Motte and Bailey Castle How To?

[Thasmodious]

I could really use some help. I'm drawing up a map for the opening of a military based fantasy game. This is my first real foray into mapmaking since CC3 was just CC and I'm a PS noob to boot. So it's been a learning experience, but I have a character sheet and significant progress on my overland map under my belt. This map depicts what will be the battleground when the game begins. Clearly, I'm using the hand drawn map style from the Fantasy Cartography with PS tutorials. I'm fairly pleased with the progress, but I'm at a sticking point - the motte and bailey castle that is the centerpiece of the map. I can't seem to get anything down I'm happy with. I've left up my latest area of exploration, a pallisade wall brush I made. Worst case, I'll throw down some block buildings, rebrush the wall until it looks better and call it a day. But I'd like something better, obviously.

So that's my question - how to draw up a motte and bailey castle. And, in this style, what would be a good method for building the elevated earthwork a bailey is typically built on? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Fort Siege Map 2.jpg

[ravells]

If you are after a 3/4 bird's eye view (in like with the trees), it might be much easier to draw the motte and bailey on paper, scan it and then add it to the map than to try and draw it directly on the computer, particularly if you do not have a tablet and pen (not sure if you do).

[Lukc]

Or you could just go for a fully top-down view, then you only have to indicate the walls and earthworks with lines and hatching.

[Thasmodious]

I have two problems with your suggestion ravells - I can't draw and don't have a scanner.

Still, the theory is sound. I found a nice hand drawn motte and bailey image at the right orientation online and stuck it in there. It's not perfect but it's there and will look better after I spend some time blending it into the background. I'm not posting an updated map because I don't know the policy on posting images that aren't yours (I searched the FAQs, but came up blank). Thanks for the advice, both of you.