WIP - Hangman Harbor

[ajrittler]

This will be my third map. It's of Hangman Harbor (or Harbour depending ), a small tropical harbor with a hamlet that is included in my first map Scuttle Island. I started this last week and have been STRUGGLING with it since then. So much so that I have been putting off starting this WIP thread (and still am questioning if I should). I'm so disappointed with my results (I've scrapped quite a few drafts) - to me, this is borderline embarrassing. Oh well. Onward!

Right now I've decided to just focus on the water, so please disregard the vegetation, etc. I have the basic shape of the harbor and the few small cays that poke through. I'm happy with that much. I'm trying to capture the look and feel of Palau and I'm including a few pictures here for reference.

I AM VERY MUCH LOOKING FOR ADVICE HERE. Suggestions, pointers, techniques...anything you're all willing to give me. PLEASE.

I love the colors, the look and feel and I'm trying to capture the detail of the sandy shallows, the spots where rock(s) creeps up and then the depth of the deeper water.
Palau Reference Images
palau-009.jpg

shive_palau_101210_4131.jpg

rock-islands-palau-45.jpg

And now for my current draft. Ugh. Here I have green and blue highlights. I tried not to go overboard with the height of my bevel/emboss since these are shallows. Like I said, I continue to struggle here so PLEASE chime in with advice, suggestions or comments.
Current Draft
Hangman Harbor Z.png

A few times over the past week I had to step back from the harbor. I started working on some buildings. Nothing special or fancy. Saw it as an opportunity to do something I could potentially use and get some practice in too. I bought a cheap tablet/pen and have been messing around with that. These are by no means final, just POC really.

Buildings
Buildings 3.png