Makkathran

[Sapiento]

Given your rep (and professional artist status) I am going to be harsher than I normally would, so let me preface my criticisms with an acknowledgment that it is a really good map that I think has the potential to be a great work of art.

The hatching (diagonal across the buildings and horizontal on the main roads) just doesn't do it for me - the background parchment and base line work seem better than that. Unless you have a specific map that you are copying in mind, the Renaissance is more about art than technical drafting. Yes, there should be the technical line work like the building outlines and compass, but that should be only the starting point. Specifically, I suggest something closer to a watercolor embellishment of the buildings than a simple hatch. Perhaps a transparent Grey (or color tinted layer) as a solid hatch over the buildings - with some sort of cloud texture to create the lighter and darker patches common in watercolor.

Since the side streets are defined by their light color, the main streets should lose the horizontal hatch completely and just let their slightly darker background define them.

The city wall should be solid black or a near-black dark Grey.

The woods dot texture doesn't work - it looks more early 20th century zip-tone than Renaissance. I suggest some small hand drawn texture or some small gaps in the canopy and a light watercolor-like shading.

Another small nit, but the woods should stop at the inner line of the border, that's what it is there for. Same with the roads and buildings to the top and bottom, and the top and bottom edge of the water/coast hatch.

As far as the water's edge goes, it is absolutely perfect, don't change it one bit (except to stop it at the border).

So that's my 2 cents worth ... you did say that C & C was welcome.

Thank you, any C&C is appreciated.

I guess from your comments that you don't know the novels, which may have influenced your comments.

The 'main roads' are canals and the texture is the same as for the coast. The city wall is not of stone ('crystal wall'!) - if I would change the colour it would be very bright.

Even if the tech of this culture is similar to Renaissance it's not the same. People can 'connect' to animals like eagles and see through their eyes, so they know very well how their city looks like from above. I think this would make an artistic approach to a map unlikely.

As for the border: I will try if it looks better to make the space between the black border lines solid.

You're right about the woods, I was not satisfied with it from the beginning, but at the moment I still haven't found a better way.