Black and white map of Yackoone [WIP]

[Commander Freddy]

So I took a break from mapping (and even from writing regularly) for a few years so I could actually get an education, but now that I've graduated I'm right back at it! I've decided to make a series of black and white maps for the fantasy series I'm writing - the maps being suitable to be published in the books - starting with a broad overview of the world they're set in.

Yackoone is technically only the east coast of a continent, but with how its blocked in by such massive ecological obstacles as the Dragon-infested Wastelands, the Impassable Swamps and the towering Wildlands - what I've mapped is the extent of their knowledge about their world.

Right now it's basically just an outline sketch of what I'm planning - at this scale emphasis will be on national boundaries, capital cities and topological features (although I'm still studying mountains and rivers, and since I want to get them right I haven't put any in yet). The screentone for the swamps is just a stand in just so I could visualise just how much inhabited nations have settled on its outskirts. Right now I've just got the shape of the landform and national boundaries. I'd really appreciate any critiques, advice etc. you can offer, although it's definitely still early days yet!

I did the first sketch just pencil on paper and I'm working on it in Photoshop CS6 now

[weitnum]

difficult to tell where the water is at first glance

[gtwucla]

Where are you going to place the mountains? If you haven't decided yet then along the northern border between the northernmost country (and the swamplands) and the wastelands would make the most sense.