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Thread: My First Map

  1. #1
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    Wip My First Map

    I made this to go along with a novel that I wrote this past November for NaNo. The place names were drawn from mythology.

    Since this is the first time I've done a map completely from scratch, I'd really appreciate any tips. I've been working on it with GIMP but it was hand-drawn to begin with
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  2. #2
    Community Leader Facebook Connected Ascension's Avatar
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    Do you have a scanner to show us the hand-drawn one? I'm just curious.
    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

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ascension View Post
    Do you have a scanner to show us the hand-drawn one? I'm just curious.
    I'd have to either fiddle with the settings on my scanner or ink over all the little mountains I made but I'll give it a shot.

    Edit: There you go.
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    Last edited by hlmtwin; 05-26-2009 at 09:14 PM.

  4. #4
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    I figured since I'd also made a color version of the map, I'd post that too. Really, any tips would be greatly appreciated.
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  5. #5
    Guild Journeyer Feralspirit's Avatar
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    I could be wrong, but I believe Ascension asked to see your original hand-drawn because of the repetitiveness of your brush icons. I must admit that the color one caught my attention more than the B&W, but upon clicking on the thumbnail I think the icons are killing you. Take a look at Zion Zophin's evolution here, note how much more attractive his mountain ranges become as he varies his icons. Hope that helps.
    Doubt is an unpleasant condition, but certainty is absurd. -Voltaire

  6. #6
    Community Leader Facebook Connected Ascension's Avatar
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    Indeed, it was the repetition...Feral knows me well. So here's what I'd suggest, it's quick and not too cumbersome...change the size of the brush so that some things are bigger, some smaller, etc. Sure it'll still be somewhat repetitive but at least the size will alleviate a bit of that. Put the bigger mtns in the middle of the chain and the smaller ones at the edges...same for the hills. You could do this with the fields as well but for those I'd also suggest rotating some of them a little bit. We'll take you through this one thing at a time so as not to overload ya as this is probably the very first time you've attempted it. If you feel ready, read through the tutorials section and try some of those out as well as look through the mapping elements section (there are patterns and other brushes there for you to play with). The more variation you can put into those things like mtns, trees, hills, etc the better the map will look.
    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

  7. #7
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    Thanks for the tip about varying the brush size and how to do it. I'll try that out.
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    Last edited by hlmtwin; 05-30-2009 at 02:20 PM.

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