Before and After - Encouragement Thread Idea

[SteffenBrand]

My first maps were hand-drawn pencil stuff, then ink and watercolors, some even with liners and copic markers. I'm not even sure I have them any more, but I think I'll look for them. I mean, they have to be somewhere. EDIT: Oh, just found them online somewhere. Here you go, enjoy

The first:
02.jpg

Here is one the second (squishy ink-ballpen, with water):
03.jpg

Probably my third, not sure:
01.jpg

And my first very big project, a city for my own RPG. Also my first city I designed =)
04.jpg

[Blaidd Drwg]

I really like your probably third one. How long ago did you do these?

[SteffenBrand]

@Blaidd Drwg: Probably in 2012 IIRC. Thanks! =)

[Diamond]

I actually still have some hand-drawn stuff from the Before Time; I'll see if I can take a decent-enough picture with my phone to post. In the meantime, here's some other old stuff:

These were done entirely in Paint. If I had to guess a year, I'd say probably 2006 or so, just based on the date I put on the second one.

Burrmerica.png

Aztec2.png

Then there's this one, a combination of Paint and photoshop, from around 2008:

mc1acopyrw4.png

And one of my first digital fantasy maps, with AWESOME rivers, from around 2007 or 08:

newwindycountry1.png

[ChickPea]

Some of these early works are fab, though it's obvious that most of you had very decent art skills to begin with (something I'm rather lacking in!) However it's very encouraging to see how far you all have come, and that you didn't start out as gurus.

I've spent a lot of time looking through old pics in the Guild archives lately, looking for images to tweet, and I find it really interesting how things have changed through the years. I feel the standard is generally higher now than it was several years ago. That's not a criticism of anyone's work from a while back. I think it's more that people are continually learning and being inspired from each other and the bar gets raised. And that's got to be encouraging for everyone.

[Diamond]

I feel the same way, ChickPea. There was a time, probably a dozen years ago, that my MS Paint maps were oohed and ahhed over at a webforum I used to belong to. Now I can only look at them and cringe, and thank the Guild for pushing me to improve my game. Thanks, Guild!

[Larb]

Some of these early works are fab, though it's obvious that most of you had very decent art skills to begin with (something I'm rather lacking in!) However it's very encouraging to see how far you all have come, and that you didn't start out as gurus.

I gave up on drawing for a long time because I didn't believe I had that fabled artistic "talent". It was several neuroscience and linguistics classes at university that convinced me to pick up art again and really give it a try... as odd as it sounds. I now sit firmly with the view that anyone can draw and draw well. You just need to learn the craft - which takes time and perseverance! Help from other people is a major contributor too.

It's the main reason for this thread. I'd like people coming here to think that they could all create a map like Max or whoever with sufficient time and effort. I think the saddest thing to hear when it comes to art is someone saying "I can't do that". Well you can - it just might take a while. =P

[saria]

I gave up on drawing for a long time because I didn't believe I had that fabled artistic "talent". It was several neuroscience and linguistics classes at university that convinced me to pick up art again and really give it a try... as odd as it sounds. I now sit firmly with the view that anyone can draw and draw well. You just need to learn the craft - which takes time and perseverance! Help from other people is a major contributor too.

It's the main reason for this thread. I'd like people coming here to think that they could all create a map like Max or whoever with sufficient time and effort. I think the saddest thing to hear when it comes to art is someone saying "I can't do that". Well you can - it just might take a while. =P

This is very encouraging, Larb - thank you for posting. I've been feeling that way - I'm not really someone who ever learnt to draw or spent time drawing so I need to learn that, and it seems so impossible to start. I feel like layering with good textures and things like that are easier than just drawing... a rock! I need to keep trying then, instead of feeling like you said, I will never be able to draw! Just hard to know how to learn or where to start But I'll work it out!

[Ilanthar]

My first maps on the guild are probably those three. I can't post earlier things : I did not kept a lot of them when I changed my computer, and the pre-computer ones are either lost or hard to scan.
Mars zones.jpg
http://www.cartographersguild.com/at...3&d=1358357471
Carte Politique.jpg