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Thread: My Campaign Map (photoshop)

  1. #1

    Wip My Campaign Map (photoshop)

    Hello all!

    As I posted in my introductory thread, I'm working on a rather large map for the campaign world I'm GMing. If you stop by my introduction, you'll be able to see how I first started out.

    Since then, I've been off into all sorts of directions themewise, as well as learning all sorts of useful techniques (making a hill brush and a forest pattern are two).....not to mention all the time spent/wasted trying to figure out a lot of stuff barely related to the map (trying to make my own font is one, luckily I managed to put that on hold for now).

    I've always been a fan of the maps I found in the Lord of the Rings when I read that many years ago, and it sure is influencing the direction I'm heading, it seems.

    And now I'm at a point where it's natural for me to post an update, since it seems I have to choose a direction soon. Here's how I started out:

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    It's maybe a bit...cartoonish (?), but I like the ice especially and overall I feel it looks good with the way I like to draw (I still didn't get around to buying a tablet, but I drew some of the mountains (in the upper right corner) with my mouse and replaced the old sketches). I spent a lot of time working on the map in this style, but I went overboard after a while, adding more and more...noise...to the map in the way of map symbols etc. Oh, and btw, I know the coastlines are a bit messed up, but that's noting a bit of work with layers can't fix.

    So I ventured off in another direction, going more for the drawing on an old parchment (thank you, jezelf, for a great tutorial.), which is closer to the traditional lotr style I love so much:

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    As mentioned earlier, I messed up my scale early on. So the map is quite large (one grid is 500 kilometres, not 50 as I wrote in my introduction. So I thought I'd see how big a planet I would have to make if I ever decide to expand the map later:

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    Urgh....

    Anyway, my partner thinks the water looks better coloured, so I tried that, too:

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    And then I just can't decide which direction to go for. The thing I absolutely hate about the old parchment style is my rivers (there's also an ugly swamp in the middle of the map that has to go). I have to go back and redo them all if I'm going to do it in that style. And I'm thinking the blue water ruins the whole look....but I have no idea if that is a bad thing or not (hmm..and that canvas texture, bad or not?)

    So, this is where I want suggestions on which way to go, what needs to be improved, what is horrible and must be dealt with and what is actually fine. That last one is important. I've always had problems telling myself something is good enough, only to end up ruining the whole thing trying for perfection.

    So let me have it, good and bad. And no sugarcoating, please. I'm new here, but have a thick skin.

  2. #2
    Community Leader Facebook Connected Ascension's Avatar
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    So far so good, nice colors.
    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

  3. #3
    Guild Adept monks's Avatar
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    I agree, the blue water doesn't work at all. Quite nice maps otherwise.

    monks

  4. #4
    Community Leader NeonKnight's Avatar
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    Congrats on a nice map!
    Daniel the Neon Knight: Campaign Cartographer User

    Never use a big word when a diminutive one will suffice!

    Any questions on CC3? Post them with CC3 in the Subject Line!
    MY 'FAMOUS' CC3 MAPS: Thunderspire; Pyramid of Shadows; King of the Trollhaunt Warrens; Demon Queen's Enclave

  5. #5
    Community Leader Facebook Connected Steel General's Avatar
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    My favorite is the very last one. If it were me, I'd put a bit of a blur on the mountains just to help them blend into the background a bit better - but it looks good the way it is.

    Looking forward to seeing more.
    My Finished Maps | My Challenge Maps | Still poking around occasionally...

    Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.



  6. #6

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    A small update:

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    Since the shop was fresh out of tablets when I finally got around to going there, I decided to make a mountain pattern instead, thinking that would save me some time....yeah, right. Worst good idea I've had in quite some time...

    But at least now I have some mountains. In fact, I consider all the terrain to be done right now. I'm not satisfied with it, but I'd more or less have to do the whole map all over if I wanted to change anything (rivers, for instance). So I'll live with it, and do it right from the very beginning next time.

    What I need to do now, is find a font for the map (I tried to have different fonts for the various settings on the map (roman, celtic, arabic, asian, viking, fantasy, etc.)...but it just got messy) and find out how I wrap (?) text around rivers and mountains, etc...

  7. #7
    Community Leader Facebook Connected Steel General's Avatar
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    I think the mountains look pretty good, nice diversity of shapes, no obvious patterning.

    As far as bending/wrapping text around the rivers, etc. It depends on the app you are using.
    My Finished Maps | My Challenge Maps | Still poking around occasionally...

    Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.



  8. #8

  9. #9
    Guild Expert Greason Wolfe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Elvish Presley View Post
    What I need to do now, is find a font for the map (I tried to have different fonts for the various settings on the map (roman, celtic, arabic, asian, viking, fantasy, etc.)...but it just got messy) and find out how I wrap (?) text around rivers and mountains, etc...
    That will likely depend on what graphics editor you are using. I know it is feasible to accomplish in pretty much any graphics editor that works with vectors by creating a vector line in the shape you want and then "place" the text "on" the line. I've done this a few times in an older version of Paintshop Pro, but I'm not sure about any of the other editors.

    GW
    GW

    One's worth is not measured by stature, alone. By heart and honor is One's true value weighed.

    Current Non-challenge WIP : Beyond Sosnasib
    Current Lite Challenge WIP : None
    Current Main Challenge WIP : None
    Completed Maps : Various Challenges

  10. #10

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    Yet another update:

    Click image for larger version. 

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    I finally found a font that I think works with the map (actually, there's two - one for all the "official" markings and another for more "personal" notes). Everything that needs to be typed in should be more or less done now.

    I also got myself a tablet yesterday.....now that's going to take some time getting used to. Silly me thought the tablet would display a portion of the screen or something so that I would actually be able to look at the tablet while drawing. Oh well, I guess it'll get better with some practice.

    What's left? I've made a couple map symbols, and need to make a few more. and then I guess it's the fluff left? Argh, and this map needs to be done before Friday, cause then people arrive for a weekend of RPG mayhem

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