My Turn to Say Hello

[ravells]

Hi Josh! Glad to see that you're doing a graphic design course...if I had my time over again, I wish I had done the same (sigh).

Photoshop and Illustrator are both great tools for making maps. Keith Curtis, one of the industry pros on the board uses that combo (with the emphasis on Illustrator) and his work is jaw-droppingly beautiful.

On with the crits! If you're after a stylised feel, then the map is a great start, but if you're after realism, then perhaps there's more work to do.

Try this (for realism).

Find some territory on Google Earth and use it as a reference. Observing the reference will really pay dividends even if you decide to go your own way and add your own particular style to the final product.

Also have a look at the 'Shaded Relief' website (google it), it will help you attain the sort of style you are looking for. The trick (I think, but I tend to prefer more arty and less realistic styles) is to see what to keep and what to leave out of the reference.

Welcome to the boards!

[Joshua_101]

Thanks folks, you're input so far is great...

I just discovered relief shading yesterday actually but haven't had a chance to experiment with it yet. The style I'm aiming for is "stylized realism"... something that doesn't look too cartoony but not like a real world map either.

[pyrandon]

The style I'm aiming for is "stylized realism"... something that doesn't look too cartoony but not like a real world map either.

You have a soul mate in me, my friend! I hope you figure that out real soon so I can rob you blind of it!