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Thread: atpollard says hello

  1. #1
    Guild Adept atpollard's Avatar
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    Default atpollard says hello

    Hello.

    ... says something about needing 5 posts before I can spam y'all (or something like that).

  2. #2
    Guild Adept atpollard's Avatar
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    Is there much of a Sci-Fi or Modern presence on the board, or is Fantasy the king around here?

    It ultimately matters very little since a map is a map, I was just curious.

  3. #3

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    The lion's share of maps are fantasy, but there's still a good number of sci-fi. Modern is a little less common, but there is a steady trickle.

    Welcome!
    Bryan Ray, visual effects artist
    http://www.bryanray.name

  4. #4

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    atpolllard... Now, that's a name I've not heard in a long time...a long time.

    Welcome atpollard, Citizen of the Imperium! It's as Midgard said. I'm hoping for more SF maps....and in fact I should do one sometime! If you do a search against the name Toff, you will find some of the most stunning SF maps posted on the guild.

  5. #5
    Guild Expert jbgibson's Avatar
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    Welcome, atpollard. Yes, while a map is a map, a different map might be said to be.... different :-). Style matters, at least in our enjoyment of them, and certain time periods or genres do imply certain styles. Though I'm imagining a competition focused on intentionally using the "wrong" cues on a map - "here be dragons" and hand-lettered florid script... on a gas station state map. Laser-etched marble depiction... of a stellar survey. Rand McNally Atlas sheets... of the Realm Of Orkish Mayhem. Thank you for prompting me - that's a fun thought to entertain.

    Fantasy is most usual hereabouts, but that is sometimes expressed as a modern-ish map of an imagined place. The worlds I most often depict are either current-Earth-equivalent, or similar to Earth of the 1940-1950 timespan. Mind you, I then sometimes do historic maps of that world's synthetic history. I haven't gotten into mapping ITS mythology ... yet :-).

    So - what era or style are you drawn :-) to?

  6. #6
    Guild Adept atpollard's Avatar
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    Greetings Ravells, yeah it has been a while.

    Quote Originally Posted by jbgibson View Post
    So - what era or style are you drawn :-) to?
    1880-1920 Arts and Crafts Movement era Romanesque building plans at the moment ...
    ... but I design modern urban commercial centers for a living (worldwide economic meltdown not withstanding).
    Last edited by atpollard; 12-03-2011 at 02:31 PM.

  7. #7
    Guild Expert jbgibson's Avatar
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    oooo, cool stuff. I have a ghost of an idea what romanesque revival / arts & crafts exteriors look like - can you show us some of your interiors?

  8. #8
    Guild Adept atpollard's Avatar
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    I would love to (and as soon as I create one beyond the paper sketch stage, I probably will).


    Can we be real …
    When I started drawing with computers for fun, back in 2006, I loved to draw Traveller starships like this one:

    Click image for larger version. 

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    I eventually fell in with the wrong crowd … talented writers and a pdf publisher. Since a good writer can generate 5000 words on a good day and 20,000+ words in a good week (about 30 pages of text after layout) they would churn out a book of starship designs in a week and request about 25 pages of plans and exterior views as soon as possible. As a 10-20 hour per week hobby, that’s a year and a half of my free time. So I became faster and learned to cut non-essential corners. So here is a more recent project:

    Click image for larger version. 

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    … but I get enough opportunity to cut corners and generate ‘just OK’ graphics at work (Land Planner for Commercial Development), so I came here looking for a muse to help me raise the bar and inspire a goal other than ‘fast’. I have a truly fantastic adventure to illustrate and hope to turn out at least one ‘good’ piece for it.
    Last edited by atpollard; 12-05-2011 at 09:34 AM.

  9. #9
    Guild Adept atpollard's Avatar
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    One area that tends to get underplayed in game designs is the third dimension.
    Beautiful plans let you move figures around, but too often the nuts and bolts of how spaces function or fit together with other spaces get's missed.

    Here is a study for a 2007-8 project so I could be sure that all of the pieces worked in the vertical:

    Click image for larger version. 

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    This is what I want to get back to ... only with more 'period graphics'.
    So far the tutorials have been interesting and the WIP eye-opening ... you have some really slick graphics on this site, and (more important to me) some very innovative people.

    Too bad I just missed the Vehicle contest ... I'd have liked to throw a hat in that ring (with a small boat or exploration blimp). Perhaps a Redux in a future Light Contest.

    I have most of my 2012 first quarter revenue riding on a roadway design before Christmas, (permitting in January and breaking ground by Feb 1) so December is already a busy month for me, but I will definitely be watching for a future contest to take a shot at.
    Last edited by atpollard; 12-05-2011 at 09:33 AM.

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