I love fantasy, I love maps; guess that's why I'm here!

[LampitosGames]

Hello all!
My name is Dan, and this past year I did a research project on Middle Earth. Along with my paper, I decided to replicate a map of the world. That was probably the most fun project I've had in a very long time, and I enjoyed it very much. Afterwards, I was left craving more. I've always been a fan of Fantasy and roleplaying games, along with epic video games like Skyrim. I've attempted to create a world multiple times in the past, but I simply did not have the literary skill to do so. Now that I'm a little older, I'd like to begin again. My overall goal is to create a "realistic" world like Tolkien's, where things make sense and could happen. I've also been inspired by Game of Thrones to do this as well. Now, like I said before, I LOVE CARTOGRAPHY. It's something that has always interested me, but also something which I have never quite mastered. I've been looking at the tutorials, and most, if not all of them, do not have the "style" I'm looking for, if you will.
Here's a quick sketch of my current style:
DSC_0002.JPG

Without deviating from that too much (sorry for terrible quality, don't have access to a scanner at the moment), I'd like to make it a whole lot better. The top-down view of things does not really represent what I like. I like the style of computer-made coastlines, but I still want the 45 degree angle view of the mountains and trees (and I have no idea how to do that). Kind of like this post that was on the front page: http://www.cartographersguild.com/ca...heredepic.html

Any tips? Pointers? Where should I go to get better at this stuff? Thanks guys, and I look forward to being here quite often