Annara (D&D4E Regional)

[ravells]

I really love the forest distribution in this map. How did you do it, Madletter? It's beautiful.

[MadLetter]

Thanks ravells. I used a home-made brush, very simple one.

Diameter 2px
Hardness 0%
Spacing 422%

Shape Dynamics:
Size Jitter Control: Pen Pressure (using Wacom Intuos3, sometimes I turn it off. Okay mostly I turn it off)

Scattering:
Scatter Box Axes
Scatter 1000% (max.)
Control: Off
Count: 8
Jitter 0%

Dual Brush:
I use a secondary bursh to give it more texture. I used a 100 px diameter round bursh that looks "wet" somewhat.


The distribution I did per Intuos3 and my mood, then. Just a patch here and there. I did also with purpose put trees everywhere. Even in the north of germany where I went last year there were trees everywhere, even if only a few in comparison to the huge woodlands that surrounds my home city... (you can google "Pfälzer Wald" if you are interested).

Hope that helps!

[ravells]

It does help! Thanks, I should use custom brushes much more than I do. Cheers!

[MadLetter]

They can be helpful, really. I'm making scarce use of them too (still but not too much longer) and am missing out on some awesome stuff with all likelyhood...

[MadLetter]

Updated WIP

• Worked a little more on the water (adding 3 layers of coloration)
• Brightened everything up by a tiny bit
• Shaprened Rivers and changed their coloration a little
• Adding first locations and names

[MadLetter]

Okay I got a question folks.

I showed the map to several other folks, mostly non-mappers, and nearly all said "it's too green"

Ever heared that complaint? How to best remedy it? Should I ignore it? What do you folks think?

[Midgardsormr]

It is, indeed, very green. I don't think you need to redo it, though. You can possibly balance it by adding another color. You've got green and blue, so that suggests to me either violet, to round out an analogous color scheme, or a reddish-orange to complete the split-complement. The labels would be an obvious place to start with that. Just a little orange will balance loads of green and blue.

edit: whoops! I missed the north-east portion. Looks like you've already started with that. Spread some more of those red towns around the big landmass, and show it to your critics again.

[Ascension]

I'd say it's not the amount of green but the color of the green. What I mean is, is that you have a very bright, rich green much like an emerald. Try something more like an olive green or sage green or a seaweed green. I often look at some of the colors of vegetables and their leaves at the market for ideas. Despite what your proofers think, though, I still like it as is

[bartmoss]

Agreed with Ascension, make the green a bit more subdued, but adding some brownish tones for hilly areas probably doesn't hurt to break it up.