WIP Central Simeria

[- Max -]

@Fabio : no flags/shields planned on this map Though they would be on the political map but I'm not sure of that.

[madbird-valiant]

This is beautiful, is it based off anywhere in the real world? It looks a bit like the Italian peninsula.

[- Max -]

Thanks Madbird, no it isn't based on real world.

[- Max -]

New update with sea labels added an some slight details on the grid. I think the physical big map is now done. Next steps will be to work on the side maps.

WIP9.jpg

[generalhead]

Awesome progression. I wish you would have done a more in-depth tutorial
showing all the tools and techniques that you used. I agree that it is a tad dark.
I don't know if you could have put a white layer on the very bottom and then lowered the opacity by
a few percent on the other layers. Beautiful work.

[Wingh]

Very nice progression.
I know I am a novice but if I can criticize you, I think you did not work enough on the lakes. They do not have the same paper texture as the rest of the map.

And could you tell us about the names on this map ? As it is a personal project that is telling a story, do you invent the names while doing cartography or did you have a paper daft on which the names were written ? If I can sum up my question, I would say : what is the level of creativity you achieve by doing the map ? What was fixed at the beginning : shape, names, mountains, rivers... ? Thanks for answering !

[Lingon]

As gorgeous as it looks, I have to say I don't understand the grid If it goes from 0 degrees north to 180 degrees north, the pole should be in the middle of the map, but the grid looks like it's from an equirectangular projection. Of course, if this isn't a round world, I guess it doesn't matter, but if it is, something odd is going on

I agree with Wingh on the lakes, by the way, you seem to have forgotten to give them texture!

[- Max -]

Thanks guys.
@ Generalhead : that's probably true, I gave the map a slightly more light
@Whing : Nothing was really fixed at the beginning. I started to draw the overall shape then put reliefs. Regarding reliefs, I added rivers. Names came at the last, invented while making the map.
@ Whing and Lingon : True, a layer was missing (hidden) As for the grid, this wasn't intended as a latitudes/longitudes grid but rather as a four-figure grid reference.

WIP-10.jpg

[Lingon]

Ok, the grid makes more sense then. Personally, I'd have gone for normal lat's and long's, but… whatever Lakes are looking better now!

[Diamond]

I think my only criticism so far is that I don't like the lack of definition between the outer gray border and the map itself. To me, it's too soft.