WIP - Freehand Forests

[Chick]

Still trying to learn to draw something that looks like what it is supposed to be

So here is my first attempt at freehand carpet forests. I've tried to fit them into the mountains, but I'm not sure how well that is working. I would be grateful for all comments, suggestions, or outright criticisms.

The mountains are also freehand, and the shading has been a nightmare, so comments on those are welcome as well.

This is obviously a WIP, but I wanted to get some feedback before I go any further with it.

By the way, the rivers are done using the path tool in PS, as was suggested to me in another thread. That was not as good as I expected, and I ended up using liquefy on them anyway to fix up places I didn't like how path shaped them. Comments welcome on them as well.

Happy New Year, Everyone!!
Cornelia

[Deadshade]

Excellent mountains
Don't be afraid to go strong on the shading near the tops and getting lighter when you go down.
Don't forget that the darker the shadow the steeper the slope - it's how you imagine the slope what guides the intensity you put in a shadow.

I like the forest (perhaps a bit too saturated ?) but I can't get used to the dark outlines. But that might be just me.

[Bogie]

I like the mountains, and I like the texture for the forests. I agree with deadshade on the forest outline being a little to bold/dark.

[Soixante]

The mountains are amazing! Did you really do those by hand? They are very painterly (in a good way!).

The forests also have potential, but I agree with the previous suggestions. The black outline is a little too strong, and perhaps the green colour could be desaturated slightly? Plus, you could try adding some visible tree trunks on the lower edges of the patches of forest.

[Ascension]

I'd nix the pattern for the forests or reduce the opacity to like 5% just to provide some background noise. You need to make your "loops" smaller to fit in with the mountains. Zoom in past 100% to like 300% and then draw them. When you zoom back out to 100 they'll fit better.

[Deadshade]

You need to make your "loops" smaller to fit in with the mountains.

Yes, I second that too.

[Wingshaw]

I also agree with comments above: the outline is currently too dark, but if you take Ascension's suggestion, you should solve that problem as well as improving the scale. The texture is nice, but, like Ascension said, lowering the opacity dramatically would help.

I agree with Soixante about the tree trunks, and the saturation. I would recommend making the forests less saturated, and either a pale green, or a dark coniferous purple-green. But, either way, with a lot more grey.

Another suggestion, which I think enhances forests, is to include individual trees and copses scattered around the forest edges, getting thinner as they go out.

Great job on the mountains. You could make the shadows darker, but I don't think it is absolutely necessary.

THW

[Deadshade]

Another suggestion, which I think enhances forests, is to include individual trees and copses scattered around the forest edges, getting thinner as they go out.

Ah I did this suggestion to her on another map some time ago because I also think that it is good to show that natural forests don't stop brutally on a line.
But for some reason she is allergical to the fact that forests have a decreasing density when they approach the edges

[Chick]

Ah I did this suggestion to her on another map some time ago because I also think that it is good to show that natural forests don't stop brutally on a line.
But for some reason she is allergical to the fact that forests have a decreasing density when they approach the edges

Not at all, it's just a matter of learning how best to depict this in the different forest styles. If you look at my map here http://www.cartographersguild.com/sh...ad.php?t=29242 (in which you disliked the forests), you will see I did exactly that

[Deadshade]

I know, just joking
(Btw it's not that I didn't like the forest - I just thought that a transition with decreasing density would enhance the map)