Kingdom of Umthaeul

[Isadore]

Hello guildies!
I have decided to make this an official wip because this is my first map using gimp with this style. Im shooting for a somewhat monochromatic, hand drawn map here. So far this is just the background of water and the parchment colored area for the land. Ill be throwing the forests, hills and mountains on there shortly and Ill post that as soon as I get something satisfactory. Part of my reason for going to more of a hand drawn map is A) This is how Ive always drawn my maps in the past, and B) I just cant seem to get consistent results I like making the mountains with any of the techniques I have learned. Critique away! Any pointers would be helpful! The only thing I know Im going to have trouble with is finding some symbols for towns/cities that I like. Im not thrilled with the prospect of simply putting down some dots or squares! Take care and Ill post here again soon!

[Ascension]

Looks good so far except for that unfinished river. The only pointers I have are to look at lots of maps in this style to see how they doodle up little town icons (like a castle in profile or 2-3 huts) and for forests and mountains you can browse through the Elements section for ideas.

[Isadore]

Ugh! Have I finally been caught by the river police? Let me guess...rivers never end in lakes? What unfinished river were you meaning?

[Isadore]

Here is the map with the mountain and hills outline drawn in. Im betting it would look better with the use of a tablet, but Ive yet to purchase one. Im already thinking of redoing the forests, which is why Ive skipped ahead to the mountains and hills. After I shade them in, Ill be able to decide whether to redo the woods.

[Greason Wolfe]

I do believe that Ascension is referring to the lake/river towards the right hand side of the map.

If the lake serves as the beginning of the river, then the branching near the upper right would be "in violation of River Ordinance something or another." If, on the other hand, the river(s) are feeding into the lake, there is no clear violation, though one might expect some sort of discharge. Technically speaking that discharge could come from evaporation or some underground path which, if that is the case, I would imagine you might explain at some other point in the map making process.

Beyond that, I like the feel of things so far and look forward to seeing more.

GW

[landorl]

Generally, a river of that (apparent) size would not end in a lake that small. It would be ok if you had a large swampy area that drains to the sea. (Like the everglades in S. Florida)

The Jordan river flows into the Dead Sea and ends there, but the Jordan is a pretty small river.

If there is an underground stream, I think that it would might surface before it reaches the sea, but that could also be an explanation.

[Juggernaut1981]

I'd have suggested that the lakes on the right hand side of the map would all be interconnected (and drain the way they presently do). The "little lake" could just be a spot where the river went "extra wide" for a while before narrowing back and speeding up again.

[Isadore]

Ok, I widened the lake in question and added the river draining out of it to the ocean, which I assume would be created by its overflow. I added a lake I had forgotten by the foot of the northern mountains also. Ive shaded a chunk of the mountains but as you can see, it is not yet done. I wanted to post this shot for some possible feedback on the issue I feared - I dont really think the forests match up. I used a brush for the trees, just a single little tree brush I found in my growing map images folders. I think Im going to try hand drawing the trees also now to make it match up - which I shouldve just planned on in the first place. The forests could use some variation anyway. The coast and river outlines are also a bit harsh now too, so Ill figure out how to soften them later down the line. All in all, I do like the mountains, its just slow going.

[cereth]

Those mountains are looking amazing. I love the shading.

The forests are maybe just a little too dark/harsh.

[Karro]

Yeah, I like where this is going, so far. I agree the forests do seem a bit dark... like they overpower the mountains with their darkness, but those mountains that you have shaded in look just absolutely fantastic.