Beautiful! I really dig that misty forest...
I like what you're doing here Klaus. It is really interesting how you've taken such an unnaturally perfect shape and kept its essence but made it feel plausible. Not an easy task!
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Works in Progress: Arinthia - region of Skenth
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Beautiful! I really dig that misty forest...
Yes this is looking great! What kind of background texture did you use? It's a kind of linen, right?
The forest is really cool. I do think that the mountains could use some...depth...to them. They seem a bit flat and simple imo (especially in contrast to the really "alive" forests).
I'm trapped in Darkness,
Still I reach out for the Stars
I'm very much a fan of that more natural star shape.
I'm still alive! Generally speaking, at least, since I can't exactly feel my arms; moved to a new house. It's amazing how much stuff one can accumulate without even noticing. On the bright side, I found some long-lost chocolate bars from a stash I had forgotten about; on the not-so-bright side, they tasted like sawdust.
Drew the general layout of the main mountain ranges. Might change some of them around before adding colour, since now I need to include the huge chasms that criss-cross the continent in my friend's original map and I am not yet entirely sure how to do that. Will report with the results of the experiments.
Mapa Équilas 6_small.jpg
For the full-sized version, click here.
After a long pause while my friend decided on the definitive features (he's getting the story published, in fact! Got news from the publisher last month), we're finally working on this map again.
I've finished giving shadows to the mountains and adding the remaining lakes. I also added two important features: The chasms that criss-cross the continent and the huge southern glacier/ice wall.
It's the first time I've drawn those sort of things in this fashion. I'm making stuff up as it goes along, but it's a fun challenge!
Tomorrow the plan is to focus on adding rivers, some smaller chasms in the northern peninsula, maybe add some small cracks around the big chasms for good measure too. If I survive the two wedding parties I have to attend this weekend, I'll be hopefully moving onto forests and jungles on Sunday.
Here's a small version; for the full size, you can find it here: http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=...82821740677617 (17mb, 5000x3000px)
Cool to see you working on this again, and it's still looking great! One thing that make chasms almost always look strange in fantasy maps is that they appear to be lower than the sea level, so it looks like there's a magic wall keeping them from flooding. If I were to use chasms that go right up to the coast, I'd elevate the landmass with some cliffs at that point, so the bottom of the chasm comes to sea level.
Thanks, Lingon! Much appreciated. I'm also glad to be working on this thing again. It's been a lot of fun trying out new styles.
Regarding the chasms: They are supposed to meet the sea, where big waterfalls are formed (I'm not yet sure if said waterfalls are noticeable, though). According to my friend's specifications, these chasms are impossibly deep and the seas drain into them. Where does the water go, why don't they fill up, or where is the sea getting all that lost water from are anybody's guess!
Do the chasm look like they are "very deep"? I tried using using small amounts of black instead of a solid colour in order to give the impression of "mysterious, maybe kinda nebulous darkness", but I'm afraid they ended up looking like regular canyons filled with ash or something.