My first proper go at a map

[DaeDae]

Hi, folks!

So as I explained in my intro thread I've been doing some doodlings whilst on my lunch breaks at work, and one of these doodles has now started to evolve into a full-blown project.

It's the makings of a world map. I'm not sure yet of a name for the world, continents, islands, cities, or anything at all. I do know, however, that I want it to grow and become something awesome. Whether I use it for a game, or a book, I do not know!

So I have a few shots of the process, just to show a little about it was put together. The software I'm using is photoshop, and I'm only using a couple of pencils to draw with.

 

I had an image prior to this which was just the black and white shapes of the island, but forgot about forum image limit! So on top of the black, I put in a lick of colour onto the islands just to have a base to work with.

 

After that I wanted to start getting a feel for the terrain, so I drew in some mountains.

 

To make the mountains a bit prettier, I gave it some faint indications of snow. Not huge amounts, because it's not in a cold part of the world.

 

For these islands, I didn't want them to be absolutely covered in woodland, so I just used the lighter green to show indications of wooded areas

 

Now I had a few decent features, I added in the rivers. I think I may have to work on the colour for these, as they're not the easiest to pick out.

 

I had ideas in my head of where I wanted the cities should be, but hadn't thought of a good marker to use for them. In the mean time, I added in the main roads between the cities.

 

The islands, whilst they were meant to be green, looked a little too green. So I drew in some of the more rocky areas.

 

I ended up just using a simple shape for my city markers.

 

I couldn't think of anything else to add on the islands, so decided on the ocean colour I was going to be using.

 

I'm still not happy with how the ocean looks, but I added in some texture to make it look a little less flat.

I have a few nags with how it looks at the minute, but all-in-all I'm pretty happy with it considering it's my first proper go at drawing up a map!

Let me know what you guys think! =)

-DaeDae-

[Neyjour]

Welcome to the Guild, DaeDae.

Wow... what a way to make an entrance! This is looking awesome! (And I really enjoyed seeing all the steps so far). I love your mountains and how you've textured the terrain. Any chance we can see it in a larger resolution (or just a smaller portion at full or larger rez?). I keep leaning closer to the screen, wishing I could zoom in on the details... LOL!

[ajrittler]

Looks great! Would love to know how you did the mountains/forest/terrain. I'm in the middle of my fist map too and would love the input and advice!