I saw yesterday this great map (http://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=5887), but I have some questions.

1. Since I don't want you to waste your time answering the following questions, do you know if there is a tutorial I can follow, so I can create a map like this one?
2. How can I create the same effect(short darker lines) which are used to draw the forests? In a tutorial I've seen, the outline of the forests was created by making a brush with rough edges (the outcome was pretty much the same), but I don't know how to create the inner lines. They seem random, yet near the edges of the forest they are more dense. The same lines exist on the grass, but they are a bit longer and near the coast they are also more dense, giving a more realistic look to the map and making it look less flat.
3. How exactly did you create the ripples from the sea near the coast?
4. Many maps use different colors for the sea depending on the depth of the bottom of the sea, but in most cases the lines have the same shape as the coastline. In this map these lines have a more natural shape. I thought I'd try to draw them with the mouse since I don't have to be precise, but I'd like to know if there is a quicker way.