Themystra a late WIP

[ThomasR]

Hi fellows,

I'm starting this WIP thread to help me keep a steady pace on a commission I started on the 18th of october. I'll certainly start another one very soon about another big commission for the very same reason.

Themystra is a regional map for a private tabletop RPG party. The map will be a A3 color map.

Here's the draft from the client :

TuEYnlb.jpg

And some steps already done. The coastal and sea work :

Nic 0.jpgNic 1.jpgNic 2.jpg

The mountains and rivers :

Nic 3.jpgNic 4.jpg

And the forests and revised river system (I went a little overkill in the previous planning) :

Nic 6.jpg

Here I am. As always, feel free to critic and comment, I'll try and post an update later today.

[Abu Lafia]

Wow, you're knee deep in work right now it seems! Another wonderful map in the making Thomas.
Only critique would be, in the latest version, with rivers and forests added, it looks a bit cluttered to me. I love the detailed texture you have for the ocean a lot in itself, but i feel it adds somewhat to that impression. My eyes always wander to this hypnotic coastline and ocean making it hard to focus on other aspects on the map. Have you tried a more "flat" sea in contrast to the many landscape details on the mainland? Looking forward to see it unfold my friend, keep up the great work!

[ThomasR]

Wow, you're knee deep in work right now it seems! Another wonderful map in the making Thomas.
Only critique would be, in the latest version, with rivers and forests added, it looks a bit cluttered to me. I love the detailed texture you have for the ocean a lot in itself, but i feel it adds somewhat to that impression. My eyes always wander to this hypnotic coastline and ocean making it hard to focus on other aspects on the map. Have you tried a more "flat" sea in contrast to the many landscape details on the mainland? Looking forward to see it unfold my friend, keep up the great work!

Knee deep indeed my friend. And thanks for the kind words. You might be right about the sea. I'll have to check with the client as he asked for a more discreet theme. I got carried away but that's easily fixable.

In the meantime, here is the next step. Not much, tree trunks, some marshes and a proposition of border (the other map wore me out).

Nic 7.jpg

[ChickPea]

I see what Abu's saying, but I must admit, I do love your seas and coastlines. They're so dramatic and remind me of a stormy winter's day. (That's got nothing to do with mapping really...)

[ThomasR]

Thanks CP. The client likes it and might use it to motivate his players to reach over the seas and explore a new world (more maps for me ?).

I'm in the (long) process of shading the mountains and I've added fields and swamps.
Nic 9.jpg

As always, feel free to speak your mind.

[ThomasR]

I did it ! I've finished shading my mountains !! ... Now, let's go shade twice as much in the other WIP (Coming in a theater near you "Let's share our hate of mountains" ... SOON !). Joke aside, I'm pretty satisfied of how it turned out as it's my first time shading the mountains with only one layer.

What do you think ?
Nic 10.jpg

[Meton]

Great job! The map altogether is looking beautiful and the shading in the mountains works really well, the work was definitely worth it. I also like the layout of the mountains and rivers, they look really natural.

Also, you encouraged to speak your mind, so I have to say one thing about the coastlines that I've noticed. To my eye all the islands around the landmass are a bit too much all the same size and same distance from the coast, so the natural randomness of shapes and sizes is missing. The coastline of the lamdmass itself is random and diverse and looking good.

[ChickPea]

Mountains are looking good. It's coming together beautifully.

[ThomasR]

Great job! The map altogether is looking beautiful and the shading in the mountains works really well, the work was definitely worth it. I also like the layout of the mountains and rivers, they look really natural.

Also, you encouraged to speak your mind, so I have to say one thing about the coastlines that I've noticed. To my eye all the islands around the landmass are a bit too much all the same size and same distance from the coast, so the natural randomness of shapes and sizes is missing. The coastline of the lamdmass itself is random and diverse and looking good.

Thanks a lot Meton, I work hard to get that natural feeling (even if it's just a feeling )

You're right about the islands, they're way too regularly spaced and that's a big flaw in my work against which I keep fighting. I hope one day I'll reach the right dose of geological chaos

Mountains are looking good. It's coming together beautifully.

Thanks CP, wait for the whole shading to be applied, it might be gorgeous (modesty is overrated).

Here comes an update. I laid out the terrains, hid the rivers under their trees and aded fields. I guess now I'll have to color the land and shade the beast (and maybe tweak the river color).

Nic 11.jpg

[ThomasR]

Global shading and color have been applied. I guess I won't take it further than that ... and I see things to tweak as I write this ... I'll have to let it sink a bit I guess.

Nic 13 post.jpg

Please share your thought on this one.

The next step will be a nice parchment for the title and the labels.