Hello!

[Fiona]

My name is Fiona. I've been popping in and out of the website without registering for some time. I'm a writer, and one of my favorite tasks is world building. Where I fall short is when it comes time to bring that world into being. I've tried the various programs and found them all to be well beyond my comprehension. So I thought maybe asking for advice, rather than getting lost in a tutorial, might be a good idea.

I'm not an artist by any stretch. Most of my maps are done by hand, in pencil. In fact one is sitting right next to me, blank continents waiting to be filled in with rivers, lakes, and mountains.

And I've wandered off the point of the thread, which was to say hello. So, hello!

[Redrobes]

Hello. Maybe stick with the pencil and just scan them in. Are you looking to make the map specifically for print or just to aid in the writing of the story. Maybe sketch it and flesh it out then get someone here to make the map for you just for the print bit. We like all maps even those done with just a pencil.

[Fiona]

It's for my reference, although in the process of doodling the world I started to enjoy it. The only hiccup is that while I can draw the landforms well enough, actually charting forests, mountains, and the like on a world-scale is surprisingly difficut.

[Korash]

The only hiccup is that while I can draw the landforms well enough, actually charting forests, mountains, and the like on a world-scale is surprisingly difficut.

And THAT is what brought me here oh so many moons ago....My understanding of the techniques and theory behind it all is grown by leaps and bounds since then just by reading these forums. LOTS of VERY talented people here and it is one of, if not THE, friendliest places on the entire web. Some advise, even if you do not intend on doing serious mapping (and BOY is THAt a slippery slope), is to look through the tutorials and WIPs forums. Some of the advise you can find there comes from professionals in all sorts of fields, be it Architecture, Engineering, Geology, Graphic Arts, GIS (real world mapping guys), History.......actually you get the idea...and all aimed at representing what is in your head onto a media of your choice (paper, screen, or what have you.

All that in way of saying that you came to the right place for mapping advice and as stated before, POST YOUR MAPS Just as an aside, we have been getting a rash of freehand drawers of late so you should get a buch of advise along those lines too if that is where you want to go.

And lastly, Welcome to the Guild, The Mappiest Place on the Web

[mearrin69]

Hello, and welcome to the Guild. You've come to the right place for sure. When you're up for it, scan in what you've got and post it. I'm sure somebody here will have some helpful advice!
M

[- Max -]

Welcome to the guild Fiona. Well that's not that hard. You just have to find your own feel to draw it. Practising and patience are some of the keys

[Auric]

Greetings Fiona!