My dive into the deep end

[Camulus777]

Welcome to first delve into hand drawn fantasy map making. I need all the criticism you can give me please. Compliments welcome to but constructive criticism is key to a developing skill. I started playing RPG games and world building when I was 9 years old, right around the time I started getting into Blacksmithing and metal work. I was an only child for the first 10 years so as you can imagine I was prone to bouts of boredom and constantly attempting to fill my summers with activity. This was back before the internet was popular and before people began burning their time with countless hours of cat videos and human suffering. I created some simple worlds, filled them with fantastical creatures, epic villeins, and interesting heroes. Well interesting for an 8 or nine year old. Eventually my storytelling grew and my desire to share in cooperative story telling lead me to find others who had similar hobbies. Decades have passed and I am now the GM for an epic sandbox style D&D 5e campaign that is starting up in a few weeks. It is a home brew world setting with inspiration from other stories I have red over the years, but I have only recently gotten into drawing my own maps. I've done simple grid paper maps and such but never a 24" x 24" 3,240,000 square mile continental map and certainly never by hand. I found Esper the Bard, WASD20, and JP Coovert. I'm sure they are common names here but if for some reason you have not see their youtube how too videos on map design and art, I suggest you go and check them out... now... like right now.

So of course these are all just my own attempts at applying what I learned so far.

[mapmage]

Great map! WASD20 really inspired me with his stuff. Great beginning tutorial videos.

[XCali]

Man, it is hard to find something to nitpick over on this map. I mean it. It is a good solid map. The lineart is spot on.

What follows is polishing and maybe adding stuff like icons and or names. (I will say this on names, I'm looking at your scale and the 275 and 500 aren't as legible. So just make sure any labels going forward is legible.)(If you are going for icons, do some practice runs on a different paper, since you are hand drawing the stuff.)

And maybe add a few dots here and there in the pine forest on the North West. Also, add some pines pointing a tiny bit left to remove the slight effect of that forest leaning to the right.

One more thing, the lake or gulf to the south east, my eyes took a few moments to realize what I am seeing. This is a smaller thing. One a well placed Name Or water beastie would solve. EDIT: BUT looking at the east, I'm seeing you are still busy inking in that part, might be the reason why it looked odd. (Also remember that rivers rarely split. They tend to rather join together.)

All in all, a great map so far.




(This is beside the point, since you are a GM, remember there quite a few maps made available for use here. I have a few in my signature. You are welcome to check them out.)

[lepracauno]

I like it, it's a good start.
You should add more details maybe you can draw the sea or the monsters get out from the waves or draw a frame all around.