Oct/Nov '21 Lite Challenge: The burial ground of Altkolm

[Neyasha]

"The skonish burial ground of Altkolm ist a strange case. Not only are there some graves that have been opened after a while, but there are also a lot of unusual burials: Skeletons with tied up arms, stones weighing down the legs, sometimes decapitated bodies. Especially strange are some graves in the eastern corner that seem to date from the same time period, just before the burial ground was abandoned. They appear somehow chaotic, without a grave enclosure. The feet of most of the skeletons at this corner are missing, it seems they were chopped off. I guess what we see here is an example for the fear of revenants. Unfortunately the literature doesn't tell us anything about what happened at Altkolm."

I love to look at my fantasy world from a somehow archeological perspective and first I wanted to draw an excavation map of the burial ground with all the skeletal positions, but that would have been way too time consuming. So to be able to finish it in time I wanna go for more of a fantasy style map. Here is my first sketch:

### Latest WIP ###
altkolm.jpg

[Simkin]

Nice and interesting start. I will patiently wait for the ending result

[Neyasha]

Thanks, Simkin!

I started to ink the final map. I'm using dip pens for the first time in ages and I already messed up twice. The one mistake is obviously the left border, the other is that I thought the ink is waterproof which isn't the case. So I will not be able to use watercolours.

### Latest WIP ###
altkolm_wip2.jpg

[Bogie]

Welcome to the challenge Neyasha! The skull is wonderful!

[Neyasha]

Thanks, Bogie!
It will be difficult to finish this map while also participating at Mapvember, but I'm gonna try and finish it this weekend. The inking is done - now it's time to colour it.

### Latest WIP ###
altkolm_wip3.jpg

[Olooriel]

I know, right? I also don't know what got into me to start another time-consuming project in the middle of Mapvember XD Your map is coming along beautifully though, I especially like the border with the neat little skull and parchment label! Maybe there's a Mapvember prompt it can double as?

[Neyasha]

Thanks, Olooriel! There is indeed the prompt "coffin" on one day. I'll see if I find the time to draw an extra map or if this one will be my 30th one.

Fortunately it's finished now. The colouring took me ages. I've drawn digital maps in the past, but they were really different and I used Gimp back then. Now with Procreate I first couldn't find a brush I liked, then I couldn't find the right colours, before I settled with autumnal tones. I guess I would have been way faster with watercolours - such a pity I used water-soluble ink. Oh well, at least I learned quite a lot about Procreate.

### Latest WIP ###
Altkolm_end.jpg

[Bogie]

Well I think you did a wonderful job with the coloring, it looks very natural.

[Olooriel]

It looks lovely, I like the autumn colours!

[Marcolino]

Wow, love the colours. Nice map.