Winter's Reach: a rough map.

[tainotim]

About a week ago a guildmember posted a link to a Youtube video where a cartographer drew a quick map while talking about the beauty of fantasy mapping. The video inspired me to draw a map completely from scratch, without having general idea or motive, and not stop to look back and rework or change anything. To allow my fantasy to rule my pen throughout the process, and create a constant creative flow.

40 minutes later I had finished a hand-drawn sketch, that after two hours of digital coloring and labeling, became this somewhat rough, yet decent finished map. I could continue working and polishing this for hours, nitpicking as I am. But, that would defeat the purpose of the whole concept. What do you fellow Cartographers think? Seeing that this is only my second map feedback is much appreciated. Cheers!

Winters Clear.jpg

[Wingshaw]

This is really good, especially if it is the product of such a quick and relaxed method. I really like those mountains, and the style of the forests. And to top it off, I love the simplistic yet effective compass and title box. You should definitely try this again.

For future reference, though, the areas I can see for improvement are the rivers (the light blue doesn't quite work, in my opinion), and the overall shape of some forests (the ones in the top right I don't like, the big one in the lower/central left is brilliant).

THW

[arsheesh]

Very nice, especially given the time in which you managed to produce it! Sounds like a fun exercise.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh

[tainotim]

Thanks a lot! It's a method I strongly recommend to both professional and beginner cartographers. About the rivers, they are the only part of the map that I colored by hand. Initially I intended to color this sparsely with ink, however, I chose to continue digitally after realizing that I lacked enough variety of pens.

[Veldehar]

I like it, takes things a bit old school, reminds me a bit of Pete Fenlon's maps for MERP. Certainly room for improvement, but very nice nonetheless.