October/November 2014 Challenge: Chashio's request

[Lingon]

Hey all It's been some time since I made a map now, my last commission took a huge amount of more time than I expected and I kinda lost the motivation a little bit after that… It’s coming back though, and luckily I visited the forums again just in time to see this challenge and team up with someone whose work I really love – Chashio
No threads yet, I guess I’ll go first!

These are the guidelines I got:
- natural media on paper or canvas,
- size between 8x10 - 16x20,
- nice quality, but not something that will take more than 20-30 hours of working time,
- includes water of some type and some variety of altitude,
- style, design, color by request - else open to whatever you want to work on or try,
- for labels, there should be a title at the least, and... whatever else is desired/fitting I guess, within reason.

For myself, you know I love your watercolor maps. If it's something you'd like to do... I'm thinking either a continent, like your Pangea or Krig, or a regional, like Exculta Mundi or Westri. I'm quite fond of the mountains you did in the two middle examples. And I do prefer greener, four season lands over hotter climes, but I'd like to leave more specific design options open-ended. The only other thing, which isn't really a specific but might give you ideas toward possibilities... I cherish story potential. Have you ever read the kind of fantasy novel (without orcs and elves) where there's maybe one or two elements of magic and an overall pageantry to the world but it almost takes a backseat to the gritty, individual reality and events that move a few characters through their own small piece of the grand scheme? Yeah. Like that.

The first things, the list, are our common guidelines that will apply for both of us.

I’ve started sketching some land shape ideas:

### Latest WIP ###
chashio sketches.jpg

We’ve discussed combining the first two somehow, either actually combining them into one map, or using them for different places in the same world.

[Lingon]

I'll be going with a mash-together of the first two sketches, this is what Chashio made up her mind on So here is an idea for that, and I got the coastline detailed up too. Also put in some super rough cartouche and compass roses.
chashio1.jpg

[foremost]

First off all, this challenge has to be the best I've seen yet... the guild
should have done this a long time ago! Maybe if it goes well, it can be
organized again sometime in the future. Just with different partners.

I also have to say I think the Lingon/Chashio collaboration is probably
the entry I'm looking forward to most. Not biased tho. : )

I really like your coastline, and hope you decide to stick with it. That
being said, this looks like a pretty ambitious project for the time
constraint. Good luck!

Also, "The Title of the Map" cracked me up for some reason.

[Lingon]

Cheers Foremost, I appreciate the support It is a little bit ambitious maybe, but the deadline was extended if I understood that correctly, so hopefully it will be done on time…
As a sort of picture-less update, Chashio and I have been talking a lot back and forth and sketching and tweaking, and it's really too much ideas and versions to show it all, but soon I think I'll have something worth making a new Latest WIP

[Chashio]

hehehe, this is gonna be good! You guys haven't seen the half of it.

[Bogie]

Looking forward to it!

[Lingon]

Sooo… time for an update, I think We’ve sent sketches and ideas back and forth and come up with this evolved design. The original is still in there in the middle, but we decided that the surroundings would be shown too. The depicted area is about 3800 miles across now. Fat grey lines are mountains. I’ve added a little more detail to the coast in some places after this picture, and will probably start the actual painting soon. We have abandoned the size restrictions we agreed on, both this one and Chashio’s painting will be much bigger…

The mountain arrangement is possibly problematic. We are both quite pleased with the look here, but not enough into tectonics to say if it’s plausible. If anyone feels like chipping in, please do (unless asking for help is cheating, hehe…)

### Latest WIP ###
kuster+berg.jpg

[Ilanthar]

Cool! You have a knack for weird and original land shapes!

[Lingon]

Thanks Can't take much credit for this one though, the majority of it was provided by Chashio. The WIP in post #2 is my design, in #7 it's been expanded by my very enthusiastic client

[Ilanthar]

Maybe your enthusiastic client was influenced by your previous work then ! It made me think a bit of your abyssal colonies.