City of Fortune (reality check request)

[Aristotle]

Can you point to samples of the different ones you want to possibly emulate as I am not quite sure what you mean.

Well, I consider everything either 'hand drawn' or 'realistic' so the field is wide open, and asking me to pick one of either from these forums is like asking me to eat just one chip.

Hand Drawn Look. Lots of other great maps, but these really caought my eye. Clercon's etrakien map is another great example.

I think Ascension's maps are great for realism. There was another world map I saw with a very realistic look with tips of continents going white towards the poles. I'm stuck for time right now, but I'll see if I can find it later.

[jfrazierjr]

Well, I consider everything either 'hand drawn' or 'realistic' so the field is wide open, and asking me to pick one of either from these forums is like asking me to eat just one chip.

Hand Drawn Look. Lots of other great maps, but these really caought my eye. Clercon's etrakien map is another great example.

I think Ascension's maps are great for realism. There was another world map I saw with a very realistic look with tips of continents going white towards the poles. I'm stuck for time right now, but I'll see if I can find it later.

Well, from what I have found, contrary to popular belief artistic maps tend to take a fraction of the time to produce a very nice map vs the hand drawn look (that is after you have the basic techniques down, which admittedly can take a lot of practice). For example, you could quickly draw some upside down "V"'s for mountains and it would look like a mountain. But to really sell if you have to spend lots of time with shading and stuff you generally can do much faster with the more "artistic" maps. That is one of the reasons I have mostly spend my time trying to "perfect" my techniques for the artistic style as from RobA's tutorial by taking the basics there and expanding upon them a bit to get something I like more. Also, since I tend to equate hand drawn more to me using my tablet, that style is a bit larger scope just doe to hand strain and such. Heck, I guess for all the time I have spent putzing around with the artistic style map, I could have just broken up the sessions and come up with a really nice hand drawn map... oh well... live and learn...

In any event, unless you are seriously pressed for time to get something done, I would probably start a bit on each approach and let your decision form organically as you create each style. Of course, if you are pressed for time, you just have to pick one and I can't help you there....heh...

Joe

[Aristotle]

Not a final map in any way... just messing with layout with one promising set of shorelines.

Now to hit some other tutorials.

<edit: reduced image size. no need to post a monster file at this stage.>