WIP World Map Workshop - Free Winds

[fullmetalpegasus]

Good evening everyone! I received a suggestion to post a WIP thread for my project and I will take the sage advice. Attached below is my incomplete map for a table RP game we're trying to get released in a few months. There's obviously a lot to do with it and it's not finished, however, I thought it best to leave it up for early suggestions and as a base reference if I needed to ask anything specific. I will be updating it as time goes on and I'd like to thank everyone in advance for posting tutorials, critiques, and sharing their own maps.

NOTE, North is approximately at 305 degrees (diagonal, top left corner).

As of 13 August 2017
Free Winds Page Map.jpg

Changelog:
Put a bunch of hills and mountains into it
Established one of the main forests, changed my mind about orientation (top down or...) so looks half-and-half
Researching altitudes, much of the landmasses are like plates on a slant - How best to depict this?
Scolded husband for wanting common trope of two continents framing a cluster of islands... can't change his mind (sigh).

[Falconius]

It might pay off to put the landmasses in perspective too, but it might not. It looks pretty good to me. Abu Lafia has some amazing land form works which you may be able to draw technique from, such as this one. And of course there are quite a few others but I can't recall specific examples ATM.

I am curious about the canal that is cut through the southern continent. What sort of thing could justify the expense and effort of building a canal when there doesn't seem to be any real advantage to having it? You could just sail up either side of the that island, and since you have a sea passage in the middle there... There were ancient canals or at least plans for them that were made, but they always had dramatic time saving effects, as do our modern ones (the Panama and Suez canals, which are in competition with one another, and save the trip around gigantic continents). Alternatively canals provide passage to places boats could not ordinarily get to (the St, Lawrence Seaway).

[XCali]

Nice job so far. I particularly like the way you did your forest. It has a LOT of character.

Just before I go o babbling, to be clear, simple colors can work brilliantly. So then, having said that, I wanted to know if you plan on coloring the map? (If you do, it would save a lot of trouble if your landmass, without the moutains and forests and stuff is on its on layer(sheet). It helps in how you place your textures(patterns) without too much hassle.) BUT again, that is a suggestion for IF you color your map.

[XCali]

glitched message, sorry! And I can't seem to delete it. Hmmm.

[fullmetalpegasus]

It might pay off to put the landmasses in perspective too, but it might not. It looks pretty good to me. Abu Lafia has some amazing land form works which you may be able to draw technique from, such as this one. And of course there are quite a few others but I can't recall specific examples ATM.

I am curious about the canal that is cut through the southern continent. What sort of thing could justify the expense and effort of building a canal when there doesn't seem to be any real advantage to having it? You could just sail up either side of the that island, and since you have a sea passage in the middle there... There were ancient canals or at least plans for them that were made, but they always had dramatic time saving effects, as do our modern ones (the Panama and Suez canals, which are in competition with one another, and save the trip around gigantic continents). Alternatively canals provide passage to places boats could not ordinarily get to (the St, Lawrence Seaway).

Thank you! I'll check it out as soon as I can. As for the canal, it's part of the world lore. It was created by a spiteful god to prevent the forest from growing over to other lands (There is just not currently a forest depicted on that cut off form). Eventually, to recover the connection, a different god put bridges across the span and left the canal in the bottom open all the way through. On top of those massive bridges is a city which seems as solid as any other. The city there was nicknamed "The Floating City" and the areas below on the cliff faces were bored out, built into, and such, by people. That became the undercity.

It doesn't always make sense but this is a fantasy map and the "country" represented there is such a massive city that that's really all the land it controls. To the left will be Albion and to the right Vaderland.

Nice job so far. I particularly like the way you did your forest. It has a LOT of character.

Just before I go o babbling, to be clear, simple colors can work brilliantly. So then, having said that, I wanted to know if you plan on coloring the map? (If you do, it would save a lot of trouble if your landmass, without the moutains and forests and stuff is on its on layer(sheet). It helps in how you place your textures(patterns) without too much hassle.) BUT again, that is a suggestion for IF you color your map.

Thanks! And don't worry about your post. Husband and I need to make this map in grayscale because we can't afford the color print it will eventually get. I have a background as an illustrator so I know there's a lot of great things I can do with color but for now.... it's gotta be black and white.