The Philosopher's Lands

[TBF]

While i was learning for my History-Test for my, well i don't know what it's called in other languages, abitur, i stumbled across a map of the civil war in japan(1467-1590, if you are interested) and this map had a special style, i don't know how to describe it in english. it showed japan with it's provinces(or better the provinces in 1467) and the main families with their spheres of influence.
First i wanted to try this style at my Tyalon map, but than i found an older map with an interesting realm on it(unfortunately i realized to late, that the realm reached across the map borders). When i drew the map i was testing Butch's(Zombie Nirvana Games) tutorial on youtube(http://www.youtube.com/user/ZombieNi.../5/0De0Arm2zxI , if you are interested, it's a really good tutorial for beginners, who do not use an english photoshop version, because it's a video and you can see what he is clicking at).
The reason why i wrote that is, that there are now two versions of the map, one, wich is based on the tutorial and one, wich is nearer at the example.
I know that i sometimes painted a little bit imprecise, but thats an alpha version, so i hope you can overlook it.
But i would ask for other tips and hints.
So, here are the maps:
http://www.cartographersguild.com/at...1&d=1263508382
http://www.cartographersguild.com/at...1&d=1263508459

[TBF]

Because their was no critizism, i chose the map, wich was nearer to the atlas style for further steps.
First i have enlarged the influence areas, because they were, in my opinion, to small for such a huge Realm.
Secondly i marked influenced coastal Areas as well.
Thirdly i added labels for the names of the sea and the strait in the south.

[moutarde]

I do prefer the map with the beige land - when I looked at the green one, I kept mistaking the green for political areas