As commanded, thus do I post- tiny island map

[Steel General]

Since you asked for some ego deflation...

Aside from the low/small resolution - the only thing I can critisize at all (and this is really, really minor) is the the burned/worn edges of the map are a little overdone for my taste.

[Karro]

Since you asked for some ego deflation...

Aside from the low/small resolution - the only thing I can critisize at all (and this is really, really minor) is the the burned/worn edges of the map are a little overdone for my taste.

I'll play counter-point. I like them, at least in this context

[Blake]

Thanks. Here's another very old map, from probably around the same time, made in basically the same way.

This one was drawn for a campaign setting... on lined paper, I think... pretty much on the spot.

I later coloured it a bit. Not as finished as the top one. I doubt that this was more than an hour and a half of idle work either way.

I have a couple better maps, but I did them as contracts and shouldn't post them here as I don't hold all of the rights.

I can, however, link you to my deviant art where I have one of them viewable at a low resolution:

[old link removed]
I believe this was a forty dollar contract, but it's not finished in this image (it's actually HUGE)


I'll post a current WIP map that I do retain all of the rights to pretty soon- maybe I can get some good feedback on my progress

[Blake]

Since you asked for some ego deflation...

Aside from the low/small resolution - the only thing I can critisize at all (and this is really, really minor) is the the burned/worn edges of the map are a little overdone for my taste.

Oh, thank you! Yes, I see that they are pretty hard. I do have problems with borders... since I often make these for a white background, and a sharp edge just isn't right. I could put more time into them, but the borders are usually an afterthought for me- if they're taking away from the map, that just should be though.

What I aught to do it print them on brown paper and then screw up the edges in real life. That would be particularly fast. But of course I'd have to do it to each one if I got a few... granted, it is impressive to be handed something that looks more authentic.

Maybe I should experiment with a celtic knot pattern, or some other more frame-like border style. That would give me the edge treatment without making it look over-the-top-fake; kind of an intermediary between the obviously printed and the drawn look.

[töff]

That wall across the vale reminds me of Helm's Deep.

[Blake]

That wall across the vale reminds me of Helm's Deep.

Toff! Hey, it's a small internets.

Yeah, it was fun having the players get into the vale.

There was an army sieging it (the vale). I believe they ended up going into the very cold water (which is straight from a glacial source, and barely above freezing) and fighting off hypothermia as they attempted to swim under the gate (a large metal grate that dips down into the water a short distance).

Then they had to explain that they were the good guys when they got on the other side...

That was back when I was just learning D&D and how to DM- I still had my training wheels when I was using this map. Ah, the memories.

[Hoel]

Looks nice, awsome mountain style. I think you could make some great symbol sets for the community.

[Blake]

Looks nice, awsome mountain style. I think you could make some great symbol sets for the community.

Hmm... mayhaps, mayhaps.

For now I'll just start by posting a simple tutorial and see how that's received.

I'd kind of rather teach a cartographer to draw mountains than to hand them out though, on principle- something about fish and lifetime... (of course my process for drawing mountains is pretty complex, so writing a tutorial for that is a daunting task in itself).

[Steel General]

Oh, thank you! Yes, I see that they are pretty hard. I do have problems with borders... since I often make these for a white background, and a sharp edge just isn't right. I could put more time into them, but the borders are usually an afterthought for me- if they're taking away from the map, that just should be though.

What I aught to do it print them on brown paper and then screw up the edges in real life. That would be particularly fast. But of course I'd have to do it to each one if I got a few... granted, it is impressive to be handed something that looks more authentic.

Maybe I should experiment with a celtic knot pattern, or some other more frame-like border style. That would give me the edge treatment without making it look over-the-top-fake; kind of an intermediary between the obviously printed and the drawn look.

There are numerous tutorials on the web for producing worn/burnt edges - not that there is anything wrong with the way you do them. But it may give you some other ideas.

[Blake]

There are numerous tutorials on the web for producing worn/burnt edges - not that there is anything wrong with the way you do them. But it may give you some other ideas.

Ah, yes. Though that's not really the problem- more tweaking, and some personal attention, and I could make them look good (I have done worn and burnt edges more recently that look significantly better than these, and way back when I did some by hand that looked very nice), the issue is that I don't want to spend too much time on the border.

I think you have a point- or at least the point I took from what you said that you may or may not have meant- if I don't want to spend the time doing something right, I shouldn't, I should do something else.

Some celtic knot edge would be quite fast to make, and it wouldn't look as shoddy rushing through it either (as the burnt ones do).