first digital map

[michaelgo]

Been a voyeur here for a good while , some awesome art here. Was inspired to try myself , bought an entry level tablet and here is the result.
Any feedback , tips , critique welcome.drihmaer.jpg

[Tiana]

That's an awesome first map! And I got a CRAP load of art out of my first entry level tablet, which was a 6x8 Wacom Graphire (so not the smallest cheapest one, but the least pressure-sensitive, with the least special features) I saved up babysitting money to buy as my first ever big purchase. You can do a lot with one. Of course by now I have a 24 inch Cintiq which is basically like a drafting table you can draw on (very recent purchase; did get it used though) so uh it is definitely possible to spend money upgrading but for what you did with this map what you got is great.

Anyway, I hope to see more art from you, glad you've upgraded from lurker.

[Ayama]

thats a really cool map for the first try but u should consider that a mountain shouldent be through the whole world if the people shall travel too other contrys, it still depends on which age ur world is but most of the mountains cant be traveled with a horse and a cart.

[Pomb]

Wow michaelgo that's an awesome first digital map! Stop lurking and keep posting your work, it's great! I particularly like the treatment of the forests. After making my first ornaments and border I appreciate the little twirly thorns in the corners. If there's one thing I'd critique is that some of the text gets lost when crossing the line map, not overly so but just enough that I had to double check what some of the names were when reading.
The coastline shape is cool I like it, how did you go about making it?

[Kellerica]

I agree with the others, that's a fantastic firt map! The muted color theme creates a nice gloomy atmosphere, that the compass rose desing compliments nicely, and your forests and mountains look great. Layout-wise there is maybe a little balancing that could be kept in mind for future maps - it bothers my eye a bit, how closely the Ceogol coast hugs the decorative border there, and northern coasts could benefit from a little more breathing room too. And maybe you could at some point try breaking up the forests where the rivers run through them, rather than having the lines be on top of them... but I'm not sure if that would actually be better or not, just something to consider maybe.

All in all, a fabulous first post! Glad you've decided to step out of the Lurkwood shadows and join us on the sunny side! I hope you'll keep mapping and stick around, I really am looking forward to seeing what you do next.
It is beyond me why no-one has repped you yet, so allow me to be remedy that! Welcome to the Guild!

[Eilathen]

As others have said, a very good opening art piece!

The flavor and overall artistic feel is very good already.
I am not sure if i "buy" the mountain-ranges and how they all flow through the land (aka placing issues vis-a-vis realism), but then again, it's a map of a fictional place so there might be very different powers at work then on earth, for example

And to close this up: Kellerica makes a lot of good points on what you can focus on for improvement for your next maps. I really hope you'll gift us with other fictional places out of your imagination. This is, as said, a great start!

[LizardInk]

I think this is tremendous! The texture is incredibly cool and I love the style of your mountains. The volcanic smoke is a particularly well-rendered feature. Some text adjustments would help readability for a few of the labels, but that's just a nitpick. I'm very intrigued by any world that features guns and swords!

[Josiah VE]

First digital map?! This looks professional-level. Very polished and cohesive. I love texture of the mountains as well. Great work!

[Bogie]

Welcome to the Guild! Great first map! Nice way to make an entrance.

[michaelgo]

Wow thank you all for taking the time to respond, that means a lot!

All of the kind and encouraging remarks are much appreciated

I'm a bit of a luddite when it comes to forums , I see a lot of people with quotes etc and I'm not sure how to do that. So just a collective thanks and I will take on board all of your recomendations.

@Kellerica tyvm for the rep ,)

@Pomb No great technique I'm afraid , just made a new layer sketched the shape in rough then another layer on top with a much finer brush and hand drew it.