November 2017 Challenge: Hunters Fall

[Greg]

Looking nice XCali! I think Wingshaw was right about the mountain's and the new altered version looks a lot more flowing.

Loving the little plan you've got for the Fortress, and looking forwards to how you expand it into the main map, even if it ends up fairly small and losing some of your lovely planning. Were you planning to feature it as a side inset? I think that could work, provided it didn't crowd the piece too much.

[XCali]

Looking nice XCali! I think Wingshaw was right about the mountain's and the new altered version looks a lot more flowing.

Loving the little plan you've got for the Fortress, and looking forwards to how you expand it into the main map, even if it ends up fairly small and losing some of your lovely planning. Were you planning to feature it as a side inset? I think that could work, provided it didn't crowd the piece too much.

Thanks Greg.

I think I'll get some time tonight or tomorrow to draw in the changes with pencil. The last post was just some of my plans to what I need to draw in.

Also, you are right, I am thinking of maybe having a small side piece with the top down Fort. I'll see how it goes. The Fort on the main map is already tiny. The scale of the location warranted it. So, I'm hoping I can get the top down one on par to add it to the map as a side piece.

Though, I feel my bigger challenges will lie in getting the color for the mountains right on my coloring phase. It needs to be blue(Deep ice blue).

[Mouse]

The mountains look a lot better.

That's what you get when you learn from people who really know how to draw - and I'm glad I didn't try to teach you my own relatively amateur way (which was to just keep scribbling till you get it looking better than it was! LOL!)

Regarding the ice blue mountain colour...

You may have a bit of trouble getting the mountains the right colour if you just plop straight for ice blue and don't think about why they are ice blue first. Are the mountains actually made of ice?

I don't know if they are ice or rock, so I can't say very much just yet about the colours, but I can suggest that you start with grey tones - shading the mountains first, and then using a separate layer to add colour once you have them looking pretty convincing as mountain shapes in grey. Even if they really are made of ice, start grey - just paler greys than if they are rock

Adding colour on a layer above (usually done in overlay mode) means that you don't destroy the perfect shading you've done underneath, and you have the freedom to scribble colours at will, knowing you can just scrap that particular colour layer if its really horrible and start a new one.

[XCali]

The mountains look a lot better.

That's what you get when you learn from people who really know how to draw - and I'm glad I didn't try to teach you my own relatively amateur way (which was to just keep scribbling till you get it looking better than it was! LOL!)

Regarding the ice blue mountain colour...

You may have a bit of trouble getting the mountains the right colour if you just plop straight for ice blue and don't think about why they are ice blue first. Are the mountains actually made of ice?

I don't know if they are ice or rock, so I can't say very much just yet about the colours, but I can suggest that you start with grey tones - shading the mountains first, and then using a separate layer to add colour once you have them looking pretty convincing as mountain shapes in grey. Even if they really are made of ice, start grey - just paler greys than if they are rock

Adding colour on a layer above (usually done in overlay mode) means that you don't destroy the perfect shading you've done underneath, and you have the freedom to scribble colours at will, knowing you can just scrap that particular colour layer if its really horrible and start a new one.

Hehehe, well scribbling away at something always give it more detail, so not bad advice if you look at it that way. Thank you anyway.

Regarding the blue, I agree. The rock itself is not cold at all. It just looks like ice. And yeah I was thinking in the line of going low on brightness, medium high on contrass to get the shadows to pop.
And then add a color layer above a texture and multiply it down and then use layer mask to cut out the ground and add a light brown texture.
That is:
Make the mountains blue while keeping detail,
and keep the ground an earthy color to make sure it doesn't look like it is just night.

Hehehe, that is in the line I'm thinking. Might be a better way other than this.

[Mouse]

Ummm... not really understanding your plan, there, but since I can't see the image you have of this place in your head, its probably better if I just wait and see how it comes out

[XCali]

Ummm... not really understanding your plan, there, but since I can't see the image you have of this place in your head, its probably better if I just wait and see how it comes out

Hehehe. Yeah, I guess it is hard to imagine stating it like that. Sorry.

Anyway, here is somewhere in the line I'm going for -regarding the coloring-. I created a continent map for my novel (I think a year ago?) It was fun, but not really professional in any sense of the word. So, I am busy redoing the entire thing.
But, this was a smaaaall piece of that first map.

BlueRockSpires_byOmri.jpeg


(Note: It is cut weird, because there is big spoiler text just above it. One I am saving for the second book. )

[Chashio]

That's a really interesting story setting and the map is shaping up nicely. I like that color bit from your first map. Are the trees going to be in the map somewhere?

[XCali]

That's a really interesting story setting and the map is shaping up nicely. I like that color bit from your first map. Are the trees going to be in the map somewhere?

Thank you

Yeah, I'll see if can draw them the way I want them.

[XCali]

Hi!

This is just me drawing in the first planned changes into the original.

### Latest WIP ###
Hunters Fall_Redrawn1_byOmri.jpeg

EDIT:
If there are any problems with the mountains, tell me now before I start coloring them.

[Mouse]

Well they look all right, but its a bit difficult to tell if there's no ground and rivers and things to tell me if they look all right in the context of the landscape you plan.

Wouldn't it be better to finish the drawing bit before colouring it, so that all the land is visible? Just a thought...