November/December 2024 Challenge: The Lands around the Aldesund

[Abu Lafia]

So, by chance i stumbled upon Kell's Challenge announcement in the CG discord and was hooked immediately. The base image shows a ton of interesting potential coastlines / landforms so i could easily find an area that really sparked my imagination. The lore isn't flashed out fully and as always a lot of the world literally builds itself in the process of drawing all the terrain and settlements. Maybe more on it in another post.

My last mapping adventures were by pen and paper (and a bit of watercolour) but given the nature of this challenge i thought i'd go back to the trusted old Gimp and Wacom Intuos S to draw this map digitally... wish me luck.

After tracing the coastline i started adding texture and colour with some old background parchments i had lying around on my harddrive. Usually i can't stand working for hours and hours doing linework on a blank canvas. It gives me some flavour and ideas of how the map could look later. It might be a bit dark and muddy for now ... but i like it like that XD

The frame is a placeholder for now. Maybe i try something fancy with it later on... time will tell.

I blocked in the areas of possible mountain ranges and started to draw in the terrain of the northwestern landmass. Even got some preliminary settlement icons placed.

### Latest WIP ###
Abu_Lafia_ShapeCallengeWIP1.jpg

Comments, suggestions and critique are very welcome!

*** Damnit, i forgot to add the proper Challenge Title to the thread...it's been too long sorry! Can someone who has the rights change the title...pretty please? oo ***

[ThomasR]

Nice to see a new map from you Martin I'm still in love with your mountains <3

Am I seeing some volcanos in the top left part ?

[Chashio]

A nice beginning

[Kellerica]

Always nice to see you around, man! Welcome to the challenge! Looking nice already, I've always loved your style.

[Diamond]

Dang, long time no see! Great to have another map from you man!

[Abu Lafia]

Nice to see a new map from you Martin I'm still in love with your mountains <3

Am I seeing some volcanos in the top left part ?

Thomas!! Glad to hear that, many thanks! Some of the formations look a bit volcano-like indeed, although i hadn't planned any...until now! XD Might refine a few of them into something volcanic.

A nice beginning

Glad you like it so far!

Always nice to see you around, man! Welcome to the challenge! Looking nice already, I've always loved your style.

Thx Kell! You won't believe how many times i've been only inches away from jumping into one of the monthly challenges the last years but opted to continue lurking instead.

Dang, long time no see! Great to have another map from you man!

Thank you Diamond, much appreciated! Long time indeed!

And thanks for fixing the title!

A little update with more mountain linework. I also dropped some placenames in the northwestern landmass. Went with some made up old german / scandinavian mish mash here like the suffixes -bu (instead of -by), -hal, -mund and -fehn and so on.
### Latest WIP ###
Abu_Lafia_ShapeCallengeWIP2.jpg