Of the three images on this page, I like the first, top one the best. I like the blue water. You can instantly tell where the land and water are. The second one I have to look at for a second or two before I can make out what is what. So I'd start with the top one. You could desaturate it a bit, but I'd definitely keep it two-toned with the blue. I think the weathering looks fine and natural. It doesn't distract me at all.
And the red one just looks weird.
I totally agree with seraphine in this topic. You could do this Map like an artistic 16th century Map and than use the Files to do a 18th C Map later. You had already put so much Accord into this Beautiful Map so don't trash it
Thanks for the feedback people, much appreciated
I'll be making an older '16th century' style map first (as that's also what will look nicer on my wall once its done!) But will later do the more 'technical/official' more recent one later (which I can work with in a more manageable resolution as its not intended for print, which will make work easier)... Of course that just means relabelling the whole thing and sorting coastlines to match the world's history but I'm a sucker for punishment!
Last edited by vorropohaiah; 07-06-2012 at 10:03 AM.
Today's work on the map was spent coming up with a new key and trying to make a new cartouche for the map. I'd have like to have two separate ones - one for the blurb and another for the key, though there's so few areas on the map I'm willing to cover up I settled for one big one in the lower left corner. At full-scale this is about 12" wide.
still not 100% sure on it. it fulfils its role well-enough though there's little character to it. The main image is still split in about 10-layers so I can quickly change certain details, when I think of anything to do! Maybe with your advice...
EDIT: does 'table of keys' make any sense?
textbox.jpg
Last edited by vorropohaiah; 07-11-2012 at 03:39 PM.
Please dont feel insulted about this but, I personally think the fonts looks terrible and would hurt your map.
- the Border have a strange 3D Embossy effect that makes no sense,
- Same for Title
- The font choosen is one of the most cliché font ever for fantasy related prints/maps
- the stretching of fonts (title) is hurting the eye
- the right decoration borders a just pressed taller from the other border which looks bad
- if this turned out to be a 16th map please try using proper Antiqua Fonts, or fonts related to the time
- please NEVER push the i icon on your computer, use the cursive/italic fontvariation of your Font, a very good example is the font family IM Fell (free to download)
Sorry if this turned to a ****storm, but I realy cant see you putting this on your very beoutiful map.
here are some for of my favorite Fonts to experiment:
http://www.dafont.com/mailart-rubberstamp.font?fpp=50
http://www.dafont.com/requiem.font?fpp=50
http://www.dafont.com/18th-century.font?fpp=50
http://www.dafont.com/the-missus-hand.font?fpp=50
http://www.dafont.com/the-missus-han...ue.font?fpp=50
http://www.dafont.com/island-roman.font?fpp=50
http://www.dafont.com/uglyqua.font?fpp=50
http://www.dafont.com/aquiline-two.font?fpp=50
And here is the IM FELL website :
http://iginomarini.com/fell/
Last edited by Schwarzkreuz; 07-12-2012 at 06:17 AM.
thanks for the feedback, stuff like this is always more helpful that 'thats cool' or 'that sucks'Originally Posted by Schwarzkreuz
Though I think quite a few of the points are quite subjective, particularly the font style and the embossing. everyone loves different fonts. If I was using 'Comic Sans' I'd see the point though I've spent quite a while going through font websites (including dafont.com, which my PS instructor had made me memorise by heart...) and I have to honestly say that the font that best fits the character of the nation that made the map (other than Exocet, which is my personal favourite. Though which also was'nt too well-received, though that was as a map font rather than the cartouche itself).
Regarding the italics, I haven't been able to find a set of truer italicised or bold Dark11 fonts and had to use the I/B/U option in type tool on PS.
Regarding stretching/kerning... it might be the font im using but none of this text is stretched (its 100% vertical/100% horizontal) and is unaltered save areas where it's italicised or bold. so the title isn't stretched at all. (my guess is you just dont like that font!).
in previous posts when I stated 16th or 18th century maps I meant to give an idea of the technological level of the world and the style of maps (more artistic vs literal) rather than anything else, and as its an alternate world my guess is fonts might be different.
and a admit that the decorative borders on the key part of the cartouce look wrong because of the stretching though i spent a while on them and couldnt figure out another way of doing them, without having access to another design.
and regarding the embossing, I'm not quite sure what you mean by 'makes no sense' i dont think there's anything technically wrong with it (it looks physically plausable to me) and is intended to resemble a stone slab - maybe that doesnt come across?
I guess its true that i dislike this Kind of font in a subjective point of view. Somehow it screams at me, typographicly spoken, "wrong" into the face. Fonts and Borders with embossy have the Same effect on me.
I am working on the embossed effects and, in particular, the borders, though I'm having a hard time finding something that fits in with the character I've come up with for the region that created the map.
also, here's a link to a (temporarily coloured version) of the map as it stands now. the keys are about half converted to the new version though i'm not 100% happy with them (particularly the black colour i chose for the ruins, places of interest, religious site, penumbral region and the white i chose for the firmaemntal site keys -they either need inverted borders or a new colour as they dont stand oput enough from the map itself.
the mountains are largely done (though i need to lower the contrast to make the text stand out against them more - as it is now, anything labelled on the mountains is too difficult to read), and the forested regions are beginning to take shape though with the paper effect need more work and need something to pop a bit more (certainly no individual trees for the forst - im not too keen on that style and it doesnt fit in with the culture of the nation that produced the map to illustrate trees individually - besides, its a dying world and true virgin forests are largely dead).
as for the water im thinking of making it very subtle, if coloured at all - i quite like it like this.
keep in mind that im working in the map in B&W and will add the paper texture and colours fully once its done - this is just a temporary thing (as other pics so far have been) to give a taste of what im looking for. perhaps thats my problem - working in B&W? maybe i should be working in colour from the get-go?
please let me know what you think
Last edited by vorropohaiah; 07-16-2012 at 08:39 AM.
Try to work in the Mountains in darkbrown tones, this wont messup the teansparency with overlaying textures, and still take out some of the contrasts.
that's just what I meant about working in B&W... the thought never occured to me to try a colour other than something greyscale. i really need to get out of that mindset as I think I'm inadvertently limiting myself.
thanks
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