Nostapyrax

[fifty]

Thanks THW! - have you noticed my reduced 'X' building roof lines now

..one thing I know i will have trouble with though is the normal dirt steet areas (still to do) blending into the flagged areas of the squares etc..

I've played around a bit but so far nothing seems to quite work.

[ChickPea]

Wow, the detail is fantastic! I'm in awe.

[fifty]

Thanks ChickPea In many ways I'm probably way off in doing too much detail that'll never show at 'cityscale'

..but personally I've always loved maps that you can sort of 'fall' into, so when I follow the streets around in my mind and look at the buildings I get loads of little stories popping into my head as to who lives there and what's going on. Like street view for the imagination!! lol!!

..and now I know its late and I need to go to bed!!

[ChickPea]

Thanks ChickPea In many ways I'm probably way off in doing too much detail that'll never show at 'cityscale'

I love that you're putting in so much effort to the detail. It gives the viewer the sense that there's always something new to discover round the next corner, and before you know it, an hour of doing nothing but staring at rooftops has gone by!

Looking forward to seeing future updates.

[Ilanthar]

By Fifty
..but personally I've always loved maps that you can sort of 'fall' into, so when I follow the streets around in my mind and look at the buildings I get loads of little stories popping into my head as to who lives there and what's going on. Like street view for the imagination!! lol!!

I fully agree with this view, especially for cities, as I tend to build a fantasy place while I'm mapping it.
Keep up the incredible work on this!

[Wingshaw]

Thanks THW! - have you noticed my reduced 'X' building roof lines now

..one thing I know i will have trouble with though is the normal dirt steet areas (still to do) blending into the flagged areas of the squares etc..

I've played around a bit but so far nothing seems to quite work.

Yeah, big improvement.

As for dirt tracks, I encountered the same issue with my map of Pyrus. What I did was simply create a layer on top of the pavement layer with the dirt-layer settings (I think just a colour overlay and pattern overlay, from memory), paint using a grunge brush, and drop the opacity to ~20% when getting to the areas where the dirt and pavement meet. I'm hoping to upload my latest version of Pyrus today, so you'll be able to see how it works.

THW

[ascanius]

progress continues...

Still surprising me at how long it actually takes to do the draw, then colour, then shade, then highlight - I reckon I probably do about a pizza 8th of the area you see in a week.

I suppose speed isn't helped by the fact I can easily spend all night mucking about with one or two buildings..


But every now and again I look back over a larger area and think - yep - looks ok to me..

First this is inspiring! I've tried my had at city maps and can't really get past the street layout phase. I've found myself doing more or less the same with the continent i'm mapping right now, working on a mountain switch to coasts and ocean so forth.

I did notice that you have towers and walls extending beyond the circular portion of the city that is mostly mapped out. Are you going to extend the city to fill those portions too.

Anyway I look forward to seeing this finished keep up the good work and don't loose your mind with the monotony.

[fifty]

Thanks ascanius

Yep - it is my intention to fill out the other areas of the city too, I know what these areas are like in terms of type of buildings and such but I have no set design for them yet.
I'll be putting some very rough guides in for main streets as I go and hopefully this will add to an 'organic' growth of the city street structure rather than leaving me floundering on design!!

[J.Edward]

This is excellent work Fifty. All of it is good but I am most taken with your use of light and shadow.
You took on a monster job and are doing it like a boss. Keep at it. This is one to watch.

[fabio p]

It's great to see a work slowly taking shape and becoming more and more interesting and detailed. This wip is a great example of what can be achieved with such calm, patience and attention to detail.
In another thread an "yearly challenge topic" is being discussed; and this is a great example of how a lengthy yet careful work could inspire lots of people.
So don't worry if you spend entiere nights on just one building and keep up the good work.