El Dorado - City of Gold

[snodsy]

Going for a National Geographic look depicting the lost city of Gold.

Here is my initial map sketch with the illustrations and regional maps as placeholders for now. I'll do the text, regional maps and placement of the elements in Illustrator with the illustrative map and other illustrations in Photoshop. Comments welcome.

El_Dorado1.jpg

[zhar2]

Well chibcha art was not like mayan art.

[Mouse]

Hey Snodsy

I wasn't going to visit today, since MS have rudely used up most of my monthly broadband allowance with one of their wretched Win 10 'updates', but I just couldn't resist, and when I saw you were starting on something new I just had to log in

I'm really looking forward to this, since its already a beautiful map. There is just one thing I don't like all that much - the vertical dotted label lines. I mistook the first one I saw - the sacrificial platform label line - as the dotted trajectory the unfortunate sacrifice might take... and then the rest of them lost their appeal for me.

Sorry!

[Greg]

I love the direction this is heading in Snodsy! You're on a real roll with your mapmaking at the moment and it's great to see such a diverse range of subjects and map types. The perspective you have on the city is spot on and I think it will look stunning in its true golden glow.

Not a huge fan of the blocky buidling inserts at the bottom, but I think once colour is in there, they could work.

[snodsy]

Thanks guys for the comments;

zhar2, thanks for your comment, although I've found it hard to find any architectural reference other than there living huts, I'll look into this more, but it you know of any reference I would really appreciate it.

GLS, those blocking buildings are just placeholders, they will be illustrated and in perspective, these were just to show volume for me.

Mouse, thanks I'll look at those dotted leaders after I have the map illustrated to see if a solid leader is better.

Thanks again for the comments.

[Voolf]

I love isometric maps, this sketch looks good. Are you planning to add more details when drawing actual lines ?

[zhar2]

id say the best sources since they use to sculpt more than draw (maybe they did but its all perished) is things like this

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...Madrid)_01.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...c91c8a738e.jpg

most of their style is visible from their gold work.

[ThomasR]

You beat me to it ! I'm actually working on isometric views of mayan pyramids and such for a personal project. I love what you laid out so far !

[snodsy]

Here's an update, took the day off to work on this, so far working in Adobe Illustrator only, not sure what buildings I'll redo in Photoshop, maybe turn them all into outlines then place the line drawing in Photoshop and color there, not sure.
Thanks again zhar2 you really pointed me in the right direction

The golden man/raft setting and the one stone sculpture will be redrawn, placeholders now. Will add some farm lands and speciality buildings next.

El_Dorado2.jpg

[J.Edward]

Oh, this is looking nice already snodsy
It's already got a nice NatGeo feel to it.