Andurien WiP

[Freodin]

My first (real) post...

The origin of this map is almost lost in time. I started to make up the history that would include the Duchy and Empire of Anduria in 1985 and drew the first map with pencil and ballpen. Mid-Nineties I hand-transferred some base maps on my Amiga 4000 and added more regioal and historical maps. Some of them I was able to rescue to my PC, a 486, and there they got lost when this system broke down. After having discovered this forum, I tried everything to recover these maps, but only now did I meet success.

Now all that is left is to start again, with the newfound wisdom of this site... and to manage attachments.

The smaller, more colourful pic is one of my original maps, the other the current state of my reborn version.

I attempt to recreate the style of an historical political map - something like the Atlas Major - but I haven't found any tutorials detailing the handing of borders. Are there any?

[Freodin]

I am not an artist - I am more of a technician.

And so I am trying to find techniques - both in drawing as in the features GIMP offers - that get me the results I like. As yet, success is varied.

I'm still going for the copperplate engraving / print style. My current problem: how do I manage fine, sharp lines... without them becoming to crisp.

TestMap.jpg

[Ascension]

I don't know if Gimp has it but some other programs have a brush and a pencil tool. Brush makes somewhat blurry lines, depending on the tip shape, but the pencil produces a very crisp line. Get all of your lines drawn the go back and give them a very slight blur like .2 or .3. You may have to do the blur twice to get a result where it's just barely blurry but not too blurry.

[Freodin]

Done some more tweaking. Tried some hills, settlements and labels and played with a few ageing effects. Trees will be next... (shudder).
TestMap2.jpg

[Schwarzkreuz]

Oh, very nice, I love those riverforms, What Font is this? I like it very much. My own Maps also base on the Atlas Maior.

[Freodin]

The font is called IM FELL English, by Igino Marini. You can find it on fontsquirrel by looking for that name.

[Schwarzkreuz]

Hey thanks, i found alot of nice fonts there!

[Flayra]

I really like the city icons you used - is that something you just made up or do you have a set of different icons? Any chance you might want to release a set of them?

[Freodin]

As yet, everything on this map is hand-drawn (well, at least the icons.) The style for the settlements is copied from the maps of 16th century engraver Abraham Ortelius.

I have changed the style for the mountains again, to something a little more plain. I guess I will call this final.

I also added some trees, in on clear and one fuzzy version. Here I am not quite decided yet... I tend to the fuzzies.

TestMap3.jpg

[Coyotemax]

how did i miss this????

I love the style, it's what I've been trying to emulate for quite some time now

You might also be interested in checking some of the maps by Joann Bleau - **VERY** similar style, I'm pretty sure they were contemporaries. (my brain is out to lunch right now or I'd google-fu my theory)