Jan / Feb '17 Lite Challenge: Opikanoba, daughter of the mists

[Mouse]

Consider yourself well and truly nagged! LOL!

(poor thomrey)

[ThomasR]

The main problem (not really a problem to be honest ) is that I've gotta work quickly. My wife is supposed to give birth to our first born in less than two weeks. While we're waiting, I can still draw I'll give it a go tonight. In the meantime, what do you think of this forest "coloring" ?

### Latest WIP ###
Treasure map6.jpg

[ThomasR]

Here's a try at some shading for the mountains.

### Latest WIP ###
Treasure map7.jpg

Maybe I could try to make the land clearer ?

I tried to make the highlights appear like chalk with a grunge brush that allows gaps and that smoky fell. I used the same brush for the shadows but played with blending modes and opacity to get the impression that it was the same color as the forests, some kind of coffee stain. The idea is to limit the palette used. Capitain Villon cannont have many artistic supplies on boards.

Black ink, white chalk, coffee and some blue ink traded in a backdrop harbor. Indications will be handwritten with dark red ink (I love dark red ink).

What do you think ?

[Abu Lafia]

Looking really great Thomas! Two suggestions/comments: I find the rhumb lines a bit too dark and thereby somewhat distracting the other linework. Also maybe the shading of the mountains (which looks great btw. ) could be a bit less opaque. The forests look awesome this way, do you plan to shade them a bit too?

[ThomasR]

Thanks for the feedback Martin For the rhumbline I used the same brush I used for the linework and they're at 60% opacity, I guess I'll reduce it to 40 %. Concerning the shading, do you mean shades only or highlights too ? I tried something with the forests in the same style of the mountains shading but it doesn't work. I guess to make it work I'd be obliged to go with a soft round brush at low opacity and build the shades and highlights the old fashioned way which means real digital feeling and I'm not sure that's what I want. What's your opinion on it ?

[Abu Lafia]

The mountains just pop out a lot compared to the rest due to the contrast of lights and shades. So you might have to tweak both? What didn't work exactly with the brush you used on the mountains? I imagine it fitting well with the forest too. Btw. are you going to shade the cliffs too?

[ThomasR]

I reduced the opacity of the mountain shadow layer and tried something with the forests with a basic soft round brush at low opacity. I'm not anymore in the map from the world department in my opinion but it does look pretty.

### Latest WIP ###
Treasure map8.jpg

About the cliffs, I guess at this point, I'm gonna have to do them and maybe the land itself ?

[Abu Lafia]

looks pretty indeed, i like the reduced opacity on the mountain shading much better! I agree that the shading on the forests somewhat undermines the "inworld" look of the map. Maybe by using another more grungy brush and making the whole shading/lighting less smooth you can bring it back again? Since you followed the inworld approach so far and it works very nicely, i'd rather stick to it.

[ThomasR]

Hmmm ... not sure I can pull it off with a grungy brush ... I'll see what I can do. Thanks for the precious feedback, Martin

[Mouse]

Its looking brilliant

I don't know as much about shading and stuff as Abu, but I've been watching the process and hopefully learning