Trying to make this map look as 3D as possible D:

[seredemia]

I've been working on this map for about a week now and I'm reaching a stage where I just want to get it over and done with I was going to make this look like an old map because I've never ever done maps before and I didn't want to do anything too confusing. However, I got carried away when I started colouring the mountains, and now here I am, trying to make the map look as 3D as one can make it with Photoshop.

I still have like 489579449489 mountains and hills to colour -- and the trees! And add more rivers in... Speaking of rivers, I'm not exactly sure where they should be accurately placed in... Geography has never been my strong subject I'm also worried that some of the hills shouldn't be where they are?? Like is it okay if they're that close to the roads? Not sure. I may have to redraw the roads in the future.

Also debating whether to keep it in that ripped paper texture or just put a frame around it... What do you guys think?

(The other two are just earlier versions of the map. Seeing as the recent one looks close to finishing, I thought some people might want to see the earlier versions as well.)

[Gamerprinter]

For getting your rivers right, here's a thread "How to get your rivers in the right place" from the Tutorials/How to Forum.

I'm personally not a fan of rips, folds, curled edges (though I have recently created a old style map with folds), as the map content is the illustration and information needed, not an illustration of a worn map. There's a place for doing that, but for the most part, a map should be providing information to the reader, not showing its wear.

If you're hand-painting all your mountains and trees individually, that's certainly an admirable chore - and you seem to be doing a good job (I like your first attached map, very nice!)

Many of us use map objects - pre-created mountains and forest symbols that are repeated over the course of the entire map, thus each mountain is not unique, but has many copies distributed across the entire map. This way we don't have to paint each mountain one at time. Perhaps I'll create 20 different, individually painted mountains, but with 5 copies of each mountain in use, there are 100 mountains to place (and a lot less work to do.)

Welcome to the Guild, Seredimia!

As a member of the river police, I'd cite you about your unrealistic rivers, but you mentioned your need for this knowledge, so I'm letting you off with a warning (wink!).

I'm also wondering about your roads (I think they are roads) or whatever the swirly brown lines are. Roads should certainly follow the terrain, bypass hills and such, but it seems like the brown lines on the west side of your land go all over the place, yet the terrain looks fairly flat. Your roads should probably be more straight, less curvy.

[seredemia]

Thank you for the link on rivers! That should help tremendously!

I think I'm going to change the texture to something less folded and ripped, and then add a frame around it. That should make it look neater, hopefully. As for the mountains, hills, and trees, I used brushes for them and then painted over them with colour. I didn't think it would be so much work colouring each one individually, but it is. Perhaps in the future, I'll use pre-created objects as well...

And aaah, I didn't know that about roads! THANK YOU. I'll change the roads immediately!

[Veldehar]

The map certainly has a unique and interesting character that pops. Kind of cool.

[Lingon]

That's really awesome! Beautiful work! I'm not a fan of the metallic effect on the title and compass rose, it doesn't fit with the lovely painted style, but the rest – wonderful!

[seredemia]

Thanks to the comments!!

And hmm, now that you mention it, the title and compass rose do stick out... I'll see if I can change that to something else then

[Ilanthar]

Wow, that's really excellent. Very good use of colors (not surprising if your doing everything at hand, or at mouse? )

[seredemia]

Thank you! I drew it using my Wacom tablet I can't imagine drawing all this with a mouse, oh gosh

[Bogie]

Excellent work, great coloring.

[arsheesh]

Looking really good so far seredemia. Rivers aside, I think there is a bit too much uniformity in the forests. I would scatter the trees a bit more randomly. As others have mentioned, great job with the colors.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh