Well, as the title says, I am quite new to the whole cartography thing and wondering if it is something I'll truly be able to pick up. I've lurked around here for quite some time, but finally decided to take the plunge.

I am a mid-life guy who has been into RPGs since probably before some of the cartographers here were born (/sigh). I do work in the IT field and used to have, very long ago, some artistic background. However, the most artistic endeavors I've done lately are modifications to existing character art using Paint & Paint Shop Pro.

My few meager attempts at mapping haven't left me with a lot of hope that this is a skill I will be able to pick up as a hobby per say. The learning curves seem pretty steep and most of the decent maps seem to be done by people who pretty much do this as an all consuming passion. I wish I had that kind of time to dedicate, but with work, family, etc. I don't find myself with a whole lot of free time.

I have made a few minor attempts at using CC3 and Fractal Terrains but never got very far with it and wasn't truly happy with the results I did create. I am primarily getting into this as a means to create a world map (and hopefully later on detailed regional maps) for the ongoing homebrew world building project I've been working on for quite some time. I would also like to be able to put together some battle maps for when the need arises as well.

So, here I am. I'll be digging through the tutorial section looking for tips on how to start mapping using Gimp, until I can get my hands on PhotoShop. Thanks in advance for the welcome and the wonderful info this site offers.