Reply With Quote"artistic talent" is not a term I've dared apply to myself in the past. I had some help with this, with the gradients specifically, and little touches like the coast lines, but the forests, rivers and mountains were painted by me. Still, all the help I received is stuff I'm able to implement myself now, so that's something. It's so nice to have some validation from people who aren't 'morally obligated' to support me, haha.
@tilt and rdanhenry: I see what you guys mean, yeah. I suppose some of it comes down to me knowing a bit more what the landscape is like surrounding the rivers. I justified some of my decisions by saying the land is volcanic in nature, with lots of very rocky ground. That only goes so far though. Such things should probably be illustrated by better definition in the colour gradient, or perhaps cliffs and bluffs, but since I like to consider my maps as 'representative' rather than precise, I was reluctant to make the map too busy. It's something to consider going forwards, though.
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This map was created for a story called Toruichi, which is sort of a Wuxia fantasy story in essence. It's about a wandering traveller who left society behind a few years ago. The backdrop consists of an oppressive regime called the Gallery of Lords ruling the nation through cyclical Warring Seasons, and the story starts with the discovery of a warrior which heralds a greater threat. The story is basically about Toruichi's struggle between helping his people in this fight, or forsaking them the way they forsook him. Unfortunately, the story is currently on hold. I've suffered from depression for 15 years or so and this past year it's gotten very very bad. As a result I've lost pretty much all enjoyment for writing. Which is why I've decided to go back to my roots. I recently spent about £100 on a drawing desk and new art supplies, and I'm going to attempt an A1 hand drawn sketch, so it might take a while! But hand drawn maps are closest to my heart, so I'm hoping it kickstarts my passion and creativity again.
