The Islands of Kurtau

[tyrandan2]

Hello all. I've been working on another map, http://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?19529-The-Subcontinent-of-Takunda-WIP (specifically Engarnia), and I ran across a few bits of difficulty. I'm not very happy with some of the landmarks and mountains. I'm too much of an obsessive perfectionist, you might say.

Well, I decided to try some hand-drawn features. And instead of spending time on my brainchild, I came up with another place to test these methods on: The Islands of Kurtau, miles and miles away from Engarnia

Alright, so. I need an island first. Nothing can 100% replicate nature's ability to create coastlines, etc. Kurtau is supposed to be an island several hundred miles long. So, first thing to do? Google Maps and Earth an island that's only several hundred feet long, of course.

I fell in love with the Island of Ramsey (United Kingdom) the moment I saw it. It is a bit big for my process, about 1.7 miles at the longest point, but I decided it will do very nicely. So: Grab a Maps screenshot or two of it first:



And now I can get to work! I've already done a little bit of work on it, but I'll separate the posts for the sake of organization. I am a perfectionist, after all.