Draaklanden

[Diamond]

That is BEAUTIFUL. Love it, man. That's going straight into my 'Inspirational Folder'.

Too bad I can't rep you at the moment.

[ravells]

Thanks guys, really thanks.

This isn't false modesty, but I don't rate my mountains much at all. The only thought that went into them was the general light direction, lights, mids and darks. To me they look a bit like slightly melted ice-cream cones, because I use curvy 'flicks' to draw the lights and darks, which is easy because it follows the natural hand movement. Little or no thought goes into it. When I can make mountains like this guy (this was a very early map posted on the guild...I think about 8? years ago which I've kept in my inspiration folder and lusted after ever since I saw it), then I think I will have made it. Every shadow has a reason for being there, the mountain forms are crisp and they give the appearance of rising up off the paper...and it's in greyscale so there's no colour to hide behind. It's a thing of absolute beauty. I really want to make mountains like these. I'm training myself, but it's damn hard because you actually have to understand the underlying structure to know where the highlights and shadows go. I think it's going to take a few months (years? ever?) of practice before I can do this, but I hope I'll get there.

[Zeta Kai]

This is a great map, with a wonderful style & fabulous use of color. My only complaint is the lighting. The shading on the mountains & the foothills indicate a light source coming from the west, but the trees & the embedded text indicate a light source coming from the east. It's a subtle problem, but once it is noticed, it is jarring & disruptive. Also, some of your trees near the coasts are falling into the sea, particularly in the southern reaches of the map.

Other than that, great map. The Shadow Police will now be silent.

[ravells]

lol! You spotted the lighting mismatch! I was wondering when someone would! I only noticed it after I finished the map (that was a 'doh!' moment and a half I can tell you)....and was hoping I could sneak it through....I think we need shadow police badge!

::edit:: actually I didn't even think of the light source for the embedded text....you are indeed a master!

[Ascension]

Eltar by Fragless is one of those maps that belongs in the Hall of Fame so if you never get there then don't beat yourself up about it. If you were to copy his mountains then everyone would say "hey those look like his" and you'd end up doing something different anyway.

[ravells]

No! I want his mountains! I want them.... I want them, I WANT THEM, I tell 'ee!

If I could draw mountains like that, I'd just draw them all day....I wouldn't make maps...I'd just draw the mountains.... which reminds me of this Steve Martin joke:


I couldn't be a woman because I'd play with my breasts all day.

[jfrazierjr]

I have to say, I really like your mountains... I keep wanting to emulate the quick painterly style... but once I get it to it, I am never quite happy and always end up "over" doing it with constant tweaks... Your mountains somewhat remind me of some of Jared(Red Epic)'s work as well as well as several others whose styles I also love I would would not complain about them for one second...

[Magrathean]

Already praised ravells extensively via e-mail, but I'll say it again: this map is absolutely beautiful, more than I was expecting when I requested it. The lighting, as a matter of fact, doesn't bother me at all, even after reading all about the shadow police and examining the map again; guess it's too subtle an issue for me to care (or notice without someone pointing me to it). Or my passive perception skill is very low. Or something.

At any rate, I couldn't possibly be happier with this map. My players are going to love it when I show it to them.

As for Fragless's mountains... yes, they are beautiful, but so is the fact that I can understand a lot of the polish (I think) text scrawled all over the map. And so are ravell's mountains.

[Ramah]

Missed this one when you posted it Ravs. Just spotted it among the thumbnails when checking out RobA's work on that page.

I think it's a great map but I have to say I LOVE your hills on this. If I had to nitpick then I would say that the trees are the weakest part of this - which pains me to say. I think they look less painterly than the rest of it and also, I wish you'd have used the mask layer to select all the trees and painted an opaque green behind them so that the sea and the mountains etc. wouldn't be showing through the foliage. But as I say... nitpicking. I think it's great.

[Jaxilon]

Hey, I'm glad Ramah bumped this because I don't remember seeing it either. This is wonderfully beautiful and there is a lot on here to be proud of. Saved to my inspiration folder as well