Madbird: Yeah I'm working on the ice area now. Giving me fits tho but I'm sure something will click. As for the trees yes they are a pattern based on a brush I found through this site. Wish I could recall which brush but after downloading so many they are all a blur now.

Hai-Etlik: Everything you said makes complete sense. The map definitely has that photoshopped feel. However, there is a piece of me that kind of likes it. I suppose its a case of beauty in the eye of the beholder. I plan on finishing the map in that same over processed style and then converting it over to something more traditional. Part of that is because I'm still learning so figure I will take some baby steps and will be happy to get a map out the door for now. I do appreciate your critiques and agree 100% with everything you said. In fact it will be my goal for my second map to deliver something that feels more authentic to the time its from. Also thanks so much for the read on labeling as I can see now how badly I have been doing it. Its a long read but an excellent one.

Valhall: I'm honestly new to map making and everything I have learned so far has been through reading this site, and trial and error. All I can say is just keep at it and be patient with yourself as it is time consuming, but if you enjoy doing it, it is also very rewarding. I myself use Photoshop and have never used CC3. From the looks of things the majority of folks seem to use either Photoshop or Gimp which is free to download.