The Ends of the Earth WIP

[Domino44]

It's been a while since I posted a WIP thread and I thought that the personal project I just started would be a great map to post as a WIP.

I wanted to do a regional map since that is something that I haven't done very much in the past. I also wanted to develop my line art and play around with a fun concept. I have the base land shape drawn out with some detail. Please keep in mind that I'm going for a more high fantasy feeling than realistic.

Any criticism, comments, or suggestions are always welcome!

[J.Edward]

Looks like a nice start. I was just looking at Roger Dean and Rodney Matthews art and this is making me think of the crazy directions they go in.
Maybe a flying dragon fish and some mushroom towers.. just kidding.
How regional? I know it's early but it almost looks a bit more local... closer up than I'd expect for regional.
Of course that can all change depending on the scale of the things you add in - trees, buildings, etc.

Do you have any ideas about a color palette you want to work with?

Looks like you did a new avatar too.

[arsheesh]

Off to a great start here Domino. As to the line work, one thing I'd suggest is varying the line width/weight a bit more. For instance, you can make major features more prominent by increasing the width of the line stroke for these, while keeping other lines thinner. Also, if you vary the line thickness of your canyon ridges I think it would help them stand out. Here is an example of what I mean (I've taken the liberty of using a portion of your map):



Also, I don't know if you intend to add more detail to the plateau or not, but adding some more lines here or there to suggest drainage areas might be nice (DJ has a useful tutorial on cliffs here that illustrates this nicely).

But overall the line work is smooth and clear and this is a great beginning.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh

[Ilanthar]

Nice start! Arsheesh's suggestion is a very good one, I think. Are you putting a sort of emptiness or clouds at the top (or, at the bottom of the lands, I should say)?

[Domino44]

Hey J. Thanks for your comment. I don't know maybe dragon fish and mushroom towers would be a fun aspect for this map. Now that you pointed it out maybe regional was the wrong way to label this. It's still in a slight concept mode so it will be fun to see how I develop that but I would say your observation would be correct that this is going to be more local than I originally thought. Which is fine with me. As for color I'm thinking something fairly cold, and harsh, but other than that I'm not set in anything.
Also thanks for noticing my new avatar, I've been meaning to change it for a while but I just recently took the time to design a new one.

Arsheesh thanks for your suggestion which I hope I followed correctly. Either way I believe it makes my line work look a lot better thank you, also that tutorial is helpful as well. Thank you so much for your input.

Thanks Ilanthar! I was going to do a sky/cloud type of feeling for the top/bottom of the map but like everything else i'm still toying with differing ideas.

I added 'weight' to my ridge line like Arsheesh suggested and I think it looks a lot better. I also added what will become a legend or key which was fun to draw, in doing so there was a slight shift of a few elements to accommodate my new addition.

[Domino44]

It's been a little while but I work on this in between working on other things so progress is slow. Anyway here is an update, I added a few new elements and shadow.

[Abu Lafia]

Oh, this is a great idea for a map! I really like the cities, especially the bridges in between the cliffs are wonderful. Wondering what the "end" will look like... Also, the person in the foreground adds a lot to the dreamy atmosphere. Great job!

[J.Edward]

I'm glad you're continuing this one Domino.
The buildings have a nice otherworldly feel to them.
And I quite like those steps.

[nobodi12]

Nice. If it the end of the wolrd I presume you will have waterfalls falling over the edge? Love the arabic city and the stairs in the corner.

[Domino44]

Thanks for the positive feedback on this. This project is kinda on my back burner right now but I thought I would share an update since it's been a while. It might be a while for the next one too..

This is very different than anything else I have done before so if anyone has any criticism or suggestions I would welcome and appreciate them! Thanks all!