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Even moutains looks too computer generated, which is true, they are like your map : pure and simple. A very nice, readable and clean work!
Great map! I love all aspects of it. I really like the nautical feel it has with the rhumb lines. I have a question about your technique: How did you do the squiggly, broken up lines that emanate from the coasts? It looks awesome and I'd like to do something like that on my maps.
"If only Dionysus were alive! Where would he eat?"
Even moutains looks too computer generated, which is true, they are like your map : pure and simple. A very nice, readable and clean work!
In the process of appropriating the coastlines for your own nefarious purposes, is there a particular reason that you couldn't protect the coastline near the Gaedal Highlands from the decorative art box, in the upper left corner of the map?
I wanted to do something else, this afternoon, in fact, but you had to go and post this map, before I could get involved with other things. Damn your hide, for that!
Other than that confounded and unwarranted penetration by that decorative ship at sea art box that I mentioned before, what I don't like about this map is the faded text labels in Kingdom of Fulgaria and Kingdom of Vasia. It simply added nothing of value to the map, from my perspective.
I also wish that you had mixed it up a bit, with icons used to represent population centers. I think that, if you had done that, then the map would better facilitate leaving the viewer with the impression that different cultures populate the different kingdoms of this realmworld.
The border, itself, I wish that it where more vivid, rather than washed and faded.
Rivers are always a tough one, and this map is testimony to that fact.
Those things aside, this is, nonetheless, a very pretty lady that accompanies you to this guild. Very pretty, indeed!
Your choice of font, I give a big thumbs up to. It would be nice, if there were other fonts present, again to emphasize the different cultures that undoubtedly populate the various landmasses and islands. But, all things considered, the choice that you made is a velvet one. The text of ANGLOVIA just reaches out and grabs my eye. It projects power.
My favorite part of the map, I think, is the text label of The Holy See. Just a nice touch, I think - a possible link between our world and this one that is depicted.
The seas and ocean of this map are superb. Your decision of where to curve the text and where to leave it in pure horizontal form is not one that I dare take issue with. Collectively, it's just superb! No, really - superb!
The small copyright in the bottom right corner lacks ornament, but to its good credit, it doesn't manifest itself as an eyesore that detracts from the beauty of what the human eye is blessed with beholding, where this map is concerned.
Your color selection is easy on the eye, as it should be. Some color highlighting of the kingdom borders would enable the political elements of this map to garner their fair share of attention, but even still, the map is just lovely to behold.
The mountains pass muster, and serve the purpose. They wouldn't be my first choice, but in spite of such, I must confess, they certainly do not qualify as a bad choice. If anything, they help to keep the map simple and tidy.
God, I love your depiction of the seas and bays! I truly do.
You have named your children, these assortment of place locations, richly. Bravo! I applaud your efforts. Belmarkt. Atragal. Tianese City-States. Gaedal highlands. And, of course, the Kingdom of Anglova. The Gulf of Bel. The Silver Sea. The Sea of Iramy. All just lovely.
I wonder what tales men have of The Cleaver, though? Much tragedy is associated with that name, I suspect.
The way that those lines emanate so near to where you have labeled The Holy See, it makes your use of that label seem to be all the more significant. A small thing, in the overall scheme of things, and one that I'm not altogether sure that you intended. Nonetheless, it works very well for me and my eyes.
And I would be remiss, if I failed to make mention of the crisp contrast line that you opted to go with for your coastlines. A strong claim to contrast this choice has, and to ice this cake of visual contrast, you also added the multiple lines in the coastal waters, themselves. Nor did you forget to add this very same water effect to your interior lakes, even the really small ones. By this, I am most pleased.
You did well, my friend!
The broken up lines around the coasts were actually not too difficult. I did several basic selection-->expand-->fill-->stroke of the land layer, then merged all the resulting rings layers, then changed the style to 'dissolve'. It kept the inner ring fairly solid and broke up the outer ones. Purely accidental discovery made by just screwing around with stuff in photoshop.Originally Posted by JiveMiguel
@GrimFinger: The title box covers up part of the Highlands because I couldn't be arsed to expand the map canvas so it wouldn't do that.
The fade-out on some of the names and mt icons was done to kind of go with the fading of the border/outer edges of the map, trying to convey an effect of edge-fading over time. A failed experiment, I concede.
Hmm, I played around a little with this and couldn't get the same great effect you have. When you say changed the style to dissolve, do you mean on the layers palette? Or is it a filter that I can't seem to find. I'm using Photoshop CS3.
"If only Dionysus were alive! Where would he eat?"
It's in layers palette (blending modes). Or you can have a similar effect with the filter diffuse.
Yep, in the layers palette.
Oh, BTW, working on a new version of this with different mountains, different city symbols, and a much bigger map size (since I have a brand-spankin-new computer that can handle huge file sizes - I hope).
In thumbnail view that map was quite promising, but in full sight for me it's ruined by inconsistent design.
It doesn't matter if you like those mountains. They don't fit to the overall style of the map (not steampunk and not napoleonic at all).
The scale bar doesn't fit as well.
The border may be better if you just scale it down to 70 % or even 50 %. So it will get sharpness.
I like the river endings. The coastline design fits well with the headline graphics.
The typeface is nice. There could be more final work on the spacing.
Last edited by Freehand 5.5; 01-18-2013 at 11:34 PM.
I beg to differ with you. The only person I was trying to please with this map was myself, and I succeeded, mostly. It wasn't done as a commission, and the only person that had to like it, did. The map itself is not steampunk (although how would you describe a 'steampunk map'?) nor is the map itself Napoleonic. The setting is.It doesn't matter if you like those mountains. They don't fit to the overall style of the map (not steampunk and not napoleonic at all).
The scale bar doesn't fit as well.
The scale bar, I'll grant you. It's ugly.
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