The Internal Orrery, a work in progress from a new mapmaker

[Chum of Chance]

Hello! I've been teaching myself to make maps in Photoshop for only a couple of months, and this is my second attempt at a map project. The names are mostly placeholders for now; what I am really working with is the aesthetic. I like how simplistic it is at the moment, and I think the lettering meshes well with that, but please offer any critique that crosses your mind! I am very new to Photoshop and mapmaking in general, so any beginner's tips are welcome. I've gone through a few of the tutorials on this site in my various attempts, but this one was done mostly on my own, of course inspired by many of the brilliant maps I've seen here and elsewhere before. This is a lovely community here, and I hope to become a part of it.

C. of C.

Internal Orrery.jpg

[Rwexler]

I really like the simple style of you map.
I would just make the borders beneath the landmasses more narrow - half of their thickness would be good I think

[JavaJoeCoffee]

Very interesting style, spare, economical, elemental.

In keeping with the clean approach, perhaps a very slight gradient fill under the whole thing might make it pop a bit more.

[mgilbrtsn]

I like the style. I would recommend you use some curved text for the AESC BY THE ENGINE. I think it looks a bit nicer when text contours to the landmass in certain areas. I like the font you used, but I'm not sure if it works or not. Is this a fantasy map, modern, future, historical.... Depending on the setting and feel that the map takes place in, can really be enhanced by the type of font.

[gyldenstern]

I LOOOVE the names! (and the typeface). I like the shape of the continent, looks real. Do you want it to be 3D? I could easily be done in Illustrator. I think even photoshop can make some sort of 3D nowdays, but I havnt really tried it.

[Lingon]

Yeah, I agree with Gyldenstern, those names are brilliant! Aesc-by-the-Engine, so awesome. Don't know if I can say a lot about the map itself, seems to be going in a direction I'm not very much into, but I definitely think you should keep on to those names…