May/June '20 Lite Challenge: The Isles of NoSea

[Caenwyr]

Thanks a lot !

It's very useful to see other's processes ! I'll try your way very soon, but I understand it take a lot of practice to succeed the gradient as you do... I always find difficult to make several strokes side to side and keep the same gradient (Or are you using a broad brush ?... in this case, how can you stay inside the lines of your mountain ?)

I don't use Procreate so this might not work there, but in Photoshop I basically drop some dark colour near the top of the mountain and then smudge it out with a couple quick strokes. Same with white on the other side. This doesn't create seamlessly smooth areas but I don't want those anyway – I want my terrain to look a bit rough. That being said, I too am very curious about kacey's technique!

[kacey]

Thanks a lot !

It's very useful to see other's processes ! I'll try your way very soon, but I understand it take a lot of practice to succeed the gradient as you do... I always find difficult to make several strokes side to side and keep the same gradient (Or are you using a broad brush ?... in this case, how can you stay inside the lines of your mountain ?)

Anyway, your last WIP is just great : some details that gives life to the whole picture ! I find the lighthouses specially a great idea, as the portal... and the ship The whole map is just splendid !

Thanks Jo, I’m glad you like the lighthouses... I generally change the size of the brush depending on the situation, usually I use a smaller brush near the ridge line, and gradually make the size bigger as I go towards the bottom... If you go outside the line just erase a bit.

I don't use Procreate so this might not work there, but in Photoshop I basically drop some dark colour near the top of the mountain and then smudge it out with a couple quick strokes. Same with white on the other side. This doesn't create seamlessly smooth areas but I don't want those anyway – I want my terrain to look a bit rough. That being said, I too am very curious about kacey's technique!

This will definitely work in Procreate, and I just recently found that the brush called peppermint in the sketching section, when set to smudge works really well for this sort of thing, it’s got a slight texture, but still creates a smooth gradient and it’s really fun to use with the tilt support on the Apple Pencil.

I think I’m pretty much done... I added another layer of both shading, and highlights to the mountains because they felt a little lacking to me, and did some more shading to the ground. I also worked quite a bit on the border trees, which I’m still not happy with... I almost completely redid the line work on the trunks, but still I wish I hadn’t put them in to begin with, I hope the shading helps a bit. I also redid the waterfalls, I really hated them before... I’m still not convinced that I’ve found a good enough solution for them, but I think it’s an improvement so I’m not going to fuss with them anymore.

All I have left to do is come up with all the place names, and get the labeling done.

### Latest WIP ###
2F957296-762A-4E6B-B679-F3F949B794EE.jpeg

[ThomasR]

It is gorgeous kacey ! And I strongly disagree with you on the trees, they're fabulous !

A bit of nitpicking : have you considered adding some texture to the cliffs of the floating islands ? To me they feel a bit bland compared to the rest. Also, some vapor for the finishing waterfalls might look nice but I'm not sure.

As stated above it is nitpicking as your map is both gorgeous and consistent stylistically speaking.

Cheers !

[- JO -]

Like Thomas said : the trees are just great. A good frame piece and they look just great (with just enough light and shadow)
The waterfall are really neat too : they're point of lights that attracts the eye, just what the whole map needed.
I think everything's in its right place with the right color, texture and light !
(I love the little rocks flying around, too !) It's a beautiful illustration !

[kacey]

It is gorgeous kacey ! And I strongly disagree with you on the trees, they're fabulous !

A bit of nitpicking : have you considered adding some texture to the cliffs of the floating islands ? To me they feel a bit bland compared to the rest. Also, some vapor for the finishing waterfalls might look nice but I'm not sure.

As stated above it is nitpicking as your map is both gorgeous and consistent stylistically speaking.

Cheers !

Thank you Thomas, I’m glad you like the trees. I have been experimenting with some water vapour on the falls, but haven’t managed to come up with anything that looks even remotely decent. The cliffs will be a matter of time, I didn’t get anything done yesterday, and I’ll be hard pressed to come up with all the names and get the labels done today before the deadline.

Like Thomas said : the trees are just great. A good frame piece and they look just great (with just enough light and shadow)
The waterfall are really neat too : they're point of lights that attracts the eye, just what the whole map needed.
I think everything's in its right place with the right color, texture and light !
(I love the little rocks flying around, too !) It's a beautiful illustration !

Thanks for all the kind words! I always appreciate the support, and it’s nice to hear that you like the waterfalls because I was unsure of weather they really fit the style.

[DimLeek]

Oh my gosh, this map is amazing! The idea, the frame, the colors are all just spot on!

[kacey]

Oh my gosh, this map is amazing! The idea, the frame, the colors are all just spot on!

Thank you DimLeek, I appreciate the kind words.

[kacey]

It’s finally finished! I really didn’t think I was going to get it done on time, and there are lots of things I wish I could have done better, but here it is...

### Winner ###
8D4E0AC0-3625-4C95-B385-E43008700520.jpeg

[J.Edward]

That looks good. Love those shiny domes.