June 2014 Entry: The Land of Evening's Shadow

[NedS298]

I've never understood why people keep telling me to desaturate my maps - isn't that rather cross-purposes to the idea of putting color in the map?

No, it isn't. Colour doesn't just mean the brightest, most saturated tone, it means anything in the whole range from black to white all the way to the most vibrant blues, reds and greens. Colour, in this way, can be used to suggest things; if I wanted to make an evil-looking map with an implied cold temperature then I wouldn't use highly saturated blues for ice and snow, I would use colours bordering on grey or white to give a more accurate representation; I also wouldn't use overly saturated colours, as they have the effect of warming the image (or map). If you don't understand, look up Feng Zhu on youtube. He's got some great stuff to say about colours.
As for the map, it's looking pretty good, and the lighting in particular is done well, though the trees are much too dark and I think that those brown hills look a bit odd. I'd say just make them green, unless you prefer them being brown; after all, it's your choice.

[Tomalak]

I also wouldn't use overly saturated colours, as they have the effect of warming the image (or map).

Ah-ha! That's why. Now that you point that out, yeah I can see that. Thank you for mentioning it.

look up Feng Zhu on youtube. He's got some great stuff to say about colours.

I will, thank you.

the trees are much too dark and I think that those brown hills look a bit odd. I'd say just make them green, unless you prefer them being brown; after all, it's your choice.

The hills are odd. I haven't been able to figure out what to do with them, though. I'll try some various greens and see what I can get. As for the trees, I want them to stand out from the other colors, and their rather dense borders do seem to darken them. I'll play with them after the hills.

Thank you for your feedback. it's always easier for me to see the next step through someone else's eyes.