Jalyha

Well, not really.. I don't seem to be able to map much of anything yet. (But there's one in my avatar, for those of you who clicked for the ponies - not mine, but it's MLP, and it's a map, so...)

WELL I got a tablet today. It's not as bad as I thought. I can draw with it, probably better than I can with the mouse, but I couldn't make a straight line if you paid me (especially as I haven't found the pen's equivalent of a "shift & click")

I have so many projects going, I shouldn't be bored (The Illustrations for my book cover, Goat Island Map, Crescent Lake Map, Naos and Poste maps from my novel, My tectonics/climate map, my challenge map of the guildhall... I think I forgot one.)

Anyway. It's not boredom that draws me to the blog instead of my mapping... it's pure laziness. Well, that and the insatiable need to WRITE. Anything, really, as long as words are flowing. And blogging keeps me from overposting even more than I do now.

So... my tablet. I find that coastlines are easier, buildings more frustrating. Any sort of "free form" sketching is fun and easy with the tablet, and anything planned/neat I'll have to keep on with the mouse for now.


Mapping style? I haven't found mine yet. My current challenge/light challenge entries are both more... realistic/detailed/kind of... sort of like what I would paint.

Goat Island and my current challenge are more oil-painting-reminiscent.

What I WANT is a hand-drawn, watercolor-painted effect, and preferably one suitable for print... but I can't seem to achieve that.


And I really just want to vent, too. It's hard to do anything with my arm all messed up from the surgery. I literally cannot hold a paintbrush at the moment, and I'm not sure when/if I will be able to again. Mouse/pen/pencil/tablet.. it's all doable but painful. It even hurts to write, or type. But I figure if I keep pegging away, I will get used to it, right?

But the worst part is learning the software. I keep finding functions on GIMP that would have saved a LOT of trouble, if I'd found them earlier.

I found the "drop shadow" effect AFTER I'd finished Jannah Manor for the lite challenge. Each of the shadows in that map was:

Duplicate layer -> Select transparent -> Invert Selection -> Fill with Foreground (a very dark blue) ->Move layer under other layer -> CUT everything -> Paste everything -> Move the shadow layer, pixel by pixel to the right spot -> Anchor -> Set opacity -> Go to original layer -> Merge down.

Drop shadow? Couple steps: Click "Drop Shadow" -> Set fields -> Click okay -> Merge.

o_o

Any more neat little tricks like that?

Ah well, I know to use it this time.

So yeah... when painting... if you want a shadow, you paint a shadow. Digital stuff ? Whole new world. And it's REALLY FRUSTRATING AND I WANT TO SCREEAMMMM


Okay, I feel better (but my neighbors didn't like that).

Anyway... sorry this post wasn't cheery and funny. I'll be perky again by morning. Promise.


xoxoxo