Arandie's Territory

[Aunrae]

Well, hello !

So, it's my first post here, but I was looking around for a long moment now. I've watched a lot of yours, i've learned a lot of you, and, at last, I did something that I do want to show... ! My first one all by myself, from start to end (well, no, actually I took somes brush here and there, and textures too, but... you know... !) I really love doing theses stuffs, map and all, is pretty funny, actually ! So, I want to improve =)

This one was a «do it better» from a paint version with borders and mountain/forests positions that I couldn't change (it is a gift for the DnD GM who played with that world, so I had to stick to the original plan, if I wanted to please him). So yeah, some mountain are pretty weird, too straight, don't fit to any possibility of logistic but... he wasn't a cartographer, anyway =)

So here it is ! Hope I did it well, a little. I kinda like it.

(And please excuse this weird english grammar, i'm speaking french, and I don't have many occasion to write english. I'm sure is pretty awfull. Sorry ! =))

ho6p.png

[arsheesh]

First off, welcome to the Guild! Second, very nice job on this. AI like the use of textures (though in some places it does compete a little with the terrain), and the land masses are quite nice. Look forward to seeing more of your work in the days ahead.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh

[Bogie]

Excellent first map, it looks like you did learn a lot by hanging around here!

[Lyandra]

It's a really nice map, I'm looking forward to seeing more from you.

[jbgibson]

Nice map, and we appreciate you giving us solid contribution right in your first post. That boldness is worth a little reputation, all by itself - and then for the map to look good as well - thank you! Welcome to the Guild!

When one picks fonts, one needs to consider how a fictional mapmaker could have drawn it, if one is simulating an old, hand-drawn map. The title font is pretty, but it appears raised - how would a cartographer do such an effect by hand? Then the smaller font you use is nice and legible... but it appears to be a typewriter font. Would someone have labelled a map rolled into a typewriter? Neither of those is a problem if you are not trying to seem like a true period product.


Too, the raised title lettering seems to be lighted from the northwest, while your mountains seem to be lighted from the southeast. Southeast is a reasonable and possible direction for the sun, if your island is north of the equator... but lighting from the viewer's top left or top right is more conventional. My eyes expect that so strongly that the mountains keep looking like they stick down into the paper, instead of properly upwards - I have to *make* myself see them as raised relief.

Oh, and your English is way better than my French, so no worries :-). I can easily tell what you mean. I do read a *bit* of French - would you mind quoting the inscription at the bottom of the map in a post? The "old" lettering makes it slightly too faded for me to make it out.

Good work - keep it up and show us more, please!