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Agreed. Leaving the color alone. Might still have some kind of regional/political borders, but not sure yet.Originally Posted by RevGunn
The "softer" rivers are better simply because it makes them easier to see.
Agreed. Leaving the color alone. Might still have some kind of regional/political borders, but not sure yet.
I made a few color adjustments over all and I adjusted the texturing of the ocean.
Of these two variations which one looks better. The only difference is in the ocean texture and maybe slight color variation, but not much. The land is the same on both.
Ocean A
Ocean B
Ocean C (one of the previous versions in this thread, which you can indicate by the post # in the top right corner of each post).
Fire away!
I thought the land looked just a tiny bit too bright, so I adjusted the brightness and contrast just on the land. So on this post just pay attention to the land. Compare it to the land in the post right before this one and let me know what you think. Both look fine to me, but again, I am having computer monitor variation and I can't decide.
Any feedback would be great! Thanks!
Again I have two versions.
Land A
Land B
Here is my very first ever digitally hand drawn compass rose. The globe in the center is a spherical projection of my map colored with more earthy colors and a cloud overlay added (although some of that detail might not be obvious in this lower res copy).
This was done in Photoshop and Illustrator and Fractal Terrains 3 (for the globe). The basic technique I used was based on Djekspek's tutorial found here. The texturing is based on Coyotemax's beaten gold effect tutorial found here. The background element of this image is just for viewing purposes.
Keep in mind this is a game map and it's supposed to look fantastic... not going for realism here.
Just some touch ups on the compass rose. I thought the texturing was a little heavy, so I toned that down some and got rid of some unnecessary shadows and such. Very subtle changes... except for maybe the texturing.
Here's what I've done this weekend. I got frustrated trying to come up with a nifty border, so I used one I made previously that was already the right dimensions for this map. Coincidentally, the border looks really good, possibly better than the first map I used it on.
I'm posting two versions here, but I'm going with Map A. I just thought the faded version looked neat as well and thought I'd share and hopefully get some feedback.
Let me know what you think!
Map A
Map B
Wow, Great map! I really love that rose compass!
I love Map B. I'm a sucker for grungy, desaturated colours, and you've absolutely nailed that look in the second map. I love the texture and the way the sea fades out towards the border. Also, your compass rose is fantastic!
Thank you so much for the kind words. I appreciate ya'll taking the time to comment.
@Domino44 I'm glad you like it. Thank you for the praise. I've honestly surprised myself with this map. It started out as a simple attempt to recreate the method I used in a previous map in an attempt to develop "my style" and ended up being a map for a new D&D game I will be running later this year. I really love the compass too!
@ChickPea Thanks! That means a lot, because I had a pictue in my head, but I was struggling at first to bring it to life. I think Map B did it... for now. I know I stated in an earlier post that I was "going" with Map A, but after sharing with my local friends and getting their opinions, the general consensus seems to be Map B. So I am strongly considering using that one for the main map for this game. I wanted to make my own compass rather than just snagging something from the internet or Campaign Cartographer or whatever. I wanted it to look fancy, but not over the top. The dragon head "etching" was just a cheesy addition to add a little flavor (and I like dragons). The gems are kinda relevant to the setting and the globe in the middle is supposed to look sort of like a large "gem". I'm working on this technology that runs off of various crystals, so I wanted the compass to resemble not just a compass rose, but also something like a dial or device (maybe for navigating???) with some gems radiating with energy set into it. The original version is 5000 px by 5000 px at 300 ppi (I know the ppi is over kill for on screen viewing), but the compass on the map is at 20% of that so some of the detail seems a little lost. But I'm thoroughly satisfied overall. Thanks again for the praise.
So the next step is figuring out Fonts and labels. I haven't made it very far yet. I don't want to over do it necessarily. Ideally, I would like to just have one map with different "layers" I can turn on and off to show various labels depending on what kind of map is necessary. So different fonts may work for different purposes. But for now I want to come up with a World Name label, the major seas and oceans, the continents, and MAYBE major mountain ranges and major rivers, but that might be too much on this scale of a map.
I'm open to font suggestions.
Keep the feedback coming folks!
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