Paragonia, the Continent That Wasn't
I enjoy doing tutorials, especially the ones that have a million steps and that you occasionally find yourself with a map that doesn't look like the one in the example and have to go back and noodle out what went wrong. I think they appeal to me for the same reason that the model of the USS Constitution appealed to me as a lad, or a 5000 piece puzzle or a swing set that comes with a six pound pack of screws. I like creating order from chaos, transforming raw materials into something worthwhile. It makes me feel like I've added something to the world that wasn't there before, no matter how minor.
Paragonia is the result of my working through a tutorial authored by Ascension. I know for those few of you who've been kind enough to follow my work, I do seem to be stuck on Ascension's tutes, but I guess as long as I keep learning from them, I'll keep doing them, if I haven't exhausted them by now.
Ascension's tutorial is entitled "Antique-style maps in Photoshop". Here's the link: http://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=3806
Back when I first used a tutorial, I cleaved closely to the letter of the instructions. I knew well that the slightest deviation could result in disaster and many lost hours. As I have created map upon map, entered challenge after challenge, some of the techniques described have become second nature. I don't cleave as much as I did, and I often know of ways to make small improvements to the techniques used.
That was the case here, with plenty of chances for me to riff of of Ascension's year-old work. I won't go into detail regarding the things I've done that departed from the tutorial. I will do that on the tutorial itself as soon as my thoughts coalesce for that purpose.
Paragonia isn't a continent for a novel or a an RPG world or anything of the sort. It's just a world that I made for the tutorial. Yes, I made up hundreds of names for mountains, cities, towns, rivers and countries just so the map would look more authentic. It may be just a learning device, but I've never believed in producing shoddy work if I could help it.
I like how Paragonia turned out. It's rather too crowded to use as a fantasy world, but perhaps an opportunity will arise. Questions and comments are welcome, as always. Thanks Ascension!
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