Prospero's Island

[Seraphine_Harmonium]

It occurred to me to make a map of the Island of the wizard Prospero from Shakespeare's The Tempest.

Here is my first draft, done mostly following tutorials by RobA and Gidde.
Prospero's Island1.jpg

I am not yet satisfied with how the forests turned out. Somehow the rivers got covered up completely. Bits of them SHOULD have shown through. At some point I will label the map to show the locations of Prospero's cell, Caliban's shack, and things like that. Perhaps "Sycorax's Hollow" or the places various characters washed up. If I got REALLY ambitious (or found a brush that let me cheat), there might even be a grounded ship in the bay eventually.

[Seraphine_Harmonium]

Here is an updated map with some hills, and a wave effect on the water. I also used one of Tilt's compasses from this thread.

The rivers are also a bit more visible through the forests.

Prospero's Island2.jpg

[Seraphine_Harmonium]

A question for those more knowledgeable than I: For an island small enough to walk the length of in a day, are there too many lakes and rivers?

[Freodin]

I don't know about the lakes... rivers and streams there can be quite a lot - I just have to leave my house to find a dozen little brooks that you can jump over. But for a stream to form a lake should not be so common.

Woods look very nice with the streams going through them. Hills also. The mointain in the middle might be a little to spotty, regarding the scale.

What I think does not fit at all is your coastal water. Perhaps you should blend it outward? Or convert it to mist and clouds, to shroud the wizard's island!

[Gidde]

Short answer: Maybe too many lakes (although at that scale they're probably more like ponds) but you're probably ok.

Long answer: If it's small enough to walk across in a day, the entire island is probably the tip of that central mountain. Take a look at the hawaiian islands or other volcanic mountains as a reference. There are plenty of pools and ponds and such, as they collect in small indentations in the slope.

[Seraphine_Harmonium]

It what way does the coastal water not fit? Not sure I understand.

There could be some appeal to clouds and mist, but I wouldn't cover the entire surface with it.

[Freodin]

Your (darker) coastal waters have some kind of "cloudy" texture... and that clashes with the linear pattern of your wavy sea. Also coastal waters are usually portrayed in brighter colours.

And no, you shouldn't cover the entire surface with mist... but a wall of fog surrounding the coast might look nice. Might... totally your choice.

[Seraphine_Harmonium]

Updated map with recolored coasts and labels.

Prospero's Island 3.jpg

[Seraphine_Harmonium]

Oh NOW I know what you mean. The cloudiness isn't the water itself, but the island's shelf below the water. But I will see if I can lighten up the water there.

[Seraphine_Harmonium]

Trying something. Here is the map with a stormy water texture (from the Land/Sea Textures Thread) over the seas on Overlay. I figured, since this map is of an island from a play called "The Tempest," and a magical storm sets up everything that happens in the play, that rough waters would be appropriate. I also found a suitable looking ship from Ceraus' Many historical ships thread.

Do you think the ship improves the map? What about the sea texture?

Here it is, with the previous update next to it for comparison.
Prospero's Island4.jpg Prospero's Island 3.jpg