July / Aug '18 Lite Challenge: Castle Presyow

[QED42]

I started on last month's lite challenge but never ended up posting anything as I couldn't get it to work how I wanted so to try to make sure I finish this month I'll post something up now in the hope it makes me keep going.

### Latest WIP ###
summerwinter2.png

It's going okay so far but I'm not sure how to do highlights on snow! If anyone has any suggestions on how to do that I'd love to hear them

[Bogie]

Welcome to the chalenge QED42, looks like an interesting way to do 2 seasons.

[Greason Wolfe]

The subtle gray seems to be working okay. You could also use a very subtle hint of pale blue. Also the snow might be a little reflective of surrounding colors ( from buildings, walls, etc) but you will have to keep those subtle as well, and experiment a little bit to see if you like the way it looks.

[jshoer]

I think you've got the right idea. The idea of adding some blue-gray is a good one, especially for areas where the snow itself casts shadows. Some other things to keep in mind: snow falls on top of existing topography, so it will not only follow the existing contours but it will tend to smooth them out; also, snow drifts in the wind, so you'll get it blowing up against buildings.

[ChickPea]

Cool idea! Interested to see your next update.

[QED42]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions everyone. I've added some blue to the snow shadows and that really helps it pop but I'm still unsure about highlights.

### Latest WIP ###
summerwinter5.png

[Tonquani]

Hey QED42, this is looking nice. Have you considered rotating the stone texture on your walls so that it lies along the walls?

[elboe]

I really like this concept for showing the seasons. I agree with Tonquani that the stone texture would work better if it followed the walls. I think overall, adding more texture would make the map "pop" better. Not too much but the roofs could have more to match the style of the stone on the walls. The grass and snow could get some texture as well, but not necessarily all over, maybe just in the shadow areas. The sunshine washes out the detail but it's more visible in the shaded areas. I hope this helps, looks good so far. Good luck.

[QED42]

Hey QED42, this is looking nice. Have you considered rotating the stone texture on your walls so that it lies along the walls?

Thanks for the suggestion, unfortunately I wasn't really using a texture as such, more the mosaic function in gimp and I don't have the original saved to redo the walls. I shall remember this tip for my next map though!

I really like this concept for showing the seasons. I agree with Tonquani that the stone texture would work better if it followed the walls. I think overall, adding more texture would make the map "pop" better. Not too much but the roofs could have more to match the style of the stone on the walls. The grass and snow could get some texture as well, but not necessarily all over, maybe just in the shadow areas. The sunshine washes out the detail but it's more visible in the shaded areas. I hope this helps, looks good so far. Good luck.

Thanks for the suggestions but I think we might be reaching the limit of my abilities as well as running out of time for the challenge.

I've finally stopped procrastinating and got an update for everyone! I'm a bit happier with the highlights on the snow now and I've added a courtyard as well.

### Latest WIP ###
summerwinter7.png

[elboe]

I really like the changes. The stone floor courtyard, shadows and brighter green add good contrast. It's looking good.