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Thread: Continental Mapping - first try

  1. #1
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    Post Continental Mapping - first try

    So, after lurking around here for a little while, I decided to have a go at some cartography. After trying some tutorials on the page, I found none which really fit my style, and instead tried to do my own style.

    I made the land in Fractal Terrains and exported it to photoshop as a b/w image. Then I exported the rivers FT proposed and overlayed them over a color image from FT. Using a thin pen with varying fade I traced the main rivers and added others where it felt natural, all the time trying to be true to the natural laws and such.

    I'm aiming for a hand drawn type of map, and not a 'pseudo realistic' map.
    But right now I'm a bit stuck at the mountains. I think I want some kind of hand drawn 'spike mountains', but I don't have a tablet so I don't know if I can draw them all.
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  2. #2
    Community Leader Facebook Connected Steel General's Avatar
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    Creating my own 'style' is a big part of the enjoyment I get out of creating maps, etc. I experiment with various techniques, etc. Keep what I like, dump what I don't.

    I'm pretty sure someone created some photoshop brushes of hand drawn mountains. Take a peek in the Mapping Elements forum, you might just find what you need.
    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.



  3. #3
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    Ah, I'll drop down and check it.

    I experimented a bit more with exporting and such, and found a better way of exporting the maps. (Right proportions)
    So I did everything again, but this time I only traced the main rivers. As this is supposed to be a continental view, I suppose small rivers won't be added.
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  4. #4
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    Added mountains and tried out a land texture. How does it look now?
    And then I need some trees..
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  5. #5
    Community Leader Facebook Connected Steel General's Avatar
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    The mountains are nice... I'll hold off on further comments until you add more terrain features.
    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
    Community Leader Gandwarf's Avatar
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    Looking good so far.
    Two nitpicks:

    - I would change the color of the rivers so it matches the color of the sea
    - The drop shadow on the mountains make them look like they float
    Check out my City Designer 3 tutorials. See my fantasy (city) maps in this thread.

    Gandwarf has fallen into shadow...

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