Forgotten Island

[Beoner]

Hello,

I decided it was time to finally try what several people told me when I asked what was the best way to make a map look like hand drawn: drawing it by hand!. Except for the writing, and the aged paper, everything else was done by hand. I'm still trying to find the "perfect style", and improving my skills, so even though I'm happy with the result I still want something better.

Done on a A4 paper. Scanned with a common camera - that's why it is a little bit curve. Rivers are not mapped, three big lakes are though.

The map itself is from an Island "lost" in the sea for a long time, so long that it became a legend and its real location was forgotten. I'm not sure if the writing is clear, but the island is the home of the Saint Gonath's Monastery, and of the Andalions, descendants of Deartas Order - some sort of Necromants/Druids order. There is also their oath, and I tried to make it rhyme the best way possible, but my english knowledge is not good enough for a complex one.

I hope you like

[anomiecoalition]

This is really cool - especially like the mountains.

[Counlin]

The drawing is very cool, and the aged look is very cool. I don't think the writing fits well tough, you should try doing it by hand too.

[Beoner]

Thanks anomie, for the mountains I tried to get inspired by Daniel Reeves incredible job with the map of Middle-Earth.

Counlin, my writing is pretty bad, I mean really, really bad, at school my portuguese teacher even made me train my writing with one of those special notebooks for that - didn't work very well. I'm training now at home, but I think it will be a long way ride...

[arsheesh]

Nice map Beonor. Looks like it would make a great RPG campaign handout.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh

[Gold]

Cool hand drawn map. I like the little shadow lines you did for buildings and trees / forests, and the mountain shading. Looks like sunrise time with the sun light low in the east. The poem is a bit funny but it's fine, you rhymed. Parchment aging and border are good.

The one thing I don't like so much is the coffee cup stains, lower left AND top right. Those look like a default Photoshop technique for a modern office-memo look. Do the druids drink that much coffee? Next time you could consider a wine color stain, or perhaps a tear or wrinkle in the paper instead. This effect may have been part of the parchment paper background if you didn't add it intentionally. It's mildly confusing in the Northeast corner where one could wonder if the D. Circle location refers to the circle of stones, or that magical floating coffee stain in the sky.

Thank you for posting your map!

[Beoner]

D'oh! I actually hadn't noticed the coffee stain till yesterday, and I'm talking about the one at the bottom, the top one I only noticed now you said. They came with the paper, but they were much lighter - almost "invisible" -, and they got darker when I turned the paper darker . It wasn't supposed to have any coffee stains. Anyway, thanks for the critics Gold

Arsheesh, that's exactly what I was thinking about when I made the map, and as soon as my group start playing again, I may use the map.