Added some forest texture, some grassland/scrub texture, and a few experimental rivers. Would love to here if anyone has any strong reactions to these experiments.
Hello again,
Here are some images of a work in progress project. Created primarily in photoshop, attached are two images. One is a "planning document" used to figure out the approximate locations for oceans rivers, mountains etc. Since I was introduced to d&d and rpgs ways back in 1978 (yes, that's a long long time ago) I still like to use the old hex-paper method. The second image is an "atlas/satellite" style map that was built upon some of the great tutorials found on these forums. (many thanks to ascension and tear as well as many other contributors to the "how-to" section).
I will be working on rivers and forests next and will try and attach updated images as i progress through this project.
hope you enjoy, best -- muddle
Last edited by muddle; 02-21-2010 at 11:28 AM. Reason: typo
Added some forest texture, some grassland/scrub texture, and a few experimental rivers. Would love to here if anyone has any strong reactions to these experiments.
I wouldn't so much say strong reactions, I kind of like the direction you're heading though
I might suggest toning the bevel on the shoreline a bit, it looks like you're using solid black and white for the highlight/shadows, perhaps shading a bit closer to the land colours (light brown/dark brown for example). As it is the shorelines look very cliff-like at all points (to me).
the rivers look fine, i don't see any issues there.
I like the forests, and the hills are very hill-like, I especially love the effect on the southeastern island
Not so sure about the mountains, they seem to be very close to the hills at this point in effect. They look great in the thumbnail, but closer up they don't seem as defined.
Good start though! looking forward to seeing the next version
My finished maps
"...sometimes the most efficient way to make something look drawn by hand is to simply draw it by hand..."
There's only two things that I see; I'd dump the bevel completely (they always look fake), and the dunes in the desert seem pretty tall when compared to the mountains (I'd make them more subtle and lower). To get more height out of the mountains you might try doubling up on them. That will change the colors a bit so you'll have to tweak the top layer. But all in all they don't bother me all that much. Looks pretty good all around, nice job so far.
If the radiance of a thousand suns was to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One...I am become Death, the Shatterer of worlds.
-J. Robert Oppenheimer (father of the atom bomb) alluding to The Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 11, Verse 32)
My Maps ~ My Brushes ~ My Tutorials ~ My Challenge Maps
It's looking really great so far, you've done excellent work with your mountains and forests so far I agree with Coyote about the bevels on your coastlines, and I think it would also probably look nice if your forests crept up the sides of your mountains a little bit. Right now it kind of looks like they stop as soon as the mountains start, and those poor mountains look kind of barren as a result.
Keep it up
It's a great start, I really like the forests. Though I think the mountains are a little 'soft' (unless they are supposed to represent ancient, well-eroded ranges).
The coastline bevel doesn't bother me that much, I think it gives the land masses a bit of 'pop' - though generally I do without them on my maps.
My Finished Maps | My Challenge Maps | Still poking around occasionally...
Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
Another update... more work on forests, Some "sharpening" of mountains, modifications to coastline bevel... and much much fussing with rivers... probably restarted the rivers layer a dozen times, and I am still not completely happy with them... comments are certainly welcome.
A marked improvement over the last version, I think your rivers look fine (if a bit lightly colored).
Something about the mountains still seems off to me, not quite sure what it is.
My Finished Maps | My Challenge Maps | Still poking around occasionally...
Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
most of the mountains are still unfinished, several of the ranges in the northern section are further along then those in the south...
That looks pretty sweet! Do you plan to add population centers? It looks like a rocking Traveller map for a random planet.