Krak des Chevaliers

[Barny]

That's the seventh map I produced, but only the second I post here, since the remaining ones are either experiments, or not-up-to-the-standard ones. With this map I aimed:

- to create something moderately quickly, since my last map took a while to make (achieved)
- restraining myself to create a black and white map (failed)
- to learn how to draw a decent compass rose (semi-achieved)
- to learn how to draw a nice picture frame (epic fail[ed])
- to learn how to draw nice inner frames (epic fail[ed])

So it changed a lot since the inception of the idea. As always, all comments (and constructive criticism) are welcome!

006_krak_de_chevaliers_lowres.jpg

[Blaidd Drwg]

I like it a lot! Even if you didn't achieve all your goals.
The only thing I would consider changing is the greyish circles under the numbers. They overlap some of the walls etc. In general, I'd say, try to stay away from having labels overlap edges in your drawing.

[Barny]

Thanks for your reply!

In fact I thought everybody dislikes this map, hence the lack of replies. Since I found this community pretty polite, I thought everybody just felt "meh" and didn't want to comment on it.

Regarding to your recommendation:

The only thing I would consider changing is the greyish circles under the numbers. They overlap some of the walls etc. In general, I'd say, try to stay away from having labels overlap edges in your drawing.

Yeah, I'm not happy with this either, nevertheless I couldn't really figure out a proper way to do it. E.g. if you check locations #1 or #20, it's too small to fit the label within.

[Josiah VE]

Just because nobody commented on it doesn't mean no one likes it! People miss things. I happened to miss it too.
It's a great map! The layout is nice and showing the expansions throughout the ages is really neat.

[Abu Lafia]

Hey Barny, this is a really fine castle map! I like it a lot. How did you plan to make the map in b&/w? I think with depicting the different expansions of a castle it works often better with colours, since otherwise i guess you'd need to depict it with different kinds of hatching? For the frames, did you plan to hand-draw them? Otherwise there is a ton of lovely free frame-elements out there in the webs you could use...
Some months ago, i was thinking about mapping the "Krak" too (or Akko or Alamut ). What plan did you use as a source if i can ask?
Keep up the great work!

EDIT: I totally agree with Josiah here, sometimes one needs a bit of patience. I can speak only for myself, but it often depends on my general mood, whether i comment on a map or not, and not commenting generally doesn't mean that i don't like the map(s)! Often, i feel a bit overwhelmed (especially after a longer hiatus from the CG) by too many new maps.

[ThomasR]

I think you achieved something that would definitely look well (and be useful) on an archeological site, so kudos for that, that's not easy.

The map is clear and readable. The simple few colors really help understand the history of the stronghold and I really love that compass rose of yours. Simple yet efficient and elegant.

Adding a frame would be easy, you could use the title and add a simple medieval frise just by expanding a little bit the size of your sheet.

That's a good map

[Matthew VE]

This is a very nice map, Barny! I really like the simplicity of the map: it only shows what it has to. As thomrey said, perfect for an archeological site, or something similar.
The compass rose is awesome! I would definitely say you achieved that.

The castle itself is super cool, I also love how you show the expansions.

Overall great job!

[Barny]

Thanks for the replies and for the feedback!

How did you plan to make the map in b&/w? I think with depicting the different expansions of a castle it works often better with colours, since otherwise i guess you'd need to depict it with different kinds of hatching? For the frames, did you plan to hand-draw them? Otherwise there is a ton of lovely free frame-elements out there in the webs you could use...
Some months ago, i was thinking about mapping the "Krak" too (or Akko or Alamut ). What plan did you use as a source if i can ask?

Regarding to the b&w map, I realized later that expansion of "KdC" is pretty well documented, therefore it would be worthwhile to mark it somehow. So I switched to colours, since as you mention, easier to mark the expansion. Actually, I used different sources, some archeological documents and whatnot, as well as brochures (possibly from the visitor center). It's been a while since I collected these stuff, am happy to upload it somewhere if you are interested in it. Although the castle is pretty well documented, I couldn't really find any high-res materials, so decided to create one.

About the frame; sure, I saw that many is available for free, nevertheless I try to do everything by myself to learn / develop my skills. However,as the map progressed, I felt that a "frame free" approach suits better.

Again, thanks for your replies!

EDIT: Yay, I don't need pre-approval anymore for my posts!

[damonjynx]

Hey Barny, I saw your map, and many others that I've liked, but didn't have anything useful to say so didn't offer a comment. The number of maps that get posted here make it a bit hard to comment on every single one - it'd almost be a full time job.