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[Triceratops]

Hi Guys!
So I've been playing with this idea for a little while. I have a hand drawn sketch and a digital version that is more up to date done with ArcMap.
I'm still figuring out the climate and landforms but the continents are in the right place I think. With the northern ones not getting high enough latitude to really see super cold but the south will see months of darkness and cold weather.
IMG_0003 1.JPG
NewWorldWinkelTripel.jpg

[Triceratops]

So I decided to draw this out on 22"x28" poster board.
This is the preliminary. Its my first time drawing landforms.
IMG_0004 2.JPG

[Azélor]

Are you working with a Winkel tripel projection? Because if this is the whole world, the mountains look too large in my opinion.

[arsheesh]

Is there a reason that the mountain ranges on the western continent look stylistically different from the ones on the eastern continent?

[Triceratops]

I realize my mountains are too big. And the different in style is unintentional and probably a result of my being better at drawing horizontal mountains than vertical ones. This is my first by-hand attempt so I'm still figuring out how to do landforms. I also don't have markers that can blend. Soon enough though.
Here's the finished one. Did it in about 6 hours.
IMG_0005 1.JPG

[Triceratops]

Ok, here are my final draft of the tectonic boundaries. Triangles for subduction zones, double lines for divergent zones and solid for transform.
Screen Shot 2015-08-16 at 11.32.26 AM.png
From here I generated more realistic mountain ranges and the southeast canyon.
Screen Shot 2015-08-16 at 3.27.26 PM.png

[Pixie]

Sorry to say this (and please apologize the bluntness), but your tectonics don't make sense. Did you try to imagine those boundaries in a sphere? Here's one way to envision what you have and try to make it work: draw the map as a plain projection (equirectangular), then upload to "map to globe" : http://maptoglobe.bitbucket.org

Really, have a go at it. Tectonics isn't the easiest part and if you're not up to put in enough effort, there's no shame in bypassing it (but glory is for those who brave it )

[Chashio]

For a first time, or even a few more, you're doing quite a good job with the drawing, etc. I like your landmasses and the colored version - even without blending. Have you done other artwork besides maps?

[Triceratops]

Pixie, I have only laid out the major boundaries, I haven't gone into the minor stuff yet, that's why they aren't all connected. I did map out plates themselves but it got too messy and didn't look good. Your maps are amazing by the way. How long did it take you to lay them out on Maward?
I want my continents to be closing in on the central sea. I also want the southern continent to be pulling away from the rest of the world. To lay them out I places the massive mountain ranges where I want them, along with a canyon in the south. Then I imagined what kind of mountains they were, then tried to map out the major boundaries that would cause them. Any suggestions on a technique?

Chashio, thanks. My background is with existing Earth data, and data analysis. Hand drawing maps for Pathfinder is the only drawing experience I have. I want to develop it though. I want to draw and colour by hand for game night but will eventually want to move to something like Illustrator, but not until I can actually draw things well.

[Pixie]

One question at a time...

... it took me AGES to get Maward right, and each time I look at it I just sigh at how poor it is. It's damn hard to get things right if you have the land masses before you define the plates correctly.

... the only technique there is is to add small bits at a time and always go through the effort of thinking through all its implications. For example, if you move an oceanic ridge away from the middle of that ocean, you need to make a subduction limit to explain where some of the oceanic crust went. Or, if you place a mountain making boundary, you might need to place a divergent boundary opposite (in spherical terms) or you can decide on having a small plate, no longer growing. Basically, every line is tentative until you work out all implications.

... for example, here's a suggestion to make that central sea a closed ocean, subducted from every side, in which I tried to respect as much as possible the coastlines you have. It's a very rough draft, but each of those lines will have implication on the opposite direction. You can only work that out drawing in a sphere or using g.plates (if you have a geography background, g.plates is actually a better choice).
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