January Entry: Duchy of Lando

[Sapiento]

I decided to use my Post Apocalyptic Amerika map as base for the challenge.

The map depicts the Duchy of Lando. In the shield in the left corner you see the flag and the great seal. The letters L.A.I. stand for LAMBERT AGROTECH INTERNATIONAL, a multinational group that produced genetically enhanced food in the 21st century. When the civilization collapsed, the CEO of L.A.I., Markus Lambert gained power in the former state of Florida by providing the starving masses with cheap food, mainly from the newly developed meat plants. These trees produce a fruit that is similar to real meat. The present Duke-Seeyo of Lando, Mar'Kus XXIII, rules with iron fist over his country and exports his precious fruits to most of his neighbors.

Made in PS and Inkscape.

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[Daelin]

This looks really great, Sapiento, and I was quite surprised to see this, as your original Amerika map was one of the inspirations that led me onto fanciful cartography. Anyway, this is awesome, and the background lore sounds just like the kind of silly outrageous pulp fiction that can make a hardcore sci-fi/AH nerd like me foam at the mouth.

I only have a few "comments", and these are so minor, I don't even know why I'm pointing them out. Anyway:

The compass stars and especially the scale bar seem a little to sharp, compared to the rest of the map. I think a bit of opacity-tweaking might solve this.
The ocean borders look a little too jagged in places, especially around the Keys, in the south. I see this in a lot of maps, not just this one, and I think it has to do with the method used. Opacity might also solve this, but throwing in some kind of "feather" effect in the process of making them might work better.

Again, this looks really cool, Sap. Keep it up!

[Sapiento]

Thank you, Daelin, for the hints at the map and the kind words.

Indeed, the things you mentioned needed some improvement. I gave the stars and the scale bar a very light gaussian blur. The coast lines (the jagged line comes from turning a selection into a path, btw) I distorted a little bit more than in the original version.

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[industrygothica]

Is that the "Golf" of Texarado?

[Djekspek]

great map Sapiento. Crisp, clean and great coloring! small remark on the political borders: maybe you can have them 'evenly spaced' from the sea/land borders (dont know exactly how to put it in english but they seam a bit out-of place now to me). cheers

[Katto]

Your alternate America is one of my favourites, so I am very interested how this will turn out. You are on a good way.

[Sapiento]

Is that the "Golf" of Texarado?

Actually it's a typo, but...hm, maybe the Lando dialect of Noramerikan English is different from the Texarado version. I think it is possible over a long time to change for a language in this way.

great map Sapiento. Crisp, clean and great coloring! small remark on the political borders: maybe you can have them 'evenly spaced' from the sea/land borders (dont know exactly how to put it in english but they seam a bit out-of place now to me). cheers

I know what you mean, Djekspek. I used a clean path that matched the borders exactly and than distorted it to give the border an unclean, hand drawn look, to remove the impression of a 'too' exact impression.

Your alternate America is one of my favourites, so I am very interested how this will turn out. You are on a good way.

Well, I'm thinking about giving some seals or stamps on the map, but I won't overcrowd the map.

[Zar Peter]

I think it would be better to make the border a bit more in the sea to avoid this... don't know in english "die Grenze im Meerbereich sieht sehr unnatürlich aus. Vor allem, daß sie manchmal auf das Festland überlappt. Villt. wäre es auch möglich die Grenzlinie im Meerbereich genau an der Küste abzuschneiden. Dann wäre sie allerdings an manchen Stellen nicht gleich breit."

[Redrobes]

Nice map and another with good likeness to the reference.

[Sapiento]

OK, I changed the border line to follow the coast lines more exactly.

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