Map 24: The Hundred Celestial Cities

[wthrasherb]

I NEED to know how you do those mountains.

Hey Robbie! I THINK this is the tutorial Diamond was referring to...

http://www.cartographersguild.com/sh...ad.php?t=10192

Glad you asked... I was wondering the same thing

[Diamond]

They're done using a (heavily) modified version of that Swiss Atlas tut Ascension posted many moons ago. Will try to find the thread/link when I have a bit more time.

[Bogie]

Thanks for the link to the name generator, now I have a lot of Hobbit names for my map!!

[Diamond]

No problem. Those things have been a godsend to me over the years...

[Abu Lafia]

Hi Diamond, a great map of a very "diamondian" setting . I'm glad you could make some use of those banners again, the symbols look really cool and i love the skull on the ganfalon. Btw.: since you mentioned " fiddling around with minor stuff for the next month"... what layermode did you use for the shadows on the banners? Some of them look like they have a bit too much contrast (or maybe the "wrong" layermode: "normal" instead of "overlay" or "multiply"?). Just asking, because i'm not sure whether it was a deliberate decision, or having to do with the export to .psd from gimp.
Well, i thought about doing a new banner for my own map. Others might follow after this birthday present is done
Cheers,
AL

[Ilanthar]

Hello neighbour! Right now, I feel that I could have good relations with the Pearl Cities, but difficult ones with the Thranlun Hegemony...

[Diamond]

@Abu: I didn't use any blending or shadows at all on the banners; I just dropped them in there. I thought the contrast worked well and made them stand out more, but I'll play with some soft dark outer glows and see how that works. And yes, please please please make more of those banner templates!

@Ilanthar: The Pearl Cities are a trading guild alliance run by fat greedy merchants, and the Thranlun Hegemony is a theocracy run by strict warrior-monks. Not evil, but very unbending and strict.

[Diamond]

The hardest thing for me was getting a feel for the different 'poses'. Once you wrap your mind around how they work, the book(s) really take off. They are quite sad, though. Sort of a Guy Gavriel Kay feeling to them.

[Lingon]

The hardest thing for me was getting a feel for the different 'poses'. Once you wrap your mind around how they work, the book(s) really take off. They are quite sad, though. Sort of a Guy Gavriel Kay feeling to them.

Yeah, that's what I'm struggling with too. At first I didn't even realize they're doing it with their hands, so I envisioned everyone making silly dance moves Haven't read anything by Kay though he's on my to-read list... I like sad books so it sounds promising

[ChickPea]

Haven't read anything by Kay though he's on my to-read list... I like sad books so it sounds promising

Step away from the computer and get thee to a book shop now! (Try Tigana if you want high fantasy, or Lions of Al-Rassan if you like (sorta) alt-history. Also have tissues on hand.) I've only read the first two Long Price books, and I find them a little slow (not necessarily a bad thing) but very immersive.

But where was I? Oh yeah, mapping....! This looks fantastic, Diamond, and it's great to see Abu's banners again. I really want to do mountains like those too. They're fab.