May / June '18 Lite Challenge: Steamodile Valley

[Arimel]

I started this map as soon as I saw that this challenge was a free challenge but this was my first access to a scanner. The Title is sort-of work in progress at the moment because I am not sure if my creatures here are going to be called Steamodiles. That name just seems to technical for a steam breathing crocodile. I have not yet come up with a cooler name though.

So some background on steamodiles. They are large crocodiles that breath steam. Here is their place in the reptilian strength order.
Lizard→Small snake→Alligator→Large snake→crocodile→steamodile→T-rex→Steamodile swarm
So dont mess with a steamodile. They are one of the fastest and deadliest reptiles in the world with only one area of land actually able to support swarms of steamodiles, thus named, Valley of the Steamodiles.

I still have half the map to draw, the entire left side. I plan on putting a stone-henge-ish region there. This will include causeways, causewayed enclosures, many roundbarrows, and henges themselves. Other than this, I just need to detail the hills to the bottom right and put in the title.

Other ideas, especially for a cool name for steamodiles, would be appreciated.
### Latest WIP ###
Steamodile valley draft 1.jpg

[Tonquani]

Haha, what a brilliant idea!
...and I just love the steamodiles swimming around in the valley!

[Bogie]

Welcome to the challenge Arimel, I love the great ideas people come up with!

[ChickPea]

This is just uber cool!

[AlfansosRevenge]

The detail in the cliffs is really great. You're style is impressive!

[aeshnidae]

I've been trying to come up with a better name for steamodiles and I am failing utterly. Swamp Dragon was as close as I've come, but that makes it sound like the creatures breathe fire.

I also like the cliffs, although I think the line weight is a tad too heavy in some places (especially on the right-hand side, where there's a big change in thickness). The swamp area looks great!

[XCali]

Well done! I really like your style. Your cliffs are nicely done and the swamp area is a really touch. Keep it up! I'm looking forward to see how this one going forward.

Steam Jaws
Mist Maws
Steam Gators
Hehehe, just trying my hand at the puzzle.

[Arimel]

Haha, what a brilliant idea!
...and I just love the steamodiles swimming around in the valley!

Thanks! I thought that the Swimming Steamodiles helped the map seem a bit more alive. Also, since they are mostly underwater, it is a level of non-map art that I can actually manage!

Welcome to the challenge Arimel, I love the great ideas people come up with!

Thanks! As soon as I saw that this was an almost theme-less challenge I knew I had to take part with my latest idea!

This is just uber cool!

Thanks you! I thought so too !

The detail in the cliffs is really great. You're style is impressive!

Thank you, although I am just trying new techniques inspired by other much better posts I see around here!

I've been trying to come up with a better name for steamodiles and I am failing utterly. Swamp Dragon was as close as I've come, but that makes it sound like the creatures breathe fire.

I also like the cliffs, although I think the line weight is a tad too heavy in some places (especially on the right-hand side, where there's a big change in thickness). The swamp area looks great!

Swamp dragon does not quite have the 'feel' that I was going for, it does tend to imply the fire breathing part, which I think would be rather ineffective in a swamp. As for the cliffs, I actually had intended the sections on the right hand side to be darker than those on the left due to shadows. It did come out slightly messy as a result. If you have seen this done really well elsewhere or know a technique yourself that could perhaps help me in shading a cliff than please let me know!

Well done! I really like your style. Your cliffs are nicely done and the swamp area is a really touch. Keep it up! I'm looking forward to see how this one going forward.

Steam Jaws
Mist Maws
Steam Gators
Hehehe, just trying my hand at the puzzle.

Thank you, although if you could have posted at the start of my day it would have been amazing . I have actually finished the map at this point (about 4 hours ago I wrote in the title) and just need to crop the image and post it. I sadly put Steamodile on instead of Mist Maws. I think that Mist Maws would have sounded much better, as well as perhaps give an idea of the swamp's atmosphere... Still thanks for the great name suggestions!

[Arimel]

Here is the complete map of Steamodile Valley (Known to the locals as the Marsh of Misty Maws). It is one of the more dangerous areas of the world, seeing as it is the only place where Steamodile swarms gather. This made it a great attraction to the ancient societies who built giant monuments near the valley in a hope to appease the giant steam breathing crocodiles (and it worked since they got nearly free meals out of the workers). These monuments still exist on the North-West side of the valley but slowly time is eating them away. This practice slowly changed into a simple fortress being constructed near the swamp to ensure that any excursions made by the reptiles could be recorded. This fortress grew into a city as travelers came from far and wide to view the dangerous expanse.

### Latest WIP ###
Valley of the Steamodiles or Mist Maws.jpg


Since this was my first map with little/no pencil planning, it was also the first time that I really, really wished for a control Z or undo button on my hardcopy. I made several mistakes that could not be removed, probably the most obvious of which is the attempt at a causewayed enclosure in the middle of the left side of the map. An utter failure. In pen.
I also wish I had not put a texture on the plains and instead put a texture in the sea. The way it looks now, the plains almost have more texture than the forests, which does not seem correct to me.
Any other recommendations for future map style changes would be greatly appreciated!

Edit: Also, one final thanks to ThomasR who recommended the copic multiliner 0.05 & 0.03 to me a while back. They were amazing in helping me to do the detailing!

[XCali]

Here is the complete map of Steamodile Valley (Known to the locals as the Marsh of Misty Maws). It is one of the more dangerous areas of the world, seeing as it is the only place where Steamodile swarms gather. This made it a great attraction to the ancient societies who built giant monuments near the valley in a hope to appease the giant steam breathing crocodiles (and it worked since they got nearly free meals out of the workers). These monuments still exist on the North-West side of the valley but slowly time is eating them away. This practice slowly changed into a simple fortress being constructed near the swamp to ensure that any excursions made by the reptiles could be recorded. This fortress grew into a city as travelers came from far and wide to view the dangerous expanse.

### Latest WIP ###
Attachment 107645


Since this was my first map with little/no pencil planning, it was also the first time that I really, really wished for a control Z or undo button on my hardcopy. I made several mistakes that could not be removed, probably the most obvious of which is the attempt at a causewayed enclosure in the middle of the left side of the map. An utter failure. In pen.
I also wish I had not put a texture on the plains and instead put a texture in the sea. The way it looks now, the plains almost have more texture than the forests, which does not seem correct to me.
Any other recommendations for future map style changes would be greatly appreciated!

Finally, should I find time before the challenge ends, I will try to get a more in focus scan.

Nice!

And a little secret of doing maps in pen. There is always ways to edit it on software afterwards(gimp, photoshop ect). Like redrawing something specific on a different piece of paper scanning it and copy and pasting it over onto the main map. I've done that quite a bit with trees when doing a top down pen map, as trees are sometimes quite hard to get right more than once. Try it. It is even a way to change the name on the map, that is if you wanted to.

Again, you got quite a lot of things right with this map and there is still time to tweak it or give it more detail, try not calling it finished this early in the challenge.