January 2018 Challenge: Haelsin's Journey

[Ilanthar]

Nice. I'm looking forward to see it coloured!

[jshoer]

Well, Ilanthar, here's a start:

### Latest WIP ###
ChallengeJanuary2018.png

[Ilanthar]

I don't know why, but I was expecting a desert in the Vossarik region.

[DaggerAndBrush]

Beautiful map. I especially like that you labeled it by hand. I think that is something I want to get into more, as the usual fonts look a tad artificial. The way you draw the mountains is very cool, too and I like the WIP colorized version

[jshoer]

I don't know why, but I was expecting a desert in the Vossarik region.

You're right. I'll pull up the desert area some more...

Beautiful map. I especially like that you labeled it by hand. I think that is something I want to get into more, as the usual fonts look a tad artificial. The way you draw the mountains is very cool, too and I like the WIP colorized version

Thanks! I'm still working.

[AzureWings]

Your whole idea of approaching how to work with a relatively limited set of city names by making a 'journey' map is really clever, and those northern landmasses look neat with their jagged-ness (especially in a 'vertical'/north-to-south sense; I feel like that's a less-explored design space in a lot of maps though it could just be me).

[jshoer]

Thanks.

Here's an update: some tweaks to the way the grass and dirt layers interact, expanding the southeastern desert, adding snow at the tops of the mountains, and starting on some shadows:

### Latest WIP ###
ChallengeJanuary2018a.png

[Diamond]

Looking great, J. I really admire the way you do the forests.

Oh, looks like you're missing the last 's' in Sethis...

[jshoer]

Aaaaaawwwwwww $#%*^"@#!!!!



Okay, rather than go back to the ink, I copy-pasted one of the other 's'es.

Thanks re: the forests. Means a lot coming from a master like yourself!

Adding shadows to the land:

### Latest WIP ###
ChallengeJanuary2018b.png

[jshoer]

I'm doing a little experimenting with textures in the desert and grassland. And I tried to make a border where the colors faded off into white, but it looks more like clouds. What do people think? Any suggestions? I'm hitting some of my Photoshop knowledge limits, and almost thinking that I should just go back to the paper copy and color it in by pencil!

### Latest WIP ###
ChallengeJanuary2018c.png