The other day I wanted to work on a relatively quick map project and learn some new techniques. I decided to make a map of Block Island, a real-world location off the coast of Rhode Island, but re-imagined it as a volcanic island (for those that aren't familiar, the real Block Island is mostly flat). I'm not quite sure if this is finished or not, but maybe you guys can help me decide.

I put this together using Wilbur (and Waldronate's great tutorials) and detailed it in Gimp.

All of the place names are unchanged from the real island with the exception of the fictional Mount Manisses, though Manisses is the Niantic name for the island. I like how it looks with a limited amount of settlement, but I also think it would look good with more farms and buildings in the southeast. Every other bit of land in Southern New England is well settled, so I guess more settlement would be consistent for the region. Then again there aren't any mountains in Southern New England...

I'm not sure if I like the sand color that I chose, especially around Sachem Pond. Maybe I'll tone that down a little. I also was considering increasing the intensity of the hillshading to bring out the terrain a little more, but the subtle look might be better. I guess there's only one way to find out!

BlockIsland.png