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Thread: Hand-drawn style region - mountains?

  1. #1

    Question Hand-drawn style region - mountains?

    I'm trying out a hand-drawn style for some regional maps and it started out well but I've been having a fight with the mountains for the last week. They never seem to look 'right' -- I tried making them smaller, larger, tigher, sparser... considered that perhaps I simply couldn't draw mountains and snagged some brushes from here to try... I'm beating my head against a wall.

    My latest attempt has, I think, some potential, but I'm not sure it will work going on to do the rest of the map -- there's a large 'knot' of mountains (think Alps) in the lower-ish left where the three rivers start, and I suspect what (sort of) works for a spur might not work for a bulk. Could I get some advice before my forehead develops a permanent lump?

    (oh, PS, that river at the center bottom isn't curving around to nowhere, I just cut the region off right at a join, apparently.)

    Click image for larger version. 

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  2. #2
    Guild Novice Guild Supporter n8ey's Avatar
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    I like the look of the mountains - I think you just need to fill in other areas for them to look not-so-weird. If they're on a separate layer, you can always modify them later.

  3. #3

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    Well those definitely are better than my first hand drawn mountains for my first RPG that I tried to throw together. I'm like you, can't seem to get the mountains quite right. Not sure how many times, shades, and techniques I have tried yet but I just can't seem to get it there.

  4. #4
    Guild Adept Facebook Connected aquarits's Avatar
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    I guess i understand what you said.
    I had some problems with it too (and still have but improving) sometimes it not looks like in the right place, or are big/small. For me wut helped was do the topography to set the limits where i can put the Mountains, with the topography it help me to put bigger mountains in the large and higher places getting small mountains where i dont have much space.
    I attached a image to give a example that wut i am saying.
    It helped me with my rivers too.

    BTW you have a lovely shape and rivers
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

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  5. #5

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    I have a few hand-drawn mountain symbols, tucked somewhere in this website - I've looked but couldn't find the two threads (they're really old), but attached is a map I did to emulate Tolkien styled hand-drawn map, I called the Slave Trader's map... (below)

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Now unlike true map symbols, I hand-drew these mountains together on this map, so they're not really symbols per se.

    However, I do have some hand-drawn mountain symbols that I created for my first Challenge win here at the Guild, and that was November 2007 Old West map, called Superstition Valley. I created over 100 mountain, butte, hill, cactus - terrain and symbols for SW desert climate style maps. The intent was seemingly independant symbols that could be placed adjacent to another symbol and seem contiguous as if it were drawn together.

    I have a Zip file containing all those symbols, here... Hand-Drawn Symbols.

    I hope that helps!

    GP
    Gamer Printshop Publishing, Starfinder RPG modules and supplements, Map Products, Map Symbol Sets and Map Making Tutorial Guide
    DrivethruRPG store

    Artstation Gallery - Maps and 3D illustrations

  6. #6

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    I think they're looking good. They do look a lot better than mine, which probably is that you're WAY better at shading. Here's something I did, maybe it helps you with your worries that the style would not hold up to dense mountaineous regions...

    Click image for larger version. 

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    If a man walks through a forest - and no woman is near - is he still wrong?

  7. #7

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    Thank you all for the replies! I have been playing with them more and think I have reached something I will be happy with -- I did shrink them a little after examining some maps (both fictional and real-world) I liked at the same scale. It's a sketchy mess at the moment, as work ate most of my time this week and I haven't gotten back to any hobbies, but I hope to have an update to share sometime this weekend.

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