Hiya!

[heatherenchanted]

So I have been lurking around here all day, and working on this map for my husband for his novel. I finally got to a point on the map that I can be completely proud of, and decided that I LOVE map making! I mean, seriously, I had never even thought about this as a hobby, and I think I just added it to my extensive list of hobbies, haha.

Anyway, this is where I'm at on his map (he gave me permission to post, as long as I omit the names of cities and such.Nate's Map.jpg

He designed the original sketch, and I just took it from there and digitized it, hehe.

I used Gidde's tutorial.

I am working on my own map (in my head) of my own novel, and I learned a LOT by working on my husband's lol. I am definitely going to learn a lot about climatology before jumping into my own map.

Sorry if the image is too big, btw. Still learning the ropes around here! Just let me know if it is, and I'll fix it pronto.

[jbgibson]

Welcome to the guild, and yes, this is addictive. That's a nice first map - serviceable and even pleasant. If all the narrow lines are intended as rivers, you need to take a look Redrobes' marvelous tutorial on How to get your rivers in the right place. If some of them are roads, maybe you don't have water running uphill, but in that case you'll need a way to distinguish between the two feature types.

Map in very first post equals boldness and a willingness to dive in, and is worth a smidgen or rep all by itself, so have a bit, and thank you!

Too big ? Naaaah. I think the upload limit is about 4Mb. The bigger the better, to the point we can see what you're doing and advise and suggest. 10x that would be overkill, true. What size original file are you working with?

These novels - done, or in progress, or in your heads?

[heatherenchanted]

Welcome to the guild, and yes, this is addictive. That's a nice first map - serviceable and even pleasant. If all the narrow lines are intended as rivers, you need to take a look Redrobes' marvelous tutorial on How to get your rivers in the right place. If some of them are roads, maybe you don't have water running uphill, but in that case you'll need a way to distinguish between the two feature types.

Map in very first post equals boldness and a willingness to dive in, and is worth a smidgen or rep all by itself, so have a bit, and thank you!

Too big ? Naaaah. I think the upload limit is about 4Mb. The bigger the better, to the point we can see what you're doing and advise and suggest. 10x that would be overkill, true. What size original file are you working with?

These novels - done, or in progress, or in your heads?

Thank you!

The narrow lines are intended to be rivers, and I'll be the first to admit that's my weakness. The rivers are exactly where DH placed them. I told him they looked off, but I'll have to show him an alternative for him to want to change them, lol. Thank you for the link!

The original size is actually ~3500x2500 pixels.

DH's novel is in progress. He has spent the last several months planning and mapping and all that, and is finally getting down to writing. Only a few chapters are done, but it's coming along.

My novel is still mostly in my head. I can't write until I have a visual of what I'm working with.... So I am sketching characters and maps and such before I start writing.

ETA: Some of the thin lines are actually territory lines - about half actually. In a more recent version, I made those bolder so you can tell them apart from the rivers.

[arsheesh]

That is a nice looking first map. And welcome to the Guild Heather (and to the obsession)! I can relate to your experience. I came here looking for tips on creating maps for my own D&D campaign and fell in love with map-making as well. Look forward to seeing more of your work.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh

[Realmwright]

Welcome! Great stuff. Continue the boldness, but remember to stay hydrated Can't have you suffering from what I call "Mapper's Collapse". This map is reminiscent of those in Wheel of Time and Song of Ice and Fire - that means you're doing it right!

[heatherenchanted]

That is a nice looking first map. And welcome to the Guild Heather (and to the obsession)! I can relate to your experience. I came here looking for tips on creating maps for my own D&D campaign and fell in love with map-making as well. Look forward to seeing more of your work.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh

Thank you!

Welcome! Great stuff. Continue the boldness, but remember to stay hydrated Can't have you suffering from what I call "Mapper's Collapse". This map is reminiscent of those in Wheel of Time and Song of Ice and Fire - that means you're doing it right!

That is exactly what I was going for, so thank you!