Thread: Help needed in making hand-drawn coastline

Originally Posted by Edward Protera

As the title says, I need some help. Coastlines have always been a problem for me. It's exceedingly hard for me to create detailed, natural-looking landmass outlines, mostly because I have no real process for it.

Anyway. Basically, I'd like to know how you do it, in hopes of picking up some techniques. What's your process, from blank page to detailed outline? I don't need anything really in-depth, although I certainly don't mind detail. :3

Personnaly I always hand-draw my coastlines, then scan them, it's a lot easier for me because I haven't got a graphic palette (yet, maybe soon thanks to ebay).

First step is to draw the general shape of the continent in order to see where I'm going. Second I re-draw them, adding the detail. There is one unique technique I use (it's silly but it works): I let my hand shake with tension while drawing. You can see the result in the post I made in the world maps section.

The advantage is that I can immediately see what I get. Plus, I've got access to a big Xerox printer at work so I can scan them at 600 dpi to work them on a big scale (but my pc finds it rather tricky to work ^^)...

Um if you'd like I can give you my ultra super secret technique for making coastlines for computer based maps. Which I don't real do that many of since I no longer have a working computer at home.

It's important to have access to a scanner.

Okay what I want you to do is take a big peice of paper and rip it up randomly into small peices (not squares or strips or anything) now sprinkle those peices onto your scanner bed ontil the form a mass. Scan the thing and using an eraser erase the material in the middle of the mass, leaving you with a continent like object.

now save your coffetti in a box, because you will never make the same thing twice with this technique.

My next little mini tutorial will deal specifically with coastlines, rivers and lakes.... .. wow you timed that almost perfect huh?

It will be up, hopefully shortly ... still working on some stuff... http://www.cartographersguild.com/sh...4117#post34117

Originally Posted by Rovingjack

Um if you'd like I can give you my ultra super secret technique for making coastlines for computer based maps. Which I don't real do that many of since I no longer have a working computer at home.

It's important to have access to a scanner.

Okay what I want you to do is take a big peice of paper and rip it up randomly into small peices (not squares or strips or anything) now sprinkle those peices onto your scanner bed ontil the form a mass. Scan the thing and using an eraser erase the material in the middle of the mass, leaving you with a continent like object.

now save your coffetti in a box, because you will never make the same thing twice with this technique.

Now that is a pretty interesting and refreshingly different technique.

Ok... it's up ... and not a moment too soon, cause that was a chore putting that one up...

Hope it helps
http://www.cartographersguild.com/sh...4117#post34117

Originally Posted by Steel General

Now that is a pretty interesting and refreshingly different technique.

Thanks, it's the scavenger/artist in me that discovered that one. It's one of the things that drove me to try making some of my own maps.