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Thread: Kingdom of Varachan

  1. #1
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    Map Kingdom of Varachan

    So, ladies and gentlemen here is my first contribution to this forum.

    Setting Information:
    -------------------
    The Kingdom of Varachan is a cursed wasteland with black soil and dead trees. It is believed that in ancient times, three drops of blood fell from the sky. These belonged to Kaball, the God of Death. One of the drops fell here in the land of Varachan. And since one can find only death, pain and suffering here.
    There are a lot of tall, steep mountain ranges as a result of high volcanic activity. Most of them have a dark black color because they were formed from magma.
    There is little to none vegetation, as the soil is a mix of mud and ash, where nothing can grow...except from the Ashen Forest. The forest takes its name from the gray leaves of the trees. It is a dead forest, alive in a strange, evil way.

    So, why do people live here? Because the mountains are rich in minerals, gems, silver, etc. There are great mines, that reach deep inside the mountains, which produce all kinds of wealth from the bowels of the earth.

    OK! Enough...I just tell you these in order to inform you a little bit about this map, so that you can tell me if it suits the picture I just drew with my words (omg, how poetic...)

    Technical Information:
    ---------------------

    The map was made in Photoshop CS3 in one afternoon. Of course, it's not completely finished, but I am anxious to get feedback. It may seem a little empty, but there are not a lot of thing left to be done. After all it is the map of a wasteland...

    I used these brushes. The background paper was also on the net, but I can't remember where I found it.

    Anyway, if you find this interesting then I can try to make a tutorial. If not, I can try harder and make something better...All constructive criticism is welcome.

    PS: If you want to know more about Varachan, I will be glad to inform you...
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

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  2. #2

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    It's a nice-looking map. I like the color you chose for the water as it relates to the darkened paper edges.

    You have a lighting problem, though. The settlement icons are shaded on the right, but the mountains and hills are shaded on the left.
    Bryan Ray, visual effects artist
    http://www.bryanray.name

  3. #3
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    Oh! You are right about the light...I should correct that. Thanks!

  4. #4
    Community Leader jfrazierjr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Midgardsormr View Post
    It's a nice-looking map. I like the color you chose for the water as it relates to the darkened paper edges.

    You have a lighting problem, though. The settlement icons are shaded on the right, but the mountains and hills are shaded on the left.
    What Midgardsormr said. I LOVE that you actually have trunks for your little tiny trees. It bugs me a bit when people do side view mountains and top down everything else. It's even better when you managed to get some nice ISO city/town icons on there also!

    On a side note, not that it's horribly bad or anything, but it appears you have some repetition to your mountains. If you have the time, you may want to consider hand drawing all the mountains(there is a video tutorial link in the Tutorial section) or if you don't have time for that, quickly replace some of the few that are to close together. The three at the top of the Mountains of Fire range initially were what caught my eye.

    Finally, does the swamp cover the entire north? I assume so by the green tint. If you want to make this stand out a bit more, you might want to try a bit of stippling. You can try this for inspiration http://www.cartographersguild.com/sh...1956#post21956 or not....


    Very good work. And I love the premise.

    Joe
    My Finished Maps
    Works in Progress(or abandoned tests)
    My Tutorials:
    Explanation of Layer Masks in GIMP
    How to create ISO Mountains in GIMP/PS using the Smudge tool
    ----------------------------------------------------------
    Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

  5. #5
    Guild Artisan töff's Avatar
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    Nice style!

    I kinda hate the font though. Really tough to read.

  6. #6
    Guild Journeyer Bohunk's Avatar
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    I like it, clean and simple, except for that font. The font seems a bit fancy for this "handdrawn" map. maybe lose the glow or outline?

  7. #7
    Community Leader jfrazierjr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by töff View Post
    Nice style!

    I kinda hate the font though. Really tough to read.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bohunk View Post
    I like it, clean and simple, except for that font. The font seems a bit fancy for this "handdrawn" map. maybe lose the glow or outline?
    Yea, now that others point it out, it is a bit glaring and hard to read. I did not really pay much attention to that the first look.

    Joe
    My Finished Maps
    Works in Progress(or abandoned tests)
    My Tutorials:
    Explanation of Layer Masks in GIMP
    How to create ISO Mountains in GIMP/PS using the Smudge tool
    ----------------------------------------------------------
    Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

  8. #8
    Community Leader Facebook Connected torstan's Avatar
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    That's really very pretty. Thanks for the link to the brushes as well. That's a great set of images.

  9. #9
    Community Leader NeonKnight's Avatar
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    I must agree with others. The map is beautiful except for the font. It makes the smaller type (like for Towns/Cities) very difficult to read. Example is the Town of Ghild, gild or something like that. Like I said, difficult to read.
    Daniel the Neon Knight: Campaign Cartographer User

    Never use a big word when a diminutive one will suffice!

    Any questions on CC3? Post them with CC3 in the Subject Line!
    MY 'FAMOUS' CC3 MAPS: Thunderspire; Pyramid of Shadows; King of the Trollhaunt Warrens; Demon Queen's Enclave

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by torstan View Post
    That's really very pretty. Thanks for the link to the brushes as well. That's a great set of images.
    I thought I read somewhere that GIMP can use photoshop brushes. Is this true?

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