The Ganador thread - really digging down on details

[XCali]

Hi Caenwyr! That sea sure is lovely! I'm enjoying how this one is coming along.

Can I suggest something. The cast shadows on the buildings are done really well. You have a good eye for that. One thing I would suggest is adding core shadows(dark small shadows) to the buildings, as it is now, they don't really pop very much and the core shadows would make them pop very nicely.
Like for example you are using core shadows for your ocean already and it makes that thing look like it is climbing out of the image, which is awesome.

Btw, your island top right looks like it is floating for some reason. Can't really point out why at the moment.

All, said, good job so far.

[Caenwyr]

One thing I would suggest is adding core shadows(dark small shadows) to the buildings, as it is now, they don't really pop very much and the core shadows would make them pop very nicely.

Jeebus XCali, you're entirely right! I hadn't noticed that lack of a core shadow yet, but now I can't unsee it (lol, this must be new, I can't unsee the absence of something ).

Okay, I did a test with a first bunch of buildings near the centre. It's not even that hard, I think I should be able to work in the effect in less than an hour. Is this what you had in mind? You were talking about the dropshadows, right? Not the shading on the roofs themselves?

Btw, your island top right looks like it is floating for some reason. Can't really point out why at the moment.

I know! I'll add some "anchoring" shadowing here and there, that should take care of it. By the way, there will be more islands in the palest spots, I just didn't draw them (yet) since I plan to add a big legend and title box in the right part of the map. Bits and pieces that happen to poke from the sides of that box will appear eventually.

Also, I added the first two ships! Unlike the core shadows, this work I very much underestimated. Phew! Linework is one thing, but shading is quite another. Shading a ship really requires a bit more insight in shapes and forms than shading a house, which is basically a box. But, it worked out pretty well I think! No core shadows yet, but these will follow shortly.

By the way! Anyone with a bit of an eye for detail will notice that the two ships already visible are actually two copies of the same ship. Flipped and rotated and with sails added to one, but still. Shading helps in making them look different (one rides quite a bit deeper than the other!), and adding sails helps too. Plus, once all the other ships and boats and sloops and whatnot are added too, you shouldn't be able to easily spot two (or three, four?) copies of the same ship. Or at least, I hope! Because I don't plan on drawing a bazillion different ship plans!

Ganador - Sahwyn Island (15).jpg

Any remarks on the core shadow, the ship(s) or any other detail? Just yell!

[RobEm]

This is looking amazing! I love the ships and wanted to share some thoughts I had. The level of detail on the ships is great but, because of this, they appear to have a slightly higher level of realism than the area around them; the ship trails a wake and spray kicks off her bows, but there are no waves on the millpond-flat surface of the water, no surf crashes around the base of the tower, despite there being wind enough to fill her sails, and this stillness means the shadow of the ship is crisp, rather than being scattered by the movement of the water and softened by light reflected from the sea's floor. At least the approaching ship looks friendly, which may be just as well for the captain of the ship at anchor; if she had to defend the settlement, could she make the tight turns around the jetties to get out of the harbour?

[bkh1914]

I bet that ship has twin diesels and the sails are just a disguise.

But you bring up a very valid point, RobEm.
Most fantasy map makers have no boating experience.
They put ships where they look pretty, just like everyone else does.
Do they have room to maneuver? Who cares as long as they look cool.
And the thing that I find most annoying is that docks along rivers usually jut straight out into the river so that the boats are moored broadside to the current.

No offense Caenwyr, your map looks excellent.
I'm just doing a minor vent and it happens to be in your thread.

[Tonquani]

This is looking fantastic. The vibrant colours and shading are superb.

A couple of minor things that stick out to me...
The transition from sand to sea on the small sandy island seems a bit sudden, like it gets to the edge of the water and then drops away vertically. Maybe some sort of texture that quickly fades as you move away from the edge...
Also, there are quite a few chimneys that are missing their shadows.

Otherwise it is looking stunning. I especially like the new core shadows.

[Caenwyr]

Most fantasy map makers have no boating experience.
They put ships where they look pretty, just like everyone else does.
Do they have room to maneuver? Who cares as long as they look cool.

No no, you're absolutely right! As much as I like places (and stories) with sailing vessels, I don't really know much about them, so I can use any input you have. Doesn't mean I'm gonna adapt this map (I'm lazy, and it's still just a practice map!), but I'll learn something I can use in future maps.

The level of detail on the ships is great but, because of this, they appear to have a slightly higher level of realism than the area around them

Yeah I plead guilty... I still have to add some detail to the roofs but I got so bored with them that I basically dropped that. Might still pick it up after all the ship business, but no promises!

The transition from sand to sea on the small sandy island seems a bit sudden, like it gets to the edge of the water and then drops away vertically. Maybe some sort of texture that quickly fades as you move away from the edge...
Also, there are quite a few chimneys that are missing their shadows.

Thanks for those inputs! I think I tackled the transition of the island, and I'll check out the chimneys for sure!

Here another update by the way! Some more ships and dinghies of all sorts and sizes!

Ganador - Sahwyn Island (16).jpg

[Caenwyr]

OK! I managed to continue work on this map for a little longer, and I have now supplied each of the houses on the waterfront with their own dinghy. Some are away on some errand of course. There's also a number of flat-bottomed ferries, a sprinkle of larger, more luxurious craft and even a rather large junk! I also added a splash of paint to the ships that were already there.

Ganador - Sahwyn Island (17).jpg

Also, I toyed a bit with a texture to the roofs! the building block in the south of the map show what I have in mind. Does this look decent to you guys?

[ThomasR]

That's really impressive but, what fool am I to think you'll deliver less than awesome ?

[Caenwyr]

That's really impressive but, what fool am I to think you'll deliver less than awesome ?

Oh stop it you, now you're just trying to make me blush *flutters eyelashes*

Seriously though, thanks for saying that! I'm still slaving away at this piece though: drawing sailing vessels, while great fun, is incredibly slow work! While adding a house (well the roof of a house) takes mere seconds, drawing, colouring and shading a ship of the same size easily takes an hour, often more if you want to get all the shadows right. And boy are there a lot of shadows. But really, it's a fun process, and I'm experimenting with several tricks to minimize the work little by little. I only just discovered you can use the "Symmetry options" function in Photoshop to draw one half of a ship, and Photoshop automatically (and immediately!) draws the other half as you go along. This basically doubles my drawing speed, so that's awesome.

Okay! This update doesn't seem to differ much from the previous one, but I can tell you there's like 5 hours of work between the two!

Ganador - Sahwyn Island (18).jpg

Bonus points for the first one to point out a ship with a bit of a problem!

[RobEm]

Bonus points for the first one to point out a ship with a bit of a problem!

Running aground on shoals is bad enough, but a ship wreck in full view of the town, with children whooping and jeering from the quay, would be so much worse!

The map is looking fantastic, I'm loving the stories that it is generating!