Re: Fantasy Map Icon

[imaginemaps]

How does one create a fantasy map icon in .png format?

That's not the only question though. I will make a list of my questions regarding the creating of fantasy map icons.

• What's the normal size for an icon?
• What software do you use?
• Is there a tutorial for making fantasy map icons?
• Can I hand draw an icon?

That's it. And I almost forgot, I just want to create 2d icon. 3d icons are too advanced for me, and too modern looking.

[rdanhenry]

How? Use a graphics program and export the icon as a .png image.

Icon size? Depends on how it is going to be used.

Any decent general purpose graphics program will be able to produce a .png file. I mostly use GIMP and Krita. Photoshop is a fine choice if you have the budget for it. There are many other options.

Depending on style, program, and intended use, there may be a suitable tutorial. A recommendation would have to be based on a more exact definition of your goals.

Draw, scan, open in graphics program, edit, export as .png, and you have your hand-drawn icon. Alternatively, use a tablet to 'hand-draw' digitally.

[Kellerica]

It depends a bit on what you are looking to create. As Rdanhenry said, a graphics program would be what you need, and nothing is stopping you from either using a drawing tablet to digitally hand-draw your icons, or doing it the old fashioned way and then scanning the result.

What kind of icons are you looking to make? We might have some more in-depht advice to give if we get more detail on what you're trying to accomplish

[imaginemaps]

The kind of icons I was hoping to make are geographical features and some settlements. Like a cluster of trees, and strings of mountains, or a kingdom.

I can draw each pieces with ease but whenever I put them all together, they start to look like a mess. Maybe by making an icon of each pieces, I can assemble them more in order. An icon for each piece, an icon for a mountain or a tree, an icon for a kingdom or a village.

Thanks for the responses btw.

[Redrobes]

I would check out the mapping resources forum here as people do post lots of collections of icons like that or scrape them off of old public domain maps which are then free to use. For things like dungeon chests and trapdoors and so on we have thousands of them as they are used on the virtual table tops. The regional maps are a little more scarce and the styles of them change a lot depending on the map but there are many to be viewed.

https://www.cartographersguild.com/f...splay.php?f=49

[Falconius]

The kind of icons I was hoping to make are geographical features and some settlements. Like a cluster of trees, and strings of mountains, or a kingdom.

I can draw each pieces with ease but whenever I put them all together, they start to look like a mess. Maybe by making an icon of each pieces, I can assemble them more in order. An icon for each piece, an icon for a mountain or a tree, an icon for a kingdom or a village.

Thanks for the responses btw.

If that's the case then I'd suggest drawing them all on the same sheet, it should help you make them more cohesive with one another. Then you can split them all out to their own separate png's for brushes and stamps or whatever. Honestly though the reason so many artists eventually resort to hand drawing everything on a map is because with stamps you are always going to get a bit of disjointedness.

[Tiana]

Grab KMA's resources from the resource section! It has trees, mountains, kingdoms in historical size! Also DeviantArt has many brush sets like these. I at least put mine up as png image packs as well as Photoshop brushes. Good place to start. And yes, I hand-drew mine and scanned in the paper and processed it to be transparent. Or just drew them digitally.

with stamps you are always going to get a bit of disjointedness.

You can get good results but by the time you go over it and tweak everything it's just not worth it for big elements. I use stamps for basic fill like grass though, and often trees (my personal trees are automatically filled so they don't have janky overlaps).