Greetings cartographers! I'm running a homebrew D&D campaign that takes place entirely on an undiscovered island chain. I started making a map for this, and have learned quickly that I don't have the skill-set for this. Since the major themes for this campaign are exploration and discovery, I feel the map will be an important part of the story; as much as any character. I intend to reveal the map in pieces to the players as they head out into the unknown, so I very much want a quality map to show them.
I am relatively new to cartographers' guild and this is my first commission, so please feel free to point out any missing info or unrealistic requests.
All of the below sections (except the Subject) are negotiable.
Subject
-I will provide a rough map outline I have started to any serious bidders, as well as some brief notes I have describing locations of interest and each island's layout (two or three topography notes per island as a guide, but the details are open to artistic interpretation)
Style
-I am looking for a colored map with some contrast between desert areas, jungle, volcanic islands, etc.
Here are a few maps that I like the style of, though I am open to other options:
First
Second
Third
Fourth
Quality & Size
-To be distributed digitally
-The size of the map should be roughly 3000 x 3000 pixels and is about 20 miles per inch.
-I would like separate maps of the 4 largest islands that are essentially cutouts of the large map with a few extra details, so not entirely new maps, just smaller standalone maps. (If this effects the time/cost calculation significantly, I can probably do this part on my own).
Time Constraints
-No major time constraints, I would prefer to have the finished product within a month of acceptance of the commission.
-I would like to see 4 phases:
-Rough sketch or outline of the map including color pallet/fonts the artist intends to use. Perhaps including a single smaller island more or less completed as an example
-50% completion for review
-90% completion for review and finishing touches
-Final product delivery
If (and only if) the artist requests it, I am happy to add more phases or points of approval along the way. While I personally would love to see each step in the process and discuss every detail, I will respect the artists time on this project.
Copyright
-The artist will maintain copyright, I only ask for reproduction rights for use in my homebrew campaign.
Payment
-$50 upfront upon acceptance of the commission
-$250 paid upon completion, satisfactory to both parties
-Paid via PayPal
Please PM with questions or, if you are interested, a link to your previous work samples. Please know that I fully intend to be open and available to the artist throughout the process. This will be a low-stress process. Thank you for considering my request!