WIP - Zoh
I am trying out some new stuff for an unpaid commission here:
Mostly I'm going to do the labelling by hand and will have to do lots of practice rediscovering the art of Calligraphy, which was a hobby of mine about 20 years ago and which died a death when I discovered computers did fonts.
Niiiice, ravells. You doing the lettering with tablet or paper?
Looking good so far. Are the names on the map already done by hand, and if so how did you superimpose them on it
Thanks guys, but it really shows how far my handwriting has gone to hell in a handbasket over the years when I stopped using a pen and started using a keyboard.
At the moment, I'm writing the characters on paper with an italic nib, scanning them and then autotracting them into vector (so they look consitent / stay clear at high resolutions / easier to colour / edit etc) and reducing the size (which gets rid of some of the sins).
I want to get to the stage where I can print out an outline of the map, do all the lettering by hand (doesn't matter if I make a mistake, I can just do that bit again later), scan the whole lot in at once and drop it into place. I think it would be more fun.
That sounds like a familiar technique ...Originally Posted by ravells
I recommend tracing paper for the lettering, then just scan that and drop it on top as a layer.
Whoa, so this is the 'new technique' you wanted to do? Now I'm even more surprised with the work of you guys...
I've seen other maps made by this 'guild'... but you guys really take it very seriously, don't you? =D
Very nice so far... Can't wait to see it finished... xD
I've searched for some 'cartographers' before, but none of them accepted to do it unpaid (in brazillian foruns... xP)
"Thanks guys, but it really shows how far my handwriting has gone to hell in a handbasket.." No sin there. I think by now that the only thing I write in script is my own signature.
What a clever idea! Thanks Lukc! Need to go and buy some now!
Just posting this here from the other thread for easy reference.I'm quite liking it...
I don't know exactly how difficult it is to draw a map for you guys, so if I'm asking too much, or if you don't wanna change it because you think it's nice this way... well, I don't mind. As you said, I'm not paying, you're doing it for free, so you have no obligations here. ^^
But... anyway, if you don't mind, I'll just ask to you to make the west a little bit misterious... If you could simply leave that part in blank, as if it wasn't drawn yet... Because no cartographer in Zoh ever reached the other side of the desert, so they can't know for sure the coastline there... I simply don't want the players to know anything about that side. In the other hand, I could simply cut the map when I present it to the players, so I wouldn't have problems here, then, it's up to you taking that part off or not.
The moutains could be a little bigger too, they appear to be a little small in that map... I was thinking about really high mountains, and extensive too, something as the Andes down here in South America... ^^
You can make a little town at the east too, after the Walls... it's a necromancer tower, in fact, far from the walls, in the east. That's why humans constructed the Walls and the city of Barreira (a militar city)...
I don't know if the story of the world would help you drawing, or not. So, if it helps explaining what each city is (militar, economic, etc.) and how they were made, I can explain... if it doesn't, I'll swear I stop bothering you with scenary stories (as the necromancer and the fact that Barreira is a militar city).
More labels (I can feel my hand improving slowly) and some reference stuff. Might be a bit of a silence while do the rest of the labelling in this font which is going to make for pretty boring incremental updates.
Zonatos, the more information you can give the better, although I can't promise to put everything in.
Ok, great. I think I'll start putting them here then...
And please, do not put 'Norse' or 'Egyptian' in the map... they are the settlers of Mor, Treefor and Barreira... but their civilization have been destroyed. Ever single information about them has been destroyed by the church in the RPG, so it would be better if this names didn't appear in the map (the players will need long hours of campaigns to finally find out the truth about the Settlers... ^^)
Well, f information is what you need... here is a bit of History and Geography
I don't know exactly how far you will go with this project, but wanna ask if you pretend making 'Thanatos' continent in the north...
Another thing: there is an archipelago in the south sea - it still don't have a name, and, as it was discovered and named by christians, an english or latin-language name would do better. The Archipelago is just a LOT of little and medium islands. They can be a little far one from the other, and at a distance big enough for not to be seen from the continent itself - only in days with really no clouds. Most of this islands is habited, and the southern islands have a big oriental influence, having cultures and religions based on Japanese and Chinese one's.
In the East, beyond the Walls, there is the kingdom of the Necromancer, the great mage Talos, that lives in a black tower, with something like 20 stories high (something between 60 and 100 meters), but it can be bigger.
This kingdom is the land of the Kataots, small creatures created by Talos, that are similar to kobolds. They have a black skin (as coal, but similar in aspect and roughness to rocks). They don't have hair. They have long and sharp claws and teeth. They use leather or metal armors, and natural weapons (claws and teeth) or metal weapons (battle axes, swords and hammers). They are really stupid and desorganized, and can't climb mountains. Attack in armies of 50 to 500 kataots, with 3 to 5 leaders (kataots with a little more inteligence).
In the Far South, in a distance similar to the distance America-Europe, there is a recently discovered continent, named Néo Kóomo. If you wanna draw it, feel totally free. It's still a little unknown, but there was some explorations, so the coastline of it is well known, but the continental area is more misterious - apart from some areas where humans start to make villages, as when the europeans found america (think it's like the XVI to XVII centuries).
The north continent, Thanatos, is habited by demons and other evil creatures. There are legends about it been a human continent much time ago, but demons now control everything in that continent. As it is a terribly dangerous area, most humans do not return from the continent, and this makes it a little misterious too.
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