I really like the hand-drawn version you did there. It has a very Ansalon-like feeling to it. And I love things with an Ansalon-like feeling to them.

As for the GIMP version, my opinions as a very unskilled map enthusiast myself:

1.- Mountains seem too big and undifferentiated. It would be a good idea to make them, say, 1/3 of their current size and either draw them freehand (slower, but potentially much nicer) or make a more varied pallete.

2.- The coastlines are a bit too wobbly. You already have some good geographically reasonable locations for gulfs and bays; I'd straighten up most of the coast and decrease the amount of randomness, to make the land seem more natural. I'd personally re-draw the landmasses freehand on a new layer using the old one as a model (although there are probably more efficient ways to get that done!).

3.- For the sea, considering the style of the map I'd go for a simple colour with some paper textures thrown for good measure, avoiding going into too much underwater detail (which is great, but your map strikes me more artistic than realistic, which is also my favourite style, I have to admit).


However, you have a great starting point there. The world seems nice and with a lot of potential for variation. I personally enjoy maps with lots of islands and inner seas like the one you have.

Keep up the good work!