My First Proper Map

[The Lazy One]

Yeah, I used SAI to do the linework then painted everything in photoshop, except the land and see colours which were gradients, though also done in photoshop.

Interesting! Why the choice of SAI over photoshop itself? is it better for linework? In what regards?
Always curious about alternatives!

Jack

[Carnifex]

Great colors and a nice map. Especially for a first map! Repped!

However, your rivers are very strange.
I will try to explain how rivers could be placed in a good way.
* Generally try to place rivers do they run fairly straight from mountains/high land to the sea.
* Try not to let the rivers pass near another body of water.
* Try not to pass through or too near a hilly region. Rivers generally run away from hills - seldom through.
* Connect to the sea in the innermost place of a bay.

[MapHatter]

Thank you for the tips, Carnifex I will take them into consideration on my next map. What are the conditions which might be needed for a river to pass through hills? I've visited several in recent years that run through hilly countryside, so I'm curious about what would cause them to err away from their usual behaviour. I would imagine given their usual fondness for avoiding hills that they might only be likely to pass through hills if there are 'easy' paths through valleys and gullys directly between the sea and their source?

I have no great reasons for choosing SAI, Lazy One. That's the program I first started using to test out line work in general, and I just end up preferring it. I like the curve tool. It removes the need for me to have a steady hand, but to be honest, I am trying to remove SAI from my process because I feel the coastlines can sometimes end up seeming a little too uniform, if that makes sense. There's no particular reason I didn't use Photoshop to line the coasts, other than my familiarity being with SAI at the time. That said, SAI is a pretty solid alternative, I feel. Lining can be a lot quicker, in my experience, but I'm not practised at using graphic tablets just yet, so the ease of SAI's line tools just means it's a quicker, smoother process, I suppose.

[ChickPea]

Fantastic first map, beautifully drawn and coloured. The only thing I can nitpick about is the large labels and how they overlap other elements, particularly the rivers. The semi-opacity makes them less clear than they could be. If you'd like to do some homework, take a look at the PDF in this comment. It outlines what are generally considered 'best practices' for labelling (though, of course, rules are made to be broken!)

Excellent map though, and looking forward to your next one (but no pressure!!)

[Galendae]

Excellent map! I assume the "River Police" have set him straight?

[cytraveler]

It's a beautiful map MapHatter. I especially love the colors you've chosen. Keep making maps, but don't worry whether the next one will be better - just keep going!