The Aralor Empire and the lands to the north-west

[Gallien]

If you're not going to use more textures/color work on lands, more simple outlines will match better in my opinion. More detailed mountains are harder to blend with a light and pale color texture/background. You can try a simple outline (like the one you did in post #16) with a very few diagonal hatch lines to simulate shaded side.

Do you mean something like this? Did I overdo the shadows again?
Example 6.jpg

They may not work for this map, but I hope you find a place for them in another.

If the mountain won't come to Muhammad then Muhammad must go to the mountain. If the mountains don't fit the map, I'll make a map that fits the mountains. But I'd like to finish this one at first... And you are right - Fenlon's hills are the type that best fits this map.

[- Max -]

I think you're on the right way. Those mountains looks better. But you can also go on a light way ot hatch : just 4 or 5 kind of neat diagonal lines (solid on the edges and a bit erases at mountain feet) can do the trick.

[Gallien]

Example 8.jpg
Are these mountains better?

[- Max -]

Looks good to me. But the most important is that you like it and feel comfortable Ith to fill your map with

[Diamond]

I like those latest mountains! But like Max said, the most important thing is that YOU like them.

[Gallien]

Of course But I'm new to cartography and it means that i don't have educated taste (yet). It is very important for me to know the opinion of profs I wouldn't have done half as much without help from you all. It's very stimulating to have a forum, where you can show your maps and have comments - it's a completely new experience for me. So please excuse me for spamming a bit. Of course, I shouldn't ask you how to do every step. Now I'll make the next post when I have some real progress with the mountains, I promise

[- Max -]

Feel free to ask advices and opinions, that's a good way to improve and that's the right place to do it! That's true comments/critics are always motivating so don't forget to comment maps of others co-guilders aswell

[Midgardsormr]

Yeah, I think you're on the right track with those. Now I want you to take a look at something, just for your own edification. Take a look at the image with your first set of mountains in post #12 and compare the line quality of the mountains to that of the coastline. See how the coast is kind of "crunchy," but the mountains are smooth? Compare that to the last image you posted, where the coast and the mountains are similar in quality. That's something you want to try to maintain, or some elements will look really out-of-place.

I suspect that the difference between the two is that you used the Pencil tool for one and the Brush tool for the other. The Pencil adds no anti-aliasing to a line, which means the pixels it creates are either all the way on or off. The Brush, on the other hand, adds some translucent pixels along an angled line or curve that help it to blend in with its surroundings and appear more smooth.

[Gallien]

the coast is kind of "crunchy"

I haven't changed the coastlines yet, but I'll do it later, I promise : - )

Example 10.jpg

[Korash]

I think you are definitely cooking with gas now looking good