Ilanthar's tests & sketches

[Voolf]

Your latest illustrations are something else.
You have made a big progress in your mapping/illustration skill and becoming quite versatile.

[Antoine.L]

The way you integrate rocks shape in the landscape looks very well and realistic, I really like this style especially on your two last posts.

Instructive thread to follow!

[Neyasha]

Amazing! Your rocks and mountains look so realistic - are you using reference pictures for this kind of maps?

[Dimension Door]

This is so good. The depth. All these lines, and it is still readable..! How!? Wizardry.. I’m curious if you work like this, without a sketch? Just some red lines to indicate the important landmarks? Or are there some hidden layers?

[Ilanthar]

By Llannagh
It's pretty educational to look at your maps.
What kind of background texture do you use for your maps? I really like the color and subtlety. Did you make it yourself?

Glad it helps . It is based on a free paper texture found on the net, but I expand, cleaned it a lot... and I think I altered the color too.

By Voolf
Your latest illustrations are something else.
You have made a big progress in your mapping/illustration skill and becoming quite versatile.

Glad you like them ! Well, I do think I'm improving (one of the things that keep me on trying), but it's always a pleasure to have a confirmation from a talented cartographer .

By Antoine L.
The way you integrate rocks shape in the landscape looks very well and realistic, I really like this style especially on your two last posts.
Instructive thread to follow!

Merci ! Well, there's a J.Edward influence for this kind of summits.

By Neyasha
Amazing! Your rocks and mountains look so realistic - are you using reference pictures for this kind of maps?

Thank you very much ! Yes, I'm using different reference pictures. I need them to keep me on track for different things (the sense of scale and perspective for example).

By Dimension Door
This is so good. The depth. All these lines, and it is still readable..! How!? Wizardry.. I’m curious if you work like this, without a sketch? Just some red lines to indicate the important landmarks? Or are there some hidden layers?

Thanks a lot ! Never been a called a wizard before, I think .
I'm using different reference pictures (for example, a photo of a french place in the alps for the summit above the excavation site). It's also inspired by a map style of the St Laurent's River and some mappers at the guild. I do have a layer with the very general place for the summits, and main valleys, plus the important elements locations. But I'm not always following it exactly...

[Ilanthar]

Some update on the last map.
Am I losing myself in details ?
Anyway, another mapthat will take me way more time than I would have bet.
### Latest WIP ###
STexpmap.jpg

[Ilanthar]

Update of the day.
### Latest WIP ###
STexpmap.jpg

[Arimel]

Man I have been living under a rock for too long! These maps are superb! I must echo everyone above!

[Ilanthar]

Man I have been living under a rock for too long! These maps are superb! I must echo everyone above!

Thanks a lot Arimel !

Small update. I'll probably place a compass in the bottom right (to hide a part and win some time) and I'll also probably do a separate map of the ship... later.
STexpmap.jpg

[MistyBeee]

Oh, wonderful, just... just wonderful, Ilanthar ! o_o