Nice start. First things first, the praise.

* like the river. The banks look really nice
* LOVE the fields. Is that all hand drawn, and if so, can you put up some instructions?
* The elevation shading is nice, perhaps a bit subdued, but still gives as sense of rising land.
* I really also like the color transition from the sea to the land. Nicely blended.


Now, things I think you could improve on:

* The forests don't fit with the rest of map, especially at this scale. Try to find some individual trees, similar to what Torq did with his map for last months challenge.
* floaty structures (forests, buildings, and docks)
* perhaps some texture on the water? This is not huge thing, but might make it pop just a bit more. I am kind of mixed on this idea though as it is nice as is.

Joe