Good coastline. Leaves lots of room for useful landmass!
I find the stylish font very hard to read though. Simple and clear is often much better than stylish and dense.
Getting consistent maps on a project has to be a project goal from the outset. You have to be able to redo everything you did to each landmass. Pay attention to what you're doing and record a shopping list of steps you took to get the map mostly done at least on the regional level. In the map above for example try and paint all of the plains before moving on to the cities and detail. Then you can apply that step to your next map and it will seem more like a new but similar plain.
I constantly look for ways to do more with less. Especially before I get to the detail, I try and simplify my process so I can remember it and repeat it more easily. You can always add detail and uniqueness later. Work on structure first. Decide on a light source for a whole project and dont change it. That will confuse\disturb the viewer. By convention light usually comes from the North West and many viewers expect that. You can change any convention you want but take notice of the way that affects your work.
Sometimes you have to half finish a couple of maps to make sure the look is consistent before you can finish any one.
I find generating\drawing as big an area as possible helps a lot. Try to work from large and detailed to small and even more detailed. High pixel counts also help alot - try to work at the limits of your computer.
Then start every new map as a slice of the old one. That helps every thing line up and gives you very useful references for creation.
If your maps are in no way connected that's fine too. Some mappers use a common frame for all their maps - reuse a compass rose and legend style. Take a look at the world building project here on the site. Lots of mappers with different styles each working on their own slice of a shared world.
Hope some of this helps. Happy mapping.
Did you ever check out the photoshop tutorials at http://www.zombienirvana.com/ ? Thats a similar style you might find useful. Also check out the tutorial section here - its really worth a look. I absolutely have no right to call myself a great mapper around here but I'm improving. There are so many great maps being made on this site. Poke around. Join a contest and read some comments.
You can always donate a map to the world project. That's a great way to find appreciation and advice.
If you say what software you use to map with people might give you more useful help.
- Sigurd
I'm sending you some reputation cause I like your forests. They have trunks. Gotta have trunks or they're only bushes. Cant make ships from bushes! Whats the point in that?
Reply With Quote