View of the City of Estandir (an engraving style exploration)

[MistyBeee]

Hey Guild !

As often for my personal projects, it started as a random doodle just to have something out of my mind. For some reason, I spend a lot of time those days in various reference books, especially city maps and views from 16th century. Before I realised it, I already had half of this city drawn, exploring the engraving styles of this era, applied to a fantasy city. Here : Estandir, a city of my own fantasy world.

Estandir is the 3rd biggest city of the Realm of Thard. It's not the first time I map something related to this country on the Guild, and won't be the last, probably.
Sadly, Thard is not what we could describe as a pleasant and comfortable country, being mostly a cold desert of black stone. This specific stone is the foundation of the whole Realm, and is as important culturally speaking than it is in architecture. It's a solid and durable stone, having interesting magical characteristics. An important event, 10.000 years ago, had some rare spots of the desert turning white. Same stone, but different color, and stronger magical characteristics.
Being an important commercial cross-road, Estandir is also well known for its unusual landscape : the two giant constructions shaping the view made its reputation. The black Anchor Tower and its giant broken bridge, backed to the Hill of Iösh, was supposed to be used as a dock for Thardälm, the flying capital, but felt into ruin ages ago and is only used nowadays for the rare dragons sent by the Queen. But the huge White Citadel, of sinister reputation, is still in use. Originally built as a celebration of the might of thardian wizards and mages, it's now the biggest and hardest prison of the whole Realm... especially for mages, who are unable to use their magic when trapped into the white stone walls.

So, here is Estandir, presented in two versions, as I can't decide which one I prefer : top is the nude engraving, bottom is the colored version.
Hope you'll enjoy the view, dear fellows, and please don't forget to take an official transit-pass if ever you plan to visit the city !

Estandir.jpg

Usual things-to-know :
- 15x5cm (a very small one !).
- Hand made in Photoshop CC2020 using a Cintiq 16 pro.

[Yrda]

Oh, this is really nice! I think they are both perfectly fine as they are.

And it's nice to know something about the story of this city.

[ThomasR]

I love the engraved feel, really well done. In elementary school we had really old history books and I could totally see this in one. Love it !

[Sapiento]

Well executed!

[Kellerica]

Glad you're finding time for some personal artwork too! ^^

Maybe not as mappy as most of your work, but delightful all the same. I think it works in both versions, although I might just slightly prefer the coloured version.

[- JO -]

It's getting hard to find superlatives to describe your work... Once again, you show us the full extent of your talent: in a completely different style, you draw a magnificent illustration, so true in its ancient aspect and so original in its subject!
I really like to contemplate old engravings (there is a specialized gallery in the old town, here... I always stop and watch), and your drawing reproduces their characteristics perfectly: you could swear it's real, whether it's in black and white or in color!
The story behind the picture is also very interesting: I wonder if you've already written and described the whole kingdom (or the whole world ?), but in any case it makes you want to read more and discover this world that seems really original and fantastic !

[Ilanthar]

The render is top notch! Your books & reference studies are more than paying if you ask me.

And the city in itself is a delight, for sure .

[MistyBeee]

Oh, this is really nice! I think they are both perfectly fine as they are.

And it's nice to know something about the story of this city.

Thanks Yrda ! Glad you loved the info on the city as well ! ^^

I love the engraved feel, really well done. In elementary school we had really old history books and I could totally see this in one. Love it !

Thanks Thomas ! Working on this Realm obsess me those days, and I wanted to have something authentic, immersive, "coming from it", if it makes sense. First step of a long way, actually

Well executed!

Thanks Sap' ! ^^

Glad you're finding time for some personal artwork too! ^^

Maybe not as mappy as most of your work, but delightful all the same. I think it works in both versions, although I might just slightly prefer the coloured version.

Thanks Kell ! I drew this one in a very few hours, and will definitely draw more.
Interesting you prefer the colored version ! You'll love this world anyway : with its black stone, it will be your colors ^^

It's getting hard to find superlatives to describe your work... Once again, you show us the full extent of your talent: in a completely different style, you draw a magnificent illustration, so true in its ancient aspect and so original in its subject!
I really like to contemplate old engravings (there is a specialized gallery in the old town, here... I always stop and watch), and your drawing reproduces their characteristics perfectly: you could swear it's real, whether it's in black and white or in color!
The story behind the picture is also very interesting: I wonder if you've already written and described the whole kingdom (or the whole world ?), but in any case it makes you want to read more and discover this world that seems really original and fantastic !

Aww, thanks so much, Jo ! Your comment means a lot to me ! (And I think there's also something else for which you need a huge thank you ?).
I started creating this world 20 years ago, and have thousands and thousands of pages about it. Those last years, I started focusing mostly on Thard. There's a story here I started to write, but it's going so complex and deep it will be a whole life task. Which is fine, by the way. Recently, I started thinking about a whole project focused on this country : maps, plans, heraldry, portraits, landscapes and other illustrations, small stories and legends..., which could be the book I always wanted to work on. The problem is time, of course... but I maybe have an idea to partly solve it... It's a WIP brainstorming

The render is top notch! Your books & reference studies are more than paying if you ask me.

And the city in itself is a delight, for sure .

Thanks so much, Ilanthar ! The more I watch those old maps, the more I study the masters, the more I know them... the more I'm fascinated
I'm sure a lof of world builders know this frustration : you create those worlds, describe them in detail, they become so real to you... but everything is in your mind, and there's nothing tangible in your hands. It's exactly why I started drawing and mapping, and I think it's the first time I draw something authentic enough, giving me finally the feeling I have under my eyes something actually, really, coming from my world. For a short moment, the door was open

[Marc Moureau]

When I first saw it, I thought it was an actual historical engraving.

It's remarkably faithful to the references you found your inspiration in, and a pleasant glimpse of this realm you imagined.

A stunning piece of art, as usual.

[Ilanthar]

By MistyBeee
I'm sure a lof of world builders know this frustration : you create those worlds, describe them in detail, they become so real to you... but everything is in your mind, and there's nothing tangible in your hands. It's exactly why I started drawing and mapping, and I think it's the first time I draw something authentic enough, giving me finally the feeling I have under my eyes something actually, really, coming from my world. For a short moment, the door was open

You've written exactly what I feel about worldbuilding . ANd that's the main reason why I'm doing maps and more recently illustrations.