[Region 1][Map 27][Town 01]Argria

[mearrin69]

Started sketching tonight, using Autodesk Sketchbook Express (came with my new Intuos4) to try it out. Turned into more than a sketch, though, and I probably will just now move to doing something more finished in PS...I don't think this is really "finished quality" but there's no point my drawing a bunch of buildings to just have to redraw them later. This should give the general layout and feel, I guess.

Basically, you've got the watchtower on a small hill surrounded by fortifications with military structures inside of the wall. Around it, close by for safety, you've got the older structures of the town...the inevitable hangers-on that follow any military force and eventually set up permanent shop and form the basis of the town that some day surrounds the base. Beyond that, things get a bit more structured and maybe slightly more up-scale. Temples, community spaces, market squares, etc. To the west is the nomad quarter, featuring living space (both mobile and permanent), trading areas of the bazaar (ranging from an upturned shield over a fire where "meat" is cooked to horse auctions), and hiring-on markets (where an outgoing caravan can arrange for native escort and spread bribes for "passage banners" that will supposedly allay attacks while crossing the steppes).

I've probably made this into a bigger project than I should have but...hey...that's me.
M

[industrygothica]

Nothing wrong with big projects, and this one looks good so far.


-IG

[Redrobes]

I don't think this is really "finished quality" but there's no point my drawing a bunch of buildings to just have to redraw them later. This should give the general layout and feel, I guess.

Doing it a little rough, saving time and then mapping it again later at a bigger scale for just a few of the interesting buildings might be a better approach than trying to make a lot of small scale buildings look great all at once taking a lot of time on one map. I think its looking great so far.

[mearrin69]

Finally got time to make a start on a full-scale version. Nothing much to see but figured I'd post to say that I am, in fact, still working on it.
M

[industrygothica]

Great! Glad to see you're still working on it.


-IG

[mearrin69]

Between graduations, family visits, work, and the holidays I haven't had much time to do anything fun lately. BUT, I have rekindled this one since I had some free time last night and hopefully over the next couple of days.

I wasn't much liking my Photoshop start so I decided to try out Illustrator. Just bought CS4 and it was sitting there not doing much of nothing so I figured "why not". Right now I'm just trying out some building shapes. Not sure whether I'd rather try to fully draw buildings in Illustrator or to just make shapes and then bring them into Photoshop and use them as a mask for painting. I see some people getting good results in Illustrator but I'm a novice with the tool so I'll probably go the latter route.

Okay, back to it.
M

[zhar2]

nvr mind
great start.

[mearrin69]

I'm not sure about the true sizes of medieval towns, villages, or hamlets. I'd guess this one would qualify as a city even by today's standards. Fantasy settings tend to overpopulate, though, so I suppose that's okay.

As I mess with this I wonder if my scale between the fortress and the city buildings is maybe going to look off. I did intend for many of the buildings inside the walls (and the tower itself) to be quite large...but the buildings in town look miniscule by comparison. I think some of the scale issues will resolve themselves when I get trees and such in there.

Threw on a rough scale and a kludged compass rose.
M

[Ascension]

Good lookin start...those are some nice building shapes, good clustering, and follow roads well.

[mearrin69]

Little more mucking about. More buildings, refined labels and textures, added buildings. If anybody has any suggestions for place names to fill my blanks feel free to shoot 'em out.

My basic idea is that the city started as a collection of shops around the main gate and then hovels and small buildings where the merchants lived. Maybe some development also took place along the main road, which caravans took on the way out of Anuroch across the wastelands. The other areas grew up in a bit more organized fashion, but still around the various established tracks around the fortress. On the west end there will be a nomad tent city, permanent earthen hovels, horse pens, markets, etc. I think most chapels will be along the main road and wealthier housing and a few estates will be along the southern edge.

Working on some designs for significant buildings and will drop those in soon.
M