My first attempt at worldbuilding

[mad_cat]

Doing worldbuilding for the first time as a writer for my own ebook series. I've done a lot of research into this topic and plan to write a series of article on how to do this for other writers that could use this information. I have picked up a few techniques from this site so far and below is my first real attempt at worldbuilding. It is a proof of concept for now, not my final design, but wouldn't mind some feedback. I used Paint.net. I used 3 cloud renderings to make this. The first one was for the land masses, and the other two were the placement of everything else. Sorry if the colour is a bit off...I'm not really an artist.

proof of concept.png

[mad_cat]

As much as I liked that map, it didn't fit my needs, plus I discovered a few new techniques to try out and I am very satisfied with this map. Would love a critque or suggestion of other ways to enhance.

New techniques:

Better colour scheme for high mountains
Better land texture
Added texture for the sea
Better view of shallow water
Dark Forests (and added in the Black Forest)

proof of concept 2.png

If you are interested in how I did this, I will am doing a Worldbuilding series on my blog for writers

[Jalyha]

Very nice first maps! I do think the second is a vast improvement.

I think the land and the water look like they were made in different styles? I'm not sure how paint.net works, so I can't tell if that is typical.

Are you building this world solely for your blog, or for use in a novel/setting of your own?

[mad_cat]

I used cloud rendering for both land and sea. There are a total of 5 cloud renderings in that map. 1 for the way the continents are laid out, 2 for the way the ocean looks, and 2 for how the landmasses look (after creating the continents). This has nothing to do with how pdn does things, it's just how I did it.

This particular map will be for my personal use for a book I am writing this year called Night Paladin. While I designed the world, only the main continent (the really big one) will be included with the book. I do plan to add cities and roads to the map once I am satisfied with how the geography looks. What I do for my blog will be a different map all together to show step by step how to recreate what I've done.

Thank you for your compliment.

[DonFelipe]

I used cloud rendering for both land and sea. There are a total of 5 cloud renderings in that map. 1 for the way the continents are laid out, 2 for the way the ocean looks, and 2 for how the landmasses look (after creating the continents). This has nothing to do with how pdn does things, it's just how I did it.

I just wanted to chime in and say kudos to this technique: using clouds for land and sea, or in my world for terrains and for clouds too. I often find myself using some fractal noise or Plasma noise as a starting point before adding / paining to it, that looks like great clouds as a starting point for even greater mountains scenes, especially after adding erosion and sediments to it. Or I take a photo of the skies (real) and turn it into elevation maps. Mother nature serves up some really great free content. In this one for instance, the terrain was done from scratch and the skies also in the same tool (usually used for terrains), but flattened and tilted and rendered with fancy under-side lighting, and then composited into the background of the prior scene.

landscape-and-background-skies.jpg

[Jalyha]

i meant different like... the water looks... I don't know.. softer, somehow (second picture) maybe it's just a color thing... I see things differently than most people


I was trying to find a paint.net tutorial, but they seem to be pretty rare


Anyway, it sounds like a big project!

[mad_cat]

As far as the water...I added noise to the water then did a motion blur to create that effect. I actually did the same thing to the land, but it is so cluttered, you can't tell.

[mad_cat]

The Paint.net tutorial I found on here helped me out a lot, but then I knew how to use paint.net to begin with. My tutorial will go over basics of paint.net and also give step-by-step instructions in paint.net on how I did what I did. So check it out if you like. My next article comes out on the 4th, which takes a look at our planet and what we can learn about it when we design our own world. A week or two later, I will over the tools needed for the tutorial. After that, then the fun begins with worldbuilding.

[mad_cat]

Update

I won't keep posting pictures of my new developments as I'm sure that will get annoying fast (unless that is encouraged).

New development: I have transformed a continent map into a world. I have added stars as background, I have given the planet a glow around the rim, added a dark side of the planet, and lastly have given the illusion of city lights on that dark side.

The last one I'm most proud of because it is not just random noise, rather it is based on the geography of continents.

[Jalyha]

Wow I'd like to see that update

(And I'm annoying, and everyone's been pretty encouraging about it so far, lol! )