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Thread: August Entry : The Tin Man's Map...

  1. #1

    Default August Entry : The Tin Man's Map ...

    It looked a bit empty here with contestants, hopefully, all lurking in the wings so I thought I'd throw in my lot again, if only to give you all something to critique while-u-wait, as it were...

    My entry is in two parts, which is probably against the rules - but at least I posted the entry correctly!!!! (I think).

    a) is a battlemap I haven't started yet, which is THE location of the challenge - and it's just going to be somewhere on the roadside where the Tin Man has been waylaid. Our adventurers will come upon the scene, and fight whatever the GM wants to put there, be they the original bandits, looters, beatles-song singing vultures or itinerant luggage labellers. The scene will be empty but for the remains of the Tin Man's caravan(ette). This will be a POVRay thingy again, sorry, however...

    b) is the main lead into where-ever else and it's a route map of the log type - just a linear view of the route from A to B (and hopefully back again). Unfortunately, it's all written in some obscure ideographic language and it's up to the GM to decide if the adventurers can get any of it translated (if at all) and what it says, coz I just scribbled junk on it... Who knows, it might all be a hoax.

    Anyway... the clue is in the Tin Man. Of the equipment and stuff left by the looters a lot of it is made of gold. Everyday things seem to be made of it whilst ornaments and the like are largely made of Tin. In essence the Tin Man was a trader in search of Tin ( a rare and valuable metal where he lives) and was going to trade in gold, which is common as muck... it's Pratchett's Twoflower of sorts, I guess.
    The map tells of many places unknown to most (*think* Silk Road etc) and it maybe that some symbol or occasional translated word might be another clue to some unrelated "treasure" - the thing is largely open ended as to what it can be used for...

    This is the latest version of the map. I wanted to try my hand at "hand drawn" again and I managed to find the Bamboo I bought a while back (not used a tablet for quite a while). Now, this isn't "an excuse" for it being so shoddy (even though it works as one!) but this is a "handout" level map, drawn cheaply by some scribe or other (likely then murdered to keep the secret) and based on the words and description of some traveller or other the Tin Man met (and subsquently buried next to the scribe)... you get the gist. There's no "X marks the spot" but there are lots of ideograms that might!!!
    ### LATEST WIP ###
    Click image for larger version. 

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    I guess to get inside the rules and past the thumbnail scraper I'll have to put the map and the battlemap in the same jpg...

    Critiques akimbo please, if anyone knows a good way to do blood it'd help a lot - the striping effect is *supposed* to simulate the blood having been spilt on it when it was rolled up as a scroll?
    It's all done by hand in Paintshop Pro, no fancy anythings much. I used Fur texture to make a raindrop smudge effect here and there but otherwise...well...
    Last edited by Crayons; 08-21-2010 at 09:13 PM.
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    "I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man"

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  2. #2

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    Nope? Well there isn't much to comment on with a map like that, it's not meant to be good, just there.
    However, the battlemap should at least attempt to be worthy of pulling to bits verbally so here's the first draft... proof of principle sort of thing.
    It's two heightfields and a plane, and one of my trees from before with MORE twigs and no leaves (for now). The hex pattern is something new I'm trying here - now I know about "orthographic" (doh!) I can plunk this sort of thing (with no_shadow) on the scene and tune it to whatever I want. Coo !!
    The "ripples" on the flooded bit are rubbish, I know, and the "mud" want's more from the height field and less from a simple agate normal, that can hide in the detail.
    I'll also probably tweak it out to A4 size so that adding the "handout" above makes a single A3 jpg. I'll add the two together at the end (assuming I get there)...
    ### LATEST WIP ###
    Click image for larger version. 

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    --
    "I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man"

    My Finished Stuff
    ............. Some of my 3D Stuff (POVRay)

  3. #3
    Community Leader Facebook Connected Ascension's Avatar
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    Blood is more to the rusty side instead of red side when on parchment. If it is really old blood then it'll be faded with a darker ring around the edge but not a perfect ring, a random fat part and skinny part ring. If it is fresh blood then it'll be dark and shiny reflecting light or dried blood would be crusty. There won't be any blurring unless someone has brushed their sleeve through it or the map is made from a thick absorbent cloth. I don't if there are any splatter or blood brushes around the internet for PSP but there are thousands for PS.
    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)


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    Professional Artist Facebook Connected Coyotemax's Avatar
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    I like the hand drawn map so far, I look at it and even without the background you've supplied I see a story in it I might be tempted to say the ink blurring isn't really necessary, though if you did some actual water stains and blurred the area within the stain itself it might work. As to the blood, if it were me at this point I'd take an actual piece of paper, water/tea stain it, and then afterwards actually blood stain it while it's rolled up (likely use something from raw hamburger drippings, we have enough hamburgers I could easily do it) and then scan in the results.
    Y'know, I might just do that tonight..

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  5. #5
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    If you don't then just tell me to do it cuz I'll be having hamburgers sometime this week.
    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

  6. #6
    Professional Artist Facebook Connected Coyotemax's Avatar
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    You may have to be the one. I just popped out to the store to pick up some ground beef (the wife decided she wanted meatballs right after I posted that, hah!) and when I got back, turns out there was nothing dripping out of it. The *ONE* time...
    Anyhow, I have some paper soaking right now.. I took 3 sheets, folded twice into a long strip (8.5x11, folded into thirds along the 8.5 width) then I rolled it tightly and tied it with a string, dropped that in. I think I used a cup of water (maybe less) for 1 teabag, and added some week old cold coffee for extra measure We'll see how that turns out at any rate. I may have some alternative blood supply coming up, I have to brush some knots out of my cat's fur...

    My finished maps
    "...sometimes the most efficient way to make something look drawn by hand is to simply draw it by hand..."

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    Community Leader Jaxilon's Avatar
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    LOL, Hey why don't you give that cat a bath while you are at it, that's sure to net you some fluids. Actually, if I had known this was needed I could have set it up today when I cut/smashed my finger by slinging a heavy object and then changing my mind but failing to stop it's decent with one hand...ouch...cut right in the fold of my knuckle too. Surprisingly it's not killing me and I can still move my finger and type, use a mouse and all that. Well see about tomorrow though.

    I wonder what I would get if I tossed some paper into my composter for a while? I could probably get anything you could want sunbaked out here in the desert too.
    “When it’s over and you look in the mirror, did you do the best that you were capable of? If so, the score does not matter. But if you find that you did your best you were capable of, you will find it to your liking.” -John Wooden

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  8. #8
    Professional Artist Facebook Connected Coyotemax's Avatar
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    Ooh! do it!

    My finished maps
    "...sometimes the most efficient way to make something look drawn by hand is to simply draw it by hand..."

  9. #9

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    For some reason, Richard Brautigan's book "In Watermelon Sugar" came to mind reading all this gorey detail ! There was iNBOIL telling everyone what iDEATH is all about all over again.
    The blood needs to be fresh really, the scroll would probably be found on the Tin Man's body, secreted somewhere in his robes - and smearing could be part of it too I guess - from when it is extracted. The basics would be a scroll hidden away and bled on and trickled down inside between the rolls of the scroll. There wouldn't be spattering as such. You're right though, no blurring of the sort I have on it either. Bah! I'll have to check my layers... I don't normally use 'em and now you lot have me tinkering with that too!
    Like some other unfortunates here, I cut myself only last weekend, with an axe no less. Went though the seam of my jeans, the top of my boot and my sock, but luckily only a short way into my foot. Mental notes to self - (a) don't use an axe again, get someone else to do it and (b) keep blood (you never know when...)
    Sadly, when it comes to simulating any of this bloodletting all I have at home is frozen sausages and breaded fish, not too sure how the scanner is going to cope with that.
    --
    "I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man"

    My Finished Stuff
    ............. Some of my 3D Stuff (POVRay)

  10. #10
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    All you guys cuttin yourselves and I'm the one workin with glass every day If I wasn't such a ninny maybe I would....nah.
    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

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