The semi-canonical maps of Middle Earth

[ChickPea]

Huh, my mistake. It really looked like it was hand-drawn on paper (well, apart from the title obviously!)

And yup, music is essential, though sadly I can't listen to any at my job, so that's one perk of self-employment. I'm amused you like medieval music. I thought I was the only oddball who listened to that kind of stuff! I play it mostly when I'm reading though, because it's nice background noise that isn't distracting or demanding attention. Can't beat some Gregorian chant or a nice madrigal!

[Abu Lafia]

Great to see you picked up Moria J.! Very cool layout so far. Looking forward how you work around this epic title!
Btw. Conan OST seems to be a great choice to get in the right feeling to draw a map like this. I'm still getting these nostalgic goosebumb feelings of dusk-till-dawn-rpg-sessions, when i hear the drum cue(?) after the "Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis..." intro
Has anybody ever thought about adding something like music recommendations to finished maps for even more immersion?

[J.Edward]

No worries ChickPea. Nope, you're not the only oddball.
I listen to a lot of weird stuff. Not much of it mainstream by any stretch.
I enjoy a good chant or some polyphony every so often.

Thanks Abu. Yep, Conan makes the rounds about every other day. Early morning or late evening.
Basil Paledouris did a great job, which has often been imitated but never exceeded. IMO.
I think that would be pretty cool to add music recommendations though I would concede that peoples' opinions regarding music vary widely.
So what I think would work for one of my pieces might annoy the hell out of someone else.
That or they might have a very hard time even finding the piece of music I would be referring to.

I did some more on the layout and started to put down the final lines. It's a little dark and hard to see right now but that will improve with time.
ME Moria 02b [002].jpg

edit - I just took a look and realized my next update might need to be a bit larger.
Can't really see the lines very well. Sorry about that.

[Abu Lafia]

I think that would be pretty cool to add music recommendations though I would concede that peoples' opinions regarding music vary widely.
So what I think would work for one of my pieces might annoy the hell out of someone else.
That or they might have a very hard time even finding the piece of music I would be referring to.

Yeah i can see that risk too! On the other hand, i guess it's pretty much the same with every aspect of the map "itself", so in the end it would add only one more (though quite unexpected) element to enrich the whole that is to be "judged" by the viewer anyways in the end. ... ok, i just had to assure myself, this whole subforum is indeed titled "Mapmaking Discussion & Philosophy"...phew!

edit - I just took a look and realized my next update might need to be a bit larger.
Can't really see the lines very well. Sorry about that.

Lovely details! The less opaque lines are still visible. But ofc it's always great to see a larger version.

[J.Edward]

Abu - so are you looking for what music a person was listening to while making the piece?
or what a person thinks you should listen to while viewing a piece?

Today was very ambient. Space Staion SOMA - internet radio out of San Fran. Ambient and weird stuff.
Sometimes incredibly annoying but there are some real gems on there.
Toward the end was some Farscape soundtrack stuff.

Mostly done with the line work. A few more bits to do but not much.
Then on to color and tone, light and shadow. Then it might look like something.
Slightly larger this time. Hope the details are visible. Off to read a book.
ME Moria 02b [003].jpg

[J.Edward]

Did some more over the weekend. Still much to do.
The floor color is a placeholder. Much of that will change I think.
ME Moria 02b [004].jpg

[Abu Lafia]

Abu - so are you looking for what music a person was listening to while making the piece?
or what a person thinks you should listen to while viewing a piece?

Today was very ambient. Space Staion SOMA - internet radio out of San Fran. Ambient and weird stuff.
Sometimes incredibly annoying but there are some real gems on there.
Toward the end was some Farscape soundtrack stuff.
[...] Off to read a book.

Hey John, sorry i didn't see your reply earlier. Actually both is interesting but my initial thought was about the latter. In a sourcebook for the german rpg "DSA" ("The Dark Eye", the one Steffen is making those wonderful maps for nowadays) they included a chapter on "Background music recommendations" for the respective setting. I thought the same might be a good idea for maps too, since both (watching maps and imagining a world in a rpg) are pretty similar (hmm, i guess that's why they go so well together XD ) and music can help to underline this process.
Thanks for giving some insight in your playlist...soma.fm seems to be a good choice for some trippy version of Moria

So, to your last update:
It is coming together very nicely. Your linework is splendid as usual (i'm always especially stunned by your cliffs...)! Will there be a hint of the "Watcher in the Water", besides in the title?

[J.Edward]

Will there be a hint of the "Watcher in the Water", besides in the title?

Sorry Abu, I hadn't seen this post.
I'm not sure. That could be interesting. So maybe.
I've been working some long hours so I haven't been able to get to any of my own maps in quite a while. Poor orphans.
Things are settling down a little bit so maybe I will be able to soon.