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The Cartographers’ Guild is a forum created by and for map makers and aficionados, a place where every aspect of cartography can be admired, examined, learned, and discussed. Our membership consists of professional designers and artists, hobbyists, and amateurs—all are welcome to join and participate in the quest for cartographic skill and knowledge.
Although we specialize in maps of fictional realms, as commonly used in both novels and games (both tabletop and role-playing), many Guild members are also proficient in historical and contemporary maps. Likewise, we specialize in computer-assisted cartography (such as with GIMP, Adobe apps, Campaign Cartographer, Dundjinni, etc.), although many members here also have interest in maps drafted by hand.
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I've been on a mission of sorts to make some kind of meaningful contribution to the guild. In trying to make some heraldry for the Linlandia map I came across juggernaut's Heraldry and figured that I would continue where someone else left off, converting the gif files into png vectors. So far I am up to Ba, which is about 121 files. The total is 810, although there are quit a few duplicates, so I still have a ways to go.
I've made a few modifications to the town and fortification icons, and added roads. Not entirely happy with the roads; may try a different method or just change them up a bit later on. Probably I'll be using different types of lines for different types of roads, but for now I'm keeping it simple just to get this done.
I am surprised how much functionality is in the software thet Cartographer's Guild uses. And since I do use this site a lot - if with big breaks - I decided to make good use of that functionality. I've created some albums and put some of my maps in them. :p
I wasn't quite satisfied with the mountains on the last pass--the tops were too flat and I couldn't figure out how to fix the wierd ridge around the mountains. So I started over. I like the final result: The next part of RobA's tutorial is putting towns and roads on the map. Here is what I have so far: More updates as I continue working on this.
Sometimes I just rejoice in the guild. I love making maps, I actually love it more than I thought I would before I joined the guild. Back then, I just slapped together a map, often an hour before game session. Now I work on maps for hours and hours, and as those of you who knows me, not only maps but also stuff like compasses and tiles. The guild has obviously sparked something in me - deep down in my bones ... but its not only the map making - the forum itself is fantastic, all these beautiful ...
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