[WIP] First Attempt at Cartography - The Rainbow Estates
This is my first attempt at cartography charting the western regions of a continent (Esdeir) in my book sagas; Cities of Kings and The Infernal Thrones. A bit of context for you;
The western corner of Esdeir is known as the Rainbow Estates and encapsulates the lands surrounding the City of the Silirion - Linos - and spans to the eastern extents of the enormous mountain range known as the Dragonspine. The region is approximately the same size as Europe in our world, and instead of being ruled by individual kings or an over-arching Monarch, the Rainbow Estates (bar the Shamurk, or Cities of Chains) are governed by vassals in each individual kingdom that answer to the Prince of Dragonscrown (Larorn Nemhesare as of the Third Age)
This is my first attempt so please be kind but also constructive (honest) with your comments! I'm yet to add a scale and some more towns, cities, etc.
Thanks,
TB.
The only real issue I have is this river that doesn't drain into the gulf between Haleek and Lassau but instead goes west between some mountain ranges and on down south. There kinda has to be some excuse for it to not drain out into that bay/gulf. Otherwise it seems plausible to me; heavy on the mountains but that's a style choice. Nice job for a first map.
If the radiance of a thousand suns was to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One...I am become Death, the Shatterer of worlds.
-J. Robert Oppenheimer (father of the atom bomb) alluding to The Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 11, Verse 32)
My Maps ~ My Brushes ~ My Tutorials ~ My Challenge Maps
Thanks for comments, Ascension.
This map has gone through loads of drafts and I ended up with a river shape I really liked and so I kind of cut and pasted it into this map without thinking it through probably. If I cut the lake out and separated the river coming in from the east to the river that flows south would that work?
You have a river running down through Voshai, I'd have that drain into the gulf. The river coming in from the east of there I'd have it join that Voshai river deal... or vice versa. I'd move the lake a little further away from the coast unless there's going to be some marshland around it. Those 2 rivers are about the only thing I'd change really. The gap between the mountains is almost certain to be filled with hills so the rivers would have to climb over that. I guess you could put a Grand Canyon in there but the coast is so darn close it almost screams to be the river terminus.
If the radiance of a thousand suns was to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One...I am become Death, the Shatterer of worlds.
-J. Robert Oppenheimer (father of the atom bomb) alluding to The Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 11, Verse 32)
My Maps ~ My Brushes ~ My Tutorials ~ My Challenge Maps
It's difficult to read. Distinguish your ocean from your land more (you could do this by adding tiny black dots which will give the ocean the appearance of being darker), and make the font size on the cities larger.
As Ascension is already on the river-issue, i will only add that i really dig your style. A very own flavour of map art. I reall like it! I can see that map at the beginning of a book or as a rpg-map. The map makes me want to go and explore this world, be it as a reader or an rpg player.
Have some Rep.!
I'm trapped in Darkness,
Still I reach out for the Stars
The map is very nice. I would think some more about the labels (font, boldness, and size). The labels over the mountains and archipelagos are very hard to read. Likewise, the font size for the cities is very small. I can't see it being readable if you were to print this in a book, for example.
Also, what is the point of the second line around the coastlines? I like the style, but what does it represent? If it represents emphasis it's fine. If it represents "shallow waters" then you should probably merge the second line around small islands to make a single outline.
--Eric
Reply With Quote
