M3: Mini Moleskin Maps...

[Striogi]

Here's me exploring other areas and mapmaking.
I got a little moleskin booklet, and I thought it might be fun to try filling it up with maps, sketch and fix em up in GIMP, see how they come out.
Here are the first and second...

[CaptainJohnHawk]

Nice work! The hand drawn style works well here. I think the extra things you added in GIMP work well, but still kinda pull away from the nice hand drawn feel.
I think the courtyard in the right photo gets a little confusing, just because it all appears like it is indoors. If you were to change the wall thickness to reflect outside fence and interior walls, it would read a little easier.
But great work.
Do you plan on any colors?

Cheers
Capt.JH

[Striogi]

Thanks for the input!
First your question, No, no colors. I'm more in the mood to crank out quick, easy, playable maps. The parchment texture was already a pretty big leap for me. Y'all seem to dislike straight black-and-white maps, so okay - parchment texture. Spending time to color them right now is more likely to irritate me than anything else.

My intention was to make the walls heavy - this was a bit of an experiment where I actually drew in the wall thickness to give the sense of a roughly-built stone-and-mortar monastery. I didn't want to make the outside wall too much thicker than the rest of it... it's not much of a fortification.

I suppose that I could add some pointillism or other texture to the ground to show what is grass and so forth.

...In the mean time, here's another pair of M3 maps:

The Deep Temple
The open plains the Telarok Horsemen seem to hold few secrets, but along the southeastern border lies the Fae Forest, a place where mystery hides under every shrub, behind every tree, and in every hollow. The Fae Forest is the home of the Feral Gnomes, barbarian tribes whose connection to the fae does little to temper their ferocity in battle. Among the most renown, the Badger tribe keeps several villages, and it is said they are the guardians of the Deep Temple, a pit of ancient evil, better left lost, and hopefully forgotten...

[Ilanthar]

By Striogi
Y'all seem to dislike straight black-and-white maps

No, not all of us I agree with Captain J.H., your drawings are very good.

[arsheesh]

Nice work on these. I love these kind of old-school maps.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh

[Striogi]

Thanks, Ilanthar.

"Not all", eh? fair enough. I'm just used to seeing non-color work get passed over regularly in pretty much all settings.

I might have another few maps up...soon. (day or two, depends on other commitments.)

Funny: it takes less time to do the digital processing for these than it takes to sit and draw them, yet, I have a harder time getting to the digital portion -.-

[Striogi]

Sorry, I've been lax getting them up here.

Here's one of the latest. I had to add actual color because without it, it was a bit hard to read.


Like many swamps, this one is full of dangerous goblins. They keep at least 3 different villages in the nearby area. Most travelers avoid the swamp, as it is often too dangerous and not very profitable. A hermit does live at the edge of the swamp and trades valuable pelts and skins for food and supplies. If he can be convinced, he might even consider speaking about the temple of Vurda hidden in the swamp...

[fabio p]

These maps are really nice, the hand drawn sketch feel is great and I will steal your moleskin booklet if i have the opportunity

[Striogi]

Lol Fabio - there might be violence if you attempted it..


Thanks for the compliments

[jshoer]

I love these! Also, I love black-and-white, hand-drawn maps. I have a similar moleskine, myself, but in nowhere near as polished a state as yours. You've inspired me to make sure I crack away at it some more.