Very first map attempt!

[Veluux]

@Azelor: You are correct on your guesses. Since the ocean is supposed to be a very dangerous and dark place, I want it to have that strange/eerie feel. The large mideastern lake is not supposed to have that feel - and I plan on masking it off and using a couple different effects to make it feel more friendly, but at the same time still match the other water for the most part. For the parchment paper I used clouds, difference clouds, emboss, hue/sat mask. Im going to apply probably two Levels masks - one with some mask brushwork to give the edges a slightly different feel to the center. Then Ill just tweek the heck out of my two levels settings to get the look I want. I'll post an update when I get that part done.

@Galendae: Awesome! That's exactly what I'm going for. This fictional world is set in the time before the global floods described in Genesis, the epic of Gilgamesh, and other mythical global floods. The Mediterranean is essentially going to serve as the cradle of civilization as a giant fertile valley with lush plains forests and jungle inside it. There will also be a pair of river that flow down through it I have yet to draw in. I've got yo study the topographical of the Med. a bit more to get the placement right. The good thing is that a global flood would drastically change the terrain, so I don't have to kill myself trying to get it perfectly accurate - though that is my goal.

Its alternative I suppose though with the intent of having a mythical history of actual earth - at least from an allegorical standpoint.