City of Gullside

[AidyBaby]

Thanks! I'm glad you like it, I wasn't sure whether it would come out OK when I aimlessly started out...

You're definitely right about the grass texture. I've updated the map to take on your comments - hopefully you'll be able to see a less 'zoomed' texture (and therefore less pixely). I've attached two new versions, one with the poster edges filter run on all except the grass and the other without the poster edges filter run at all.

Personally I like the poster edges filter, I think it gives the map a more hand drawn feel rather than the crispness of a photoshop creation. Don't know how you feel about it.

With regards to drawing the buildings, it wasn't that painstaking - I simply drew a building pattern, dropped it onto the map and masked out the buildings I didn't want. Much quicker and that's why it's slightly repetitious...

The trees are hand drawn with a stipple brush and the water makes use of the glass / ocean filter.

[AidyBaby]

Here's the building pattern I made and used (all welcome to steal if it floats your boat!)...

[RPMiller]

I just want to say... Wow! I want to know everything you did to create this map start to finish.

[AidyBaby]

Hmmm, I'd post the .psd except it's 51MB. What I can do though is attach an extract of the file, cropped down. It'll give you an idea of how it is put together that may help, assuming you've got photoshop of course.

I think a future tutorial is in order.

[pyrandon]

I agree with RP: this is an excellent map. Wonderful in most every way.

I also agree with you that the filtered map is much better. Not only does it have a "hand drawn" feel, but it is so rich and organic, plus it equalizes the separate features into accord.

Nicely done!!

[RobA]

Very nice!

Did you get some inspiration from Don's tutorial, or are these new techniques? (Just asking, cause they seem to have a similar "feel".)

Also- how did you get the buildings coloured differently (but completely)?

-Rob A>

[Torq]

I love the map, the colours the style and the feel. Its great. The "poster edges filter" seems to create a very similar effect to Gimp's cartoon filter. My personal view is that using a filter like that tends to detract from the uniqueness of the map, because its very recognisable. I atually like the map without the filter, although the features do look slightly less equalised. I would suggest trying the filter with less black and slightly less intensity. This may merge the features and yet still be subtle enough so that the filter isn't quite as obvious.

Great work.

Torq

[AidyBaby]

Did you get some inspiration from Don's tutorial, or are these new techniques? (Just asking, cause they seem to have a similar "feel".)

Also- how did you get the buildings coloured differently (but completely)?

I did have a look at Don's tutorial (fantastic, btw) cos I wanted to do a city map for my campaign. I couldn't get the buildings to work as I wanted them though, so the map really started out as an exercise on how to do buildings. That's why I made the buildings pattern. The rest I made up from scratch except the dirt texture - can't remember where this came from, probably RPtools Dorpond or another.

The water effect is shown here in the RPtools forum:http://forums.rptools.net/viewtopic.php?t=2103

I think the poster edges filter (the idea of which did come from Don's tut) is a love it/hate type of thing. Personally I like it, but I can see why others might not.

Edit - forgot to mention that the different building colours are simply several hue/saturation adjustment layers arranged in a clipping group with the building pattern and then manually painted to colour random buildings.