Salutations!

[Zach]

Hey everyone!
I am an aspiring cartographer. I don't really know why I like to make maps; I just like to do it.
I've made maps since I was about seven, starting with things like battle maps for snowball fights, or a map of my neighborhood. Most of these were hand-drawn. But I've just started getting interested in digitally created maps.

I'm not currently involved in any RPGs, nor am I writing any sort of story. So until I have some reason to map something specific, most of my maps will serve no purpose (i.e. will not depict any "significant" area, fantasy or otherwise). I want to experiment with different styles, see how well they come out, and generally increase my skills along the way.

My software of choice is the GIMP, mainly because of its extensibility; as a programmer, I appreciate the usefulness of its script-fu. I also favor Inkscape for vector work (though I could use Photoshop/Illustrator if I really needed to). I have a Wacom tablet which I mostly use for sketching, but it will probably be useful for cartography as well.

So...yeah. That's who I am; now I'd better start making some maps.

Z

[Domino44]

Welcome to the Guild Zach! This is a great place for map lovers and I'm sure you will like it here.

[Jalyha]

Hi Zach, and welcome!

I was thinking, since you don't have anything specific to map, and you want to experiment, you might like to try some of the mapping challenges. Even if you don't enter, there's some great, unusual, challenging ideas there.

(Oh, maybe that's why they are called challenges! lol)

Don't worry about whether you know what you're doing. I'm a total newbie, my map attempts have been awful and no one has picked on me for it You're in a safe place. Experiment all you like.

And have fun!~

[Zach]

I've been doing some simple, quick maps based on various tutorials and such here. Starting about 6 months ago. My work probably looks better now than when I made them. Should I bother uploading them?

Z

[Jalyha]

I'd love to see them!

If they are good, you can show them off, and if they aren't you might get some great tips! And either way, when you upload your new stuff, we'll be able to see how much you've grown.

[Drowned Fairy]

Welcome to the Guild, Zach!

I hope to see your works, and please, upload.
It's no bother.

[Tracker]

Hello:
Welcome to the guild. Snowball battle maps, in a word cool. I did the same thing when I was younger. I look forward to seeing some of your maps. Enjoy

Tracker

[Bogie]

Welcome to the Guild Zach. Post your maps, we love seeing new ones.

[arsheesh]

Welcome to the Guild Zach! Those are my tools of choice as well, initially because they were free and later because I grew to admire the principles behind the software. Anyway look forward to seeing you around.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh