first drawn up by hand and then brought the rest of the way in GiMP. I was hoping to convey the sense that it was hand-drawn on parchment by some person living in the area.

The mountains are mostly hand-drawn in. I added a bump-map and gradient overlay, intended to make the map look weathered, and constantly folded and re-folded. Originally the water was the same color as the land, but I added in a fill with an additional bump map - it's supposed to look like the drawer inked it in with long straight horizontal strokes.

Seeking constructive criticism or tips for future mapping.

Nice map :) I like the contrast of the water & continent. What's the name of the font you have used in the ocean area for example? If you want some criticism, then I'd say that your mountain areas are almost the same wideness on every spot.. might want to look in to that on your next map.

I think you succeeded, predominantly, on the water effect. It looks like what happens when you draw in a block of black color using a sharpie.

Constructive crit: the edges of the map are a little... not quite what I think you're going for. Not being an expert on producing this style, however, I'm not sure how to fix it.

Thanks so much for the feedback!

Jykke: The font I used for the large labels was Scriptina -- I got it from 1001fonts.com, I think. I'm really glad you pointed out the mountain issue --- I had actually never thought about that before! I'll have to work on that for my next map.

Karro: It's true, I'm not completely satisfied with the edges. I once made a map on real paper and burnt/extinguished the edges. I was hoping for the same look here, but it didn't completely work out. I tried lay a darker color around the edges to give that impression, but any pointers on shape/coloration for this kind of effect would be much appreciated.

Retrospectively, I wish I had done this in a WIP thread, but unfortunately, I can't mess with this one anymore, since the campaign starts tomorrow and my players already have the map!!

I'll be sure to do a WIP on my next one!

Thanks again!

Have some rep for posting your first map. It's looking pretty good also and all the rivers are in order.

Some criticism/suggestions:

- The large, handwritten font is beautiful, but it doesn't mix with the other fonts too well I think. You might want to experiment with some other fonts.
- The mountain range is really thin all over the place, you might want to broaden it at some places to give it a more natural feel.
- More a question: I am confused about some of the red lines, why do they run into the ocean?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gandwarf

More a question: I am confused about some of the red lines, why do they run into the ocean?

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Obviously I'm not the mapmaker, but my interpretation is that they mark borders, and where they overlap the ocean they represent territorial waters.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Karro

. . . they mark borders, and where they overlap the ocean they represent territorial waters.

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Indeed they do! I wonder if/how that could be made clearer on a future map. . .

Gandwarf, thanks for the suggestions! I need work on my mountains, but I just found a tutorial on the site here that seems perfect and really helpful! This place is great! I'm practicing my mountains for my next map this morning. Your suggestion about the font is well noted! I should use a more consistent look to my fonts next time.

Thanks for all the help everybody!

Edit by Gandwarf: sorry, I was trying to quote this post and I wrecked it. Seems like I do have powers :(
Edit by Arcana: fixed it for ya ;)

Yeah, I was guessing they were borders. Still, I haven't seen many (fantasy) maps where the borders extend into the sea.

I like a lot about your map. You have skill and I think you'll be quite competent if you continue your studies here. I'm not a fan of that mountain style, but I'm not a fan of any mountain style I've come up with either, so don't feel bad. Mountains are my bete noir. My advise, for what it's worth, is keep working at it, and avoid sticking to a single style.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hnc3313

Karro: It's true, I'm not completely satisfied with the edges. I once made a map on real paper and burnt/extinguished the edges. I was hoping for the same look here, but it didn't completely work out. I tried lay a darker color around the edges to give that impression, but any pointers on shape/coloration for this kind of effect would be much appreciated.

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Here's what I used on my Dannasis map for the burnt edges:

Layer Effects: Inner Shadow

Blend mode = Color Burn
Color = 150E01 (dark brown, almost black)
Distance = 0
Choke = 34%
Size = 54px
Contour = Custom, sloping up to the right. Specific settings in the thumbnail.

(Assuming you use photoshop, if you use something else perhaps someone could help translate this across if needed)

(ack, i just noticed you listed Gimp as your editor.. ermm..)

Of course, you would likely want to tweak these settings around for your own map since your parchment is a different hue, but it should give a decent starting point. It's about as close as I could get to the pieces I burned for examples to test :)

And i like the penciled in lines under the rivers - it does add to the effect of someone local having drawn it up :)