Lamuire

[Llannagh]

Okay, as threatened... um, announced in my other thread, I started a new map with that new brush and slightly tweaked style. It's great fun and I will finish my Gilband map with it, too. In case you wondered.

There're still a couple things to improve, like the mountains for example.

Here's the coastline:

Lamuire-Outline.jpg

And this is a zoomed in section I started working on:

Lamuire-Zoom.jpg

[Lingon]

Still loving this style Your coastline looks great when zoomed out, but it gets very pixelated when you click the picture. I can't really give any good advice on how to make it less pixely, but with your speed of progress you'll probably figure it out in less time than it took me to write this post

[Llannagh]

A Merry Update!

So as explained in my latest thread I worked on this as a local map. The scale has changed somewhat, with 1 cm being around 14 Km.

Did something new-ish here with the mountains, which pleased me (as it always seems to).

Lamuire.jpg

don't know about the custard splashings in the bottom right though.

ABOUT THAT COASTLINE. I know it looks ****. it used to look really really good, before I copied it out of the large image and did a feather on it. Can't undo the feather, though, but I'll fix it. Somehow. Somewhen.

Also thanks Lingon, for your trust in my learning abilites!

[Llannagh]

So I have been absent for a while. Mostly because I wanted to get to know Photoshop better before srumbling around in the twilight of semi-knowledge. My knowledge is still pretty semi, but I learned a few helpful things! I'm also working on my basic artistic abilities, since the last time I really tried painting/drawing was in school. And it's been a while since then. I only have half a clue about perspectives, composition and whatnot. But it's really fun learning all that.

Anyways, with my newfound powers (cough) in Photoshoppery, I worked on this very local map. It's the closest I have yet come to a consistent map. Still lots of stuff to tweak, but here's a look:

Lamuire-geo.jpg

The background will be changed to water, of course. Border, legend and all that will be added at a much later point.

At the moment it looks a bit overloaded to my eyes and not that good at all in full view. But at least I got this far, which gives me something to work on and also some satisfaction!

I did this by working out the basic geography in b/w and adding a coloring layer on top.

As always, any critique and feedback welcome!

[Llannagh]

Boy, I am struggling.

I see so many great examples of styles around here, but I just don't seem to be able to find my own. Sorry for not replying to almost anything I'm reading here, but most of the time I get really inspired and start working on my own stuff again, get aught up in my twisted, fickle mind and become frustrated. Jeeesus.

For what it's worth, here's my latest tryout. It could be progress stylewise, but right now I don't trust myself.

Lamuire-Jan14-2.jpg

Have a good time everyone.

Cheers,
a very frustrated Llannagh

[Diamond]

For what it's worth, I really like what you had done in your second post above - those mountains look pretty great.

Don't let other folks' work frustrate you. There's no point in beating yourself up about your work possibly echoing other people's styles. That's how we learn - by emulation. Just keep grinding away, and eventually you'll come to develop a style and look that you can call your own.

[Llannagh]

Cheers Diamond.

It's not that other people's work frustrates me. It actually inspires me, which is a very good thing. That keeps me going. I just seem to complicate things for myself. I fiddle around with complicated brushes, different layer styles, different ways of drawing mountains and hills and so on. But I'm never satisfied with the outcome.
Well, it's a learning process I'm going through, I guess. Learning to just lay out stuff first and work on the details later, maybe.

Anyway, it's good to get that off my chest. And thanks for the pep-talk!

Btw., the mountains in my post above are quite final, if a bit blurry. They're not in this latest version of the map because I decided that there are no mountains on that island, since it's relatively small, with a cm equalling 10 km.

[Jalyha]

Hi Llannagh.

I just wanted to say, I know how you feel, sort of.

I look at all the amazing work here, and I think "I want to do THIS, like THAT!" and so I keep starting new pictures, hoping they will be maps, and then either *rigidly* sticking to the two things I know how to do... which doesn't make for good results, digitally, or trying out every new thing I see here on my latest project... which ends up looking like I've mangled a bunch of stuff together!

And I keep *hoping* to find my own "style" and fiddling with, as you said, different brushes and layers and ways of doing things... and just.. getting no where. Or at least, not where I want to be... and not any time soon

And I'm not doing well at it

Your post struck a chord with me, so I went back and took a look at your first posted WIP/Map.
...

First let me say that you started with more skill/talent/determination than I'll probably have in about 5 years. Second.. you've made VAST improvements in a very short time.

Finally - (although you've been here longer than me) you're still quite new to this. It's normal not to have "found your style" yet, and it's normal to still be experimenting with different features of your .. uh.. "equipment" for lack of a better word, in making these maps.

I don't know what to tell you to do to feel less frustrated... cause I can't even handle my own frustration level. I can tell you that from where I'm sitting, you're doing really well, and there's no need to be frustrated.

I've also, JUST NOW, lol, devised a plan. First of all... I don't need to find my style. Just like when I started painting... it will find me, when I've put enough marks on the canvas.

Second.. don't compare the progress of my latest post to the post right before it I'm going to not look back until I'm close to finished, so I can see how far I've come.

Finally... I'm going to stop trying to work on my "masterpiece" until I've learned as much as I can store in my tiny little brain. I'm expecting some AWFUL missteps soon, and lots of them. Right now I've just filled a canvas with a mosaic-filter-thingy from GIMP cause I just found it. My goal? Make that a map of.. something Not a good map. Just a map. Till I learn everything I can about THAT filter and how to use it.

And so on. I had to learn what effects I could create with actual paintbrushes too, yeah?

Anyway... that's my basic game plan. I hope it works, and I hope you find something that works too.



And for what it's worth... I think your maps are lovely.

[Lingon]

You're on to something really special, in my opinion. Even though you're experimenting and trying out lots of different things, I can always tell if it's a Llannagh map.

Maybe, for confidence, it'd be good to stop looking at other maps for a while and make something finished. Doesn't have to be big, just a little island or anything that comes to mind. Something that works for me when I have a creative block is also to stop caring about whether the result will be good or not. Helps me relax.

[Llannagh]

Thanks a lot guys.

I had a pretty short-tempered day yesterday and just wanted to relax with a bit of map making, but even that didn't work. That was the last straw for me last night. Your kind words and advice have really motivated me. I knew this community was awesome, and you proved it all over again!

So I just went with it, easing in to watching my pen creating shapes and shades and this is the outcome for tonight:

Lamuire-Jan14.jpg

This is pretty clos to the style I started developing with my Gilband map, so I know Lingon will be pleased! I'm using a different brush though, which IMO works a lot better.
No mountains for this map, but they'll be back!

Thanks again, I'm really grateful!

Cheers,
Llannagh