The Southern Expanse - My first GIMP Map

[David South]

Hello all, this is my first 'finished' map on Cartographers' Guild! This map is called "The Southern Expanse" and was based on the first D&D map that I ever made (originally scrawled out on with pencil several years ago). I followed the wonderful tutorial by RobA here, and this is the first fantasy map I have ever made digitally.

I would love comments and criticisms, on everything from color to font choice to layout. I would love to hear what parts you like and dislike, and if anything looks a little off.

This map is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. This means you can totally share, remix, or print this file, and you can even use it commercially. If you do, please credit me and send me a message, I would love to see how you used it!

The_Southern_Expanse_v1.1.png

[rdanhenry]

Congratulations on your first map post.

Should the "Ancient Duidic Shrine" be "Druidic"?

[David South]

Congratulations on your first map post.

Should the "Ancient Duidic Shrine" be "Druidic"?

You are correct yes. Haha thanks for the catch, it is fixed now!

[LordCartoart]

You did a great job!

The only bad things I'll say is: 1) Your forests don't blend very well, so you should find a way to make it look more natural, and 2) Personally, I think the yellow text doesn't match this map's style, but that may just be my preference.

Other than that, awesome job! I like the way you did the shoreline and mountains. Congratulations finishing your first map and I look forward to seeing your next one!

[David South]

LordCartoart,
Thanks for the kind words! What would you recommend for making the forests blend?

[LordCartoart]

LordCartoart,
Thanks for the kind words! What would you recommend for making the forests blend?

I actually do not normally make maps in this style, so I would not know how to do that. I can do it for hand-drawn style forests, but I can't say I have any tips for this style.

[arsheesh]

Hey David, congrats on completing your first map!

BTW the forests in this tutorial are based on an old forests walk-through of mine. In the most recent version of that tutorial I recommend scattering some of the individual tree texture on top of the forest patterns along the edges in order to help cover over some of the bevel and aid in blending.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh