WIP mapping style advice needed

[ukie]

updates WIP

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kxr3ggej3a...andia.jpg?dl=0

[ukie]

Any thoughts?

[Chick]

You have a really fine map going here!! I like the colors, the coastlines are excellent, the rivers and lakes look good, nice labeling, everything.

I have two suggestions.

1. Don't use the same texture across the ocean and land. I really like the texture for the ocean, but you can see where the same texture crosses the coastline boundary and that looks wrong. Choose something similar but noticeably different for the land texture.

2. Add a narrow region of lighter blue to your ocean along the shorelines to suggest shallower water. If that lighter blue also runs up the rivers, that's ok, or you can avoid that as you prefer.

Overall, an outstanding job!


PS. I think you would get more attention and comments if you would upload your images to CG rather than dropbox. I know I don't usually follow links to other sites like that, and it's nice if the image shows directly in the thread where people are likely to comment on it.

[ukie]

Thanks for the advice chick I'll get on it. Also still need to put mountains and forests (tedious work )

Here is another version of the same map, also a WIP. Had to down size it to 50% of the original size to fit:

[Chick]

Nice! You have a few lakes that need outlets to the sea, but otherwise your rivers look good. If it were me, I'd make the colors a little less vivid, desaturate the whole map a little to make it less intense.

What did you use to make your forests? I like how the rivers and forests touch without either seeming to interfere with the other.

[ukie]

Thanks, I might tone it down once everything is in place. Especially to take care of glare problem which Midgardsormr pointed out.
I even considered turning it in for 2015 challenge if its ready

For forest I use PS Layer styles: Drop shadow on color burn, outer glow (tree color), Outer bevel / Smooth, Color Overlay same tree color. Coupled with dirt brushes it gives forest a sense of vegetation spray right outside of forest limit.

I could do a quick tut if more people are interested.

P.S. Considering lakes, Is it necessary to connect them to the sea? I might be totally wrong but I always thought lakes does not connect to the ocean otherwise it's called a lagoon. But once again I might be totally wrong...

[Chick]

I'd love to see a tutorial on those forests, and right now the Monthly Challenge is to make a tutorial, so you'll never have a better time to do it

Lakes (with the rare exception of desert lakes that evaporate as fast as they fill) all have some kind of outlet that runs eventually to the sea. Not talking lagoons, just a river that leaves the lake ... it may run into another river, or directly to the sea, but in any case, the water has to leave the lake, flowing downhill (however far) until it reaches the sea. So just give each lake an outlet river that flows into whatever else is in that watershed.

[Akubra]

Hi there, just a quick thought on those lakes, if I may. Lakes that do not have an outlet (through a river or underground) are called endorheic lakes. If you're interested you can read up on it here. As Chick pointed out they are quite rare and they mainly form in desert regions. But still, you can find some large ones on Earth. The area where your lakes are situated looks very green and well watered, so an endorheic lake in such an area really looks out of place. Oh, by the way, very nice map indeed!
Cheers - Akubra