Free - Hand Drawn Town Buildings

[rpgmapmaker]

So, I have been trying to get back into map making and started working on drawing a town for a bed time story that I am telling my daughters... anyway while I was looking at what others had done I came across this map Ashenport-Town-Map by Mike Schley (who draws great maps). Inspired by his work I made a crude attempt at the style he was using for the buildings and came up with these. I will keep posting things I make as I work on this map.

The color images are reference for what the elements might look like with color but I am also attaching the raw scans as a .png w/transparency so you can use and color them to your needs. Set them to multiply mode and re-size them and you should be fine

---Buildings---
Building_Small_Co.jpg
GIMP Brushes By RobA
Building .png files By RobA

---Trees---
Tree-Small_Color..jpg
---------------
These are free under public domain... but if you use these to make a map please post it or link to it so all can see, thanks (not mandatory)

I welcome comments, critiques, and requests
(while I am in a drawing mood and not deployed)

-RPGMapMaker

[Ascension]

Whoa, cool stuff. I'm very glad someone did this cuz I've tried and can't draw a straight line anymore.

[Carnifex]

Thanks! Much needed. Free to use?

[rpgmapmaker]

I can't draw straight either... I lay paper over graph paper :-) also I used two different pens a thicker one for the boarders and a thinner one for the "dirt & details".

Consider them Public Domain... I am a hobbyist and I am content to share

If you can make money using these... at least one of us will

-RPGMapMaker

[A R Frost]

These are awesome!!! I have been wanted to tackle a redo of my City-State of Aslem map but seeing that I have no artist talent. I have a little of the eye and design talent needed but absolutely zero drawing talent.
My question is, and I'm sure its already been explained on the forums I just haven't stumbled across it yet.
How/Is there an easy way to color in the building or any .png file that you add. I have a bad shake due to military related disabilities. And when I copy and paste the .png into my working file(using gimp) I have a almost impossible time getting some of the smaller pixellated areas. To be honest I do probably 90% of my map making with brushes. I know that I don't have the talent to create the needed objects myself. Hell, even the texture I used on my world map was a large brush set at varied opacities and randomly placed where I felt it looked good.
Any pointing in the right direction would be received with open arms.
And again thanks for sharing these great buildings.

[Jaxilon]

These look very nice. I'm not sure where to put them in my Gimp folders in order to use them though. Do I just slap the .png into my brushes folder? Nope, that doesn't work. This is why it's good I can draw a little bit. I would like to figure out how to use em because they could save a lot of time someday.

I think it is cool that you do this to tell stories to your kids.

btw, take a whack-O-rep Just cuz I don't know how to use it yet, doesn't mean I don't appreciate your effort.

[rpgmapmaker]

Because I did not take the time to make them into brushes you will have to add the .png as a layer, set it to multiply and cut each building into a new layer... or just select and move as needed... then delete out any unused buildings.

For coloring the easiest way is to make a new layer under the building layer and paint with the color you like...

For the color version I did the layer order and what I did... not really a tutorial but a quick insight.

1. Buildings - Set to Multiply
2. Shadows - Gray color brushed with my mouse set to Multiply (this is the shadow on top of one half of the building)
3. Color - I select the building shapes by a Ctrl click on the building layer (in Photoshop) and filling this layer with a brown color - Set to normal. I also add some noise to this layer after I fill it... this helps the fill color to not be so flat and "painted".
4. Drop-shadow - Same as color layer but filled with black and blurred. - Set to normal

I do a lot of "inking" or coloring in Photoshop and setting a layer to multiply and paining on top or under a line drawing is you new best friend. the color layer goes over most line drawings but since my building layer is also set to multiply I stuck it under this time...

I hope this helps... I will try and do a tutorial on this building style and some coloring and finishing tips because of the interest.

Sorry about not tailoring this for GIMP but... I don't use it and after playing with it, I am not going to... mostly because I already know how to use Photoshop and the interface and tools in GIMP are just different enough to make it not worth it for me. But if you already know GIMP the terms I use should work in GIMP with some looking around.

-RPGMapMaker

[jfrazierjr]

Sorry about not tailoring this for GIMP but... I don't use it and after playing with it, I am not going to... mostly because I already know how to use Photoshop and the interface and tools in GIMP are just different enough to make it not worth it for me. But if you already know GIMP the terms I use should work in GIMP with some looking around.

Sorry for the Necro, but I would still suggest getting to know GIMP even if you don't use it primarily. There are a few things it can do significantly better (or even exclusively) over photoshop. If I had the money for PS, I would likely buy it and use it, but still use GIMP for the few things it does superior(or again, things PS just can't do).

Out of the box things GIMP does that PS can't(at least this is my understanding, which could be wrong):

• Better cloud variation (ie, size/scale as well as "sharpness")
• Full color brushes!!!!!!
• Animated Brushes(part of this has to do with GIMP's lack of brush dynamics, but there are cases where this is a real honest to goodness stand alone feature worth having.)
• Scriptability

There might be some other things I missed.

[Jaxilon]

Yep, that's all I needed to know. Eventually I will make my own brushes for things but so far I haven't gotten around to it.

[Steel General]

Neat stuff, thx for sharing!