Wyllahatchia Region Map
This is my first post, and the second map I've done by computer (I've been doing them by hand for years, but they have always been made for functionality, not really aesthetics. I have about thirty different maps of this region, Wyllahatchia). The first I did was a test of Candacis' "Antique Style Maps in GIMP." I relied heavily on his tutorial for this map as well, altering some of his techniques and incorporating some other ideas from various tutorials.
As it stands, this is a work in progress. I intend on coming back and redoing some things (the mountains for instance) and adding other things (cities, latitude and longitude lines, borders, a compass, improved "aged paper" look, page folds, and some other stuff). The main thing I want to improve are the mountains. I just used some grunge brushes and did some rough shading, and when its zoomed out far enough, it looks okay. What I'm going for is something like this for the mountains. I may have to hand draw them and then upload them. I'm still pretty new to GIMP (and similar programs), so if there is a way to make mountains like that without drawing them by hand, then a few tips would be appreciated. In fact, any suggestions or criticisms would be invaluable.
.WyllahatchiaMap.jpg
1. The water lines.. There' s alot. I recommend when you do those smooth em' out. I have no clue how to do that in Gimp but in PS its Select-Modify-smooth (insert amount of numbers) I'm sorry but I get easily frustrated at perfectly straight water lines. I recommend like.. 4-9 that continously go further out and maybe some distortion here and there. And a bit erased here and there also.
But, thats just my one cent! Good job so far.
I'll try to find out how to do it in GIMP. I don't really understand all the features and what they do yet, however.
My intention was actually to make them thinner, like the example map I linked to, and to have some sort of systematized spacing (it's kind of random as I have it), but making the map big enough to do that would have crashed my computer. I think I'll split the map into quarters, resize those, and redo things like text (I can't get names on the rivers in the size I want because of the image size, and the mountain range names are all screwed up. It's related to the italics, I think), the coastal rings, and the rivers.
I did an alpha to selection and used the feather effect, then I turned down the opacity to 15% or so, to make it less glaring. I'll redo it later per your advice, but this version should make the rings less of an eyesore. Thanks for the advice.
.WyllahatchiaMap1.jpg
The second version is much better I think, the 'water lines' no longer dominate and draw your eye.
My Finished Maps | My Challenge Maps | Still poking around occasionally...
Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
I agree, the second map looks much better. I would also suggest applying a slight 5-10% Gaussian blur on the colored borders. No tips on the Mountains just yet. Looks like you are off to a good start though.
Cheers,
-Arsheesh
As to the mountains, you'll have to hand-draw them. Start by drawing a ridge-line for the full mountain chain then add some offshoot ridge-lines but not too many. On a new layer shade the on either side of the line to create the slope. Last, go back and delete the layer with the ridge-line. Now this just applies to the particular old map that you showed. Most folks like to leave the ridge-line in and I believe that there are 2 or 3 tutorials for drawing like this but you'll have to poke around to be sure.
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
I agree with the other folks, coastline rings look much better in the second map. The one thing that's bugging me is that I'm seeing pixelation on your text.
Thanks. I actually tried something like that originally, but it kind of flopped, though I think I've found a better way to do it now using various effects for the shading.Originally Posted by Ascension
As for the other suggestions, I fixed up the names so that they weren't so pixelated, blurred and used the spread effect on nation borders, changed a couple of names (I had forgotten to change "The Land Without Laws" to "Lawless Country," as I had in the lore for this world), added states to the Confederation of Sovereign States, fixed the title to be more in line with real world maps (I'm eventually going to add some flourishes as well, I think), made a border based on Arsheesh's "Map Borders in GIMP" tutorial, added latitude and longitude lines that match up with the actual placement of the world, and did some bleeding ink effects.
After I've fixed the mountains, I'm going to add some cities, make the neatline segments line up with the latitude and longitude lines, as they do in many real maps, and some other miscellaneous changes.
.WyllahatchiaMap2.jpg
It's coming together quite nicely Elpolloloco52!
Cheers,
-Arsheesh
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