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Map of an Unnamed World
https://archive.holyworlds.org/viewtopic.php?f=244&t=7801		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Jakorosin Darksbane [ April 28th, 2013, 6:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Map of an Unnamed World
Hey, y'all, Jakorosin here from over on the SF boards. (Joel P. on the Anomaly, if anyone's there).

Anyway, I wanted to get some input on mapses. I have this lovely map I did in Paint; but seeing how my artistic skills about equal those of a cat, I would like to see if anyone would be willing to make it look good. :)

This map is for a novel I'm co-writing with rjj7 (Randy) over on the Anomaly, and it's not completed yet (as we'll be adding cities as we go).

So anyway. Thoughts? Critiques? People willing to make it look better?

Attachments:
Full Map.png
Full Map.png [ 634.95 KiB | Viewed 1350 times ]
Author:  Cain [ April 28th, 2013, 6:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Map of an Unnamed World
Oh, wow. :shock: That is absolutely amazing; much better than any of the maps I've ever made.

I honestly and truly do not have any critique; I absolutely love this map! :) As a matter of fact, if you have the time, I'd like to hear how you made it.
Author:  Jakorosin Darksbane [ April 28th, 2013, 7:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Map of an Unnamed World
Gee...thanks!

Absolutely!

So... Okay. The only brushes I use are the standard one, the spraypaint one, and the highlighter (though in varying sizes depending on the size of the map. Play around a bit to see what sizes work best for you). The only colors I use are the ones in the default palette. Also, I'm working from the Windows Vista/7/8 version of Paint. It's nicer than the old one. :)

I start with a blank sheet in Paint, and I make it quite big. I save it as a .png file, as that's the best format for not messing up your colors and resolution.

Next, I draw major landmasses in (in whatever configuration you want for your story) using a black standard brush. After I'm happy with the way the landmasses look, I add islands. Lots and lots of islands. :D

Once I think I've got the general look of the land I'm going for (you can never have enough islands!) I take the fill tool in the palest default blue and apply it to the non-landmass area. Poof! You have a sea.

Next up I usually do the political borders. Again, just use the default brush, in black, and make dashed lines to demarcate your political borders.

After that, I turn to geographical features. I use the highlighter in pale blue to make the rivers, and I trace out the lakes using the default black brush. Mountains I do with a brush the same size as the borders, only in grey. Forests and swamps I do in green and pale green, respectively, using the spraypaint brush. Again, find a size that works for you. (Deserts I do the same way, only in brown).

The cities are, quite simply, a circle drawn with the shape tool, then filled with whatever color I like. The little castle, on the other hand, took me about thirty minutes to make perfect. (You can download the attachment and copy-paste the castles in Paint if you want).

Add text using the text tool. The nation text I do in Americana BT, something like 48pt. Cities I do in the same, 14pt.
WARNING: In my experience, when you go to change the font, Paint will freeze up for as long as 80 seconds. Don't panic, it'll recover and let you continue.

The key is just a simple grey box with the random stuff you need to be able to identify in it. For the compass rose, play around with the different shape tools to get a look you like (I did two elongated diamonds covered by a circle and used the fill tool to color them).

I think that's it. Any questions, just ask! (And I'm glad you like my map, but I know it could be SO much more professional. And that irks me :P).

Attachments:
Castle.png
Castle.png [ 14.01 KiB | Viewed 1345 times ]
Author:  Cain [ April 28th, 2013, 7:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Map of an Unnamed World
Awesome! ^_^ Thank you so much!
Author:  Calista Bethelle [ April 28th, 2013, 8:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Map of an Unnamed World
Ooh, cool map! :D That's better than I could do on a computer. All my maps are hand drawn. :rofl:
Author:  Balec Verge [ April 28th, 2013, 11:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Map of an Unnamed World
Jakorosin wrote:
Anyway, I wanted to get some input on mapses. I have this lovely map I did in Paint; but seeing how my artistic skills about equal those of a cat, I would like to see if anyone would be willing to make it look good. :)


:evil: Don't be mean to cats! ;)

Awesome map. Much better than anything I could've made in Paint. (Though, that's not saying much :P)

I also like the fort/castle representation. It kind of reminds me of the ones from the original 8-bit Mario.
Author:  Idril Aravis Mimetes [ April 29th, 2013, 12:46 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Map of an Unnamed World
This is one awesome map! :D Good job!
Author:  Mistress Kidh [ May 1st, 2013, 5:32 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Map of an Unnamed World
I love drawing maps, but I'm not sure if my style is exactly what you're looking for...I go more towards scientific detail than artsy epicness. But if you are interested, you can send me a PM and I'll show you one of my maps and see if you like it. :) (Oh...and I do all my maps by hand, if that makes any difference.)

As for realism and detail and stuff, I could give you some critiques if you'd like. As I said, I love maps. I study my atlas (it's a really nice atlas :cool:) just for fun whenever I have time. It fascinates me....

Sorry, birdwalk. D:

(I recognize you from Anomaly. :D Welcome to the fantasy side of HW!)
Author:  Jakorosin Darksbane [ May 3rd, 2013, 9:50 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Map of an Unnamed World
Hey, thanks for all the compliments, guys! I didn't realize I did well at this... :P
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