WIP - map for novel and campaign setting

[Chashio]

You know.... it says something about our modern era that I didn't even think about actual books. And I was alive before the Internet. Just... wow. Any you'd particularly recommend? (I assume you're speaking from experience!)

hahaha... well, the internet is rather big. As for map books, I know two from personal experience. Cartographia: Mapping Civilizations is excellent. The other is The Men Who Mapped the World: The Treasures of Cartography, which also includes some pockets containing larger folded map prints which I've enjoyed immensely for being able to see minute details. There is a small amount of overlap between the two, regarding particular maps shown and facts, but the texts are very different in style and aim and fascinating if you're interested in reading them.

[BlackChakram]

It's taken me forever, but I've finally settled at least on a basic idea for the style I want. I took a little time to whip up a rough idea of one of the mountain ranges. (In the final map, I'll definitely redo this, but for now, it totally works)



I kind of like it with the thicker line. What do people think? Is thinner better for this style?

[RazielKilsenhoek]

Looks very nice to me. The colors are pretty intense but that's fine if that's the style you're going for. The linework looks very good, good job on that! I don't know what it looked/looks like thinner. The only thing I'd suggest is that you use a brush with a softer edge for the coloring itself, so the brown of the mountain kind of fades away instead of having such a sharp edge.

[Pixie]

It's pretty cool. It's a sort of comics-style. Fits your Super Mario avatar just fine

[BlackChakram]

Thanks I'm leaning towards making this look like a parchment or vellum map (possibly faded). Need to mess around with color palettes. I may end up not filling in the mountains either. Although I'm fairly sure I'll at least keep the style, tone, and angle of how I've done the lines. I really want to go for a clean iso with the map elements.

[Diamond]

I like that style! Has the potential to be pretty awesome looking. I agree, the river is... meh. That deep bevel could probably be scaled back a bit, and it could use some more zigs and zags; your mountains are fairly detailed, while the river seems very simplistic in comparison. Also, is there a reason it takes that abrupt western turn when the ocean is right there? Rivers generally seek the path of least resistance as they flow from higher to lower elevations, and unless you've got some unmarked mountains between the coast and the river, it makes more sense for the river to empty pretty much straight south into the ocean.

[Chashio]

Those are beautiful mountains! And the color scheme is very nice as well. I'd wish that the lines of the coast and river outlines matched the mountains better, but that's a small thing, and personal preference. The river is very simple compared to the detailed range and foothills. It could use more feeders, which would help it match the level of detail with your mountains, and, as Diamond suggested, more zigs and zags would be good. Its general course doesn't bother me much. You could divert it south. Or you could draw some more hills below it, maybe some cliff-like terrain, or low, flat hills to indicate a slight rise in lowlands.

Some ideas... (too many, and most of it is horribly awful, I admit, but something might do for your intentions).

[RazielKilsenhoek]

I think the rivers you suggested go extremely well with the mountains he made. When they're that thin and detailed, it makes the mountains (and the map itself) feel that much larger. Very nice.

[BlackChakram]

Oooh. Thanks, Chashio. That's definitely the right direction to be going for the rivers. I'll toy around with a few sketches and do another upload later today.

And Raziel, I'm glad you feel the thin rivers make the map feel that much larger, because this IS a map that covers a pretty vast area. Anything I can do to enhance that feel is a plus!

Thanks again, everyone. All the positive comments are great fuel to keep me pushing to make this not just good, but great.

[BlackChakram]

Alright. I've taken Chashio's sketch and moved in that direction. Fairly happy with the result. Made the rivers both slightly wider and darker with each convergence to draw emphasis on the "main" course. I also gave the rivers a horizontal preference to heighten the isometric perspective. I feel like the rivers don't quite fit with the rest of the style of the map, but it could just be me from staring at it too long.