March 2021 Challenge: East Wickham Resistance Map

[jshoer]

Here are some light and shadows! This is a well-folded map.

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[WildArtFlyFree]

hi, I'm a newb to the cartographer's guild and this is my first comment on someone else's work. Anyway, awesome job. Love what you've done with the place.

[jshoer]

Welcome to the Guild, and I'm thrilled that you appreciate my challenge entry! Thanks

This morning I finished a bunch more minor labels, and I decided to experiment with a displacement map based on the light and shadow layers to make it really look like it's been folded and unfolded. I think it came out OK, but might be a bit too much in places. What do you all think?

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[Tonquani]

I quite like it, although I think it needs a (sort-of) drop shadow below the actual map to make it stand out from the white background - otherwise it looks like the map has been printed on clean white paper and then folded - possibly not the effect you were looking for.

Also, if you think about it, you may want to reverse the fold direction on the middle folds. At the moment it looks like the paper was folded in half horizontally, then rolled and flattened.

The "sort-of" in the first comment is because it will obviously need to be a wider drop shadow in some places compared to others to account for the folds and how far the map is from the background - sorry, not sure that I am explaining this too well.

Anyway, despite this, I think it is looking really great.

[jshoer]

Thanks for the comments, Tonquani!

Let me look into adding a drop shadow, or even a background image of a table or something. And I do understand what you mean about the paper being further away from the background surface where it's bent up, and that will influence the shadow.

For the light and shadow from the folds, I actually took a piece of paper, folded it, bent the folded paper like it had been in my pocket, and shined a light on it to provide me a model. But, I didn't fold it in 1/2 vertically, then 1/2 and 1/2 again horizontally, like you might have expected. I folded it in 1/2 vertically, then 1/4 - 1/4 - 1/4 horizontally (which is, I think, what you meant by rolled). Why did I do this? Because of all the jokes about how hard it is to fold road maps! And I think that's more like what you would get in a map from a tourist kiosk. But if it looks too jarring or wrong here, I can redo the shadows.

[jshoer]

I took a photo of a table -- conveniently made of pine -- to use as a background. Here's a shot at shadows under the map:

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[Wired]

I love how down to earth in the most positive way this map is. Just something you could have in your drawer and then make use of as the invasion unfolds and you find yourself an unlikely member of some resistance.

[jshoer]

I love how down to earth in the most positive way this map is. Just something you could have in your drawer and then make use of as the invasion unfolds and you find yourself an unlikely member of some resistance.

Exactly! I don't know why that particular combination of styles struck me, but I'm glad it comes across well. Thanks!

I think at this point, it's done. I can't think of anything to add, certainly, and I think the effects I went for came out okay. I definitely got to use the challenge to learn a little.

[TimetoDraw]

I was going to ask how you achieved such a realistic ballpoint pen ink effect. Then I realised you drew this out traditionally, to begin with lol, doh!

Very authentic feel to the map, could be a game or movie prop. The only thing I could pick at would be the wood table underneath, a touch more wood visible around the edges may frame the map better. Just nit-picking though. Looks great!

[arsheesh]

Very creative take on this challenge. I dig it.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh