I need opinions!

[link6033]

I first have to say scanning some thing far bigger than the scanner can scan in one shot so you have to scan sections then piece them together (as a newbie) is a pain in the %^&. It didnt scan that well either. This post is for opinions on two things. 1 Does the pencil by the water on the east side of the map look better or does the pen on the north side look better? 2 Does the water on the east side (that is used with a smudge stick) look better or does the water on the north side (without the smudging) look better. First image is the hand drawn map the second image was made through the "not so random coastlines" tutorial used as a reference to help me make my coast lines look nicer. Again sorry for the poor scan and thanks for every ones time.

[Ascension]

For purely technical reasons the pen is better as it scans better, clearer. For artistic purposes the pencil is mightier than the pen...to borrow a phrase. It depends on what you're shooting for, though...if you're wanting to keep the hand-drawn look then go pencil, if you're looking to do a lot of post work on the computer then use the pen. In terms of aesthetics, the water on the north seems to blend better while that on the east seems to be more like rings. Try using some colored chalk then rub it/blend it with your fingers for a smoother transition or get some really soft lead colored pencils. I haven't used smudge sticks so maybe they can be blended in a similar way.

[NeonKnight]

I'll echo Ascension here. Had a lot of experience with scanning images in, and pen definitely works WAY better then pencil. Also, never played with smudgeing too much beyond simple pencil smudging.

[RobA]

I first have to say scanning some thing far bigger than the scanner can scan in one shot so you have to scan sections then piece them together (as a newbie) is a pain in the %^&.

I use Hugin for stitching. It works fine for scanned images......Here is the tutorial.

-Rob A>

[Sigurd]

Wow, 3 responses and 17 total awards!

I'll just agree to lower the average award quotient .


Sigurd

[Karro]

I first have to say scanning some thing far bigger than the scanner can scan in one shot so you have to scan sections then piece them together (as a newbie) is a pain in the %^&. It didnt scan that well either. This post is for opinions on two things. 1 Does the pencil by the water on the east side of the map look better or does the pen on the north side look better? 2 Does the water on the east side (that is used with a smudge stick) look better or does the water on the north side (without the smudging) look better. First image is the hand drawn map the second image was made through the "not so random coastlines" tutorial used as a reference to help me make my coast lines look nicer. Again sorry for the poor scan and thanks for every ones time.

I said Pen (same reasons as above), but I really thought the eastern seas with the smudge looked very superior - to me the colors flowed better and were less colored-pencilly-looking.

I use Hugin for stitching. It works fine for scanned images......Here is the tutorial.

-Rob A>

Awesome link, RobA. I'd never heard of Hugin previously... looks very cool!

[link6033]

Thanks Rob for the link. That tutorial looks like a good way of piecing them together. It took time but putting them together in gimp wasnt the hard part is was getting a ok scan. If you see my pics some of them have this bad shadow effect in some areas. The paper doesnt sit flush with the scanning bed (being that its way over the size of the scanner) thus making shadows?? This is some thing I would like to fix if any thing so I could give a try at a contest here.

[RobA]

Thanks Rob for the link. That tutorial looks like a good way of piecing them together. It took time but putting them together in gimp wasnt the hard part is was getting a ok scan. If you see my pics some of them have this bad shadow effect in some areas. The paper doesnt sit flush with the scanning bed (being that its way over the size of the scanner) thus making shadows?? This is some thing I would like to fix if any thing so I could give a try at a contest here.

I had that problem too, and my scanner was an old parallel port dog, so I built a PVC copy stand following this set of instructions.

It has come in very handy, as I just use my camera now, and hugin corrects the barrel distortion. (It is also great for macro photography or photos for items to sell on e-bay... like coins.)

-Rob A>

[Korash]

Wow, 3 responses and 17 total awards!

I'll just agree to lower the average award quotient .


Sigurd

yes 3 responses and 17 awards,

But also over 6 THOUSAND posts

[Steel General]

I'd go with the Pen and slightly smudged water.

As for scanners - don't own one (yet) - maybe if I ever get caught up on my bills