By the sounds of it you are aiming for a mpa something like this one
hopefully that will give you inspiriation
By the sounds of it you are aiming for a mpa something like this one
hopefully that will give you inspiriation
I like the start you've made. I've a few comments. Firstly I'm not sure the continental outline needs to be as strong as you've made it. You already have a clear edge from the land/sea boundary so I'm not sure you need to have a thick line as well. It looks a little like the entire continent has a very uniform beach around it. Also, I'm not too sure about the texture you've used for the mountains. There are some pretty extended discussions knocking around on the boards about how best to do mountains on a map like this, but my advice would be to go to google earth and find a mountain range at roughly the same scale as this map. Then try to get an effect in Gimp that gets you a good result.
Otherwise I think the map is good - very clear design and clearly delineated regions. I guess the next step is rivers and lake and then some labelling? I look forward to seeing how this progresses.
I agree. One thing I have been meaning to try on a largish sized map like this is stroking the outline and using the new Brush Dynamics in GIMP 2.6 to vary the size and stuff of the brush, and perhaps even using a Gradient brush. Will have to give that a try tonight to see what I can come up with...
Well... my approach is best... I just have not figured out how to make it easily repeatable enough to write it down. Plus, while it looks very good... it takes quite a while....
My Finished Maps
Works in Progress(or abandoned tests)
My Tutorials:
Explanation of Layer Masks in GIMP
How to create ISO Mountains in GIMP/PS using the Smudge tool
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Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
My tutorials: Using GIMP to Create an Artistic Regional Map ~ All My Tutorials
My GIMP Scripts: Rotating Brush ~ Gradient from Image ~ Mosaic Tile Helper ~ Random Density Map ~ Subterranean Map Prettier ~ Tapered Stroke Path ~ Random Rotate Floating Layer ~ Batch Image to Pattern ~ Better Seamless Tiles ~ Tile Shuffle ~ Scale Pattern ~ Grid of Guides ~ Fractalize path ~ Label Points
My Maps: Finished Maps ~ Challenge Entries ~ My Portfolio: www.cartocopia.com
My Finished Maps
Works in Progress(or abandoned tests)
My Tutorials:
Explanation of Layer Masks in GIMP
How to create ISO Mountains in GIMP/PS using the Smudge tool
----------------------------------------------------------
Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
Nope, not a brush... the Ink Tool. Especially useful if working with a tablet
-Rob A>
My tutorials: Using GIMP to Create an Artistic Regional Map ~ All My Tutorials
My GIMP Scripts: Rotating Brush ~ Gradient from Image ~ Mosaic Tile Helper ~ Random Density Map ~ Subterranean Map Prettier ~ Tapered Stroke Path ~ Random Rotate Floating Layer ~ Batch Image to Pattern ~ Better Seamless Tiles ~ Tile Shuffle ~ Scale Pattern ~ Grid of Guides ~ Fractalize path ~ Label Points
My Maps: Finished Maps ~ Challenge Entries ~ My Portfolio: www.cartocopia.com
I'm not a GIMPer so I'm not sure what it is capable of but the mountains need some height and the rivers have a light blue stroke outline...I'd change that to a medium green to accentuate the floodplain around the river and also make it wider and blurry. Of course at this scale I never put a floodplain in or a beach 'cuz it's very hard to get them to look right. All in all this is a very nice start and if my Photoshop skills can help I'll see what I can add but others here have mad GIMP skillz. I wrote a tutorial on doing continents that might be of help but it's for Photoshop and Bryguy replicated it in GIMP so check out the tut section (although the colors used there are darker you can always change that).
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