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Thread: WIP: Dannasis Island

  1. #1
    Professional Artist Facebook Connected Coyotemax's Avatar
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    Wip WIP: Dannasis Island

    (Partially Reposted from the newbie section)

    Some feedback would be great, while I originally thought to consider this a finished piece I wouldn't mind fleshing out more details to really bring it to life (rivers, more land features etc).

    Right now the main thing that's bothering me is the font, I wanted something that looked fantasy based, but I can't seem to get that old world feel to it.

    I've already had some suggestions from Steel General to tweak the compass (and yes, looking at it now it does seem a little overlarge) and add a legend (i'm planning on removing the dude in the top left witha legend, it didn't quite look right anyhow).

    the font still needs work though.. besides changing it back to english, does anyone have experience "aging" fonts to blend in to something like this? I'll likely figure out somthing in the next day or so, but I'm always on the lookout for new tricks
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by Coyotemax; 07-19-2009 at 09:09 AM. Reason: the map didn't upload, oops!

  2. #2

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    One thing you can always do is use an eroded type of font, to reflect the ink chipping away from the page. I personally like
    HTML Code:
    http://www.dafont.com/scurlock.font

  3. #3
    Community Leader Gandwarf's Avatar
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    Default

    That's a pretty cool map, have some rep.
    I like the symbols you used for the mountains and forests and the aged look of the map. The compass is overly large, yes.

    So why did you choose a font that's not readable? I always like to read the labeling...
    Check out my City Designer 3 tutorials. See my fantasy (city) maps in this thread.

    Gandwarf has fallen into shadow...

  4. #4
    Guild Journeyer Syt's Avatar
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    Very nice looking design. The only thing I could think of would be to have the "stripes" outside the coastlines not inside, as they were usually used to indicate shallow waters and better contrast the lands against the ocean. Otherwise I think it's pretty close to perfect.

  5. #5
    Professional Artist Facebook Connected Coyotemax's Avatar
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    Good idea on the pre-aged font, I'll look for some good ones.

    I was originally looking to use a nonreadable font since it was going to be nothing more than a desktop background, and trying to read things seems more distracting to me - but I can see how it would be even more distracting to someone else trying to read it who didn't have the mindset while creating it


    I see what you mean about the stripy bits going outside - I loved the effect so much I hadn't really noticed the inside/outside aspect.. My bad! will be fixed later today

    Thanks everyone, so far!

  6. #6
    Community Leader Facebook Connected Ascension's Avatar
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    If you want to distress your fonts then there are a few steps that we can do:

    1. Make duplicates of all of the text layers.
    2. Merge all of these duplicates together into one layer.
    3. If your text is black then hit ctrl+i to invert it to white.
    4. Ctrl-click this layer to load it as a selection.
    5. At the bottom of the layer stack, click on the "Add Layer Mask" icon (it looks like a white circle within a gray square).
    6. Play with all of the various filters. The changes will be made on the mask and not the actual layer so if you don't like the result then delete the mask and try something else. The one I use is Filter-Pixellate-Crystallize=12. Then I repat this but at 6 and 3.
    7. If you don't like the way the text looks then try some different fonts...this is why we made duplicates of the originals.
    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

  7. #7
    Professional Artist Facebook Connected Coyotemax's Avatar
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    ooh thanks.

    I've been working with photoshop for years, and layers are my friends, but I've only recently been getting into adjustment layers and blending and masks.

    Now that I have some time to dedicate towards learning and improving the process, I've been going throuhg tutorials like mad. hadn't come across anything quite like what you mentioned though.

    Now you got me thinking I might try a pre-aged font and to the masking to that for additional oomph..

  8. #8
    Professional Artist Facebook Connected Coyotemax's Avatar
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    Ok, in the face of grave personal danger, I have a new updated version!

    (and now I can go do the housework before my wife kills me, heh)

    I took into account the suggestions and feedback, and now present Dannasis Island v2.0...

    Not entirely sure I like the legend as it is now that i look at it after uploading, something doesn't feel right.

    (after looking at it for a few mins at thumbnail size, it's a bit left-heavy as well, i need to add some bits to even the balance again)
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by Coyotemax; 07-19-2009 at 06:12 PM.

  9. #9
    Community Leader Facebook Connected Steel General's Avatar
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    For me I think the font you chose was perfect - fits very well with the style of the map.

    Have some rep! *bonk*
    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.



  10. #10
    Community Leader Gandwarf's Avatar
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    Ah yes, this is much better. Glad you changed the font!
    Check out my City Designer 3 tutorials. See my fantasy (city) maps in this thread.

    Gandwarf has fallen into shadow...

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