Untitled Map

[Faelpen]

This is my third map. I finished the first, but not the second and lost both in a computer crash.

I used RobA's tutorials Using GIMP to Create an Artistic Regional RPG Map, and Simple Mountains in Gimp. They were very helpful.

I'm planning on using this one for a book.

This map is free for personal use only.

[Steel General]

Pretty good implementation of RobA's tutorials.

Is there are reason the Mountains are all white?

[Faelpen]

@Steel General: Those are the snow caps, which I admit do look slightly too big. I might change those.

The compass used by Gidde in Yet Another Middle Earth caught my eye and I'm considering using something like it in finishing up the map. I still have to figure out towns and stuff like that, too.

[Gidde]

Thanks Faelpen, I honestly thought that compass was the biggest failing of that map. For one that's more ornate (and much better imo) with the same concept, check out Tear's Westeros map in the Gallery.

I'd totally agree that the snowcaps need some shrinking, but I like their texture

[Karro]

I minor point of criticism on implementing RobA's tut, here:

Make sure you mask out the dirt layers according to where the rivers will be (as it is the dirt runs over your rivers at the moment). I'd also try something to make the rivers a little bluer, since at the moment the are shallow-sea-white. Maybe with a light, semi-transparent brush on the sea layer beneath your land run over the path of the rivers with a bluer color.

[Faelpen]

Yes, Tear's Westeros compass (and map) is definitely very good, but I like the simpler style of your compass.

[Faelpen]

Yes, definitely have to get the rivers blue, probably gonna do that next.

[Faelpen]

Ok, here is an update. Smaller snow caps (though might need to be smaller still), colored mountains, and cloud cover.

I colored the mountains using a gradient map with 'lowest dirt' foreground and 'high dirt' background colors. I then halved the saturation to make them grayer than the dirt.

I also uploaded one without cloud cover so details can be more easily seen.

[Coyotemax]

Is it just me, or do some of the rivers split off as they go? Or is that intentional for some non-physics reason?

Looking nice overall though, the forests look pretty decent.

[Gamerprinter]

Please read the entire thread for the following link...
http://forums.cartographersguild.com...ead.php?t=3822

Your rivers are doing non-realistic things like forking downstream with two separate channels going to the sea. Why do so many people not understand how rivers work? Two or more rivers join to form forks, they do not split apart and fork away from each other.

Anamolies exist in the real world, but only at very small scale, they split around islands then rejoin on the otherside, or they form deltas near the mouth of extensive flat regions depositing silt that forms separate channels, but honestly, most rivers do not have a delta, its actually somewhat rare with the Nile, Missippi and Ganges among the examples that exist.

The rest of your map seems sound, but the rivers are screwed up. Please fix and show us an update!

GP