February 2019 Challenge: The Fortified Kingdom of...

[kacey]

Hi all... It's been a while since I made a map, it's creeping up onto a year actually so when JO asked me to team up I thought why not.

This is the just of what he asked me to do, there were some other back and forth conversations but I felt this was most relevant...

The request is to draw a map on the theme of the Fortifications.
This is the map of a country that is located in an imaginary world of medieval fantasy type (castles, dragons, knights, kings, peasants, magicians).
A small part of this country has access to the sea (there is at least one harbour, the country's capital is located in the center, near a lake, the climate is temperate, similar to Europe-North America latitudes).
The land borders are 60% mountains, the rest is open to neighbors ... and that's the problem:

It is a rich country whose neighbors are very jealous and aggressive. Therefore, this country has built many fortifications to defend itself: on the coasts, on the passes in the mountains and especially on the borders with its neighbors.
It is a complex system of castles, walls, observation towers, which can defend all the access of the country.

The map must be in color, a frame is welcome...

The main goal is to highlight the fortification system put in place to defend all access to the country.

And I have a secret goal too : it is to push you to draw one or two castle-ish buildings for the border... or somewhere in the map... I remember so well the map you draw for the Guild City... Wow ! The buildings are so beautiful !!! As beautiful as the border !!!!

About colors... It's one of the many things that made me ask you to partner up for this challenge : I love the way you manage colors ! It's subtle, light, pastel, but it's there ! So feel free to express your own style.

And he also gave me this...

Kacey's_Commission_.jpg

I haven't started on the actual map yet, I don't have big enough paper so I'm going to go get some tomorrow if I'm not snowed in again, but I have done a quick style test on a small block just for now. Regretfully I don't have time to order new paper right now So I'll have to work on one that I really don't like that much which is Strathmore 400 series cold press, it's the only watercolour paper you can get in large sheets in my town. I prefer hot press arches paper but I'll survive I'm sure...

I'll be working traditionally with ink and watercolour. This is just a little test idea for the border and a few other elements, let me know what you think, should I continue in this way or go back to digital mapping?

I'm using Dover's Pictoral Archive, Fantastic Ornament: 110 Designs and Motifs as reference for the border elements... This guy on the border used to be a lion or some type of big cat with wings, but JO said I can have dragons so I changed it. I still have to do more work on the design but it's getting there, his missing arm will be holding a post with a flag on it for the title.

Sorry for the poor image, my scanner decided to die and I had sh*t lighting tonight so it is what it is...

### Latest WIP ###
style test 1.jpg

[Diamond]

Two thumbs up from me! Great brief, cool idea, and you are going to make it amazing, I already know it.

[Voolf]

OMG! Kacey is BACK, with the awesome MAP
Same as Diamond. I think this is gonna be super map.

[Kellerica]

Welcome to the challenge! Nice start, glad JO is putting you to work

[- JO -]

Wow ! What a beautiful start ! I couldn’t imagine a better way to fulfill the proposition I made ! Keep up this good work (and I cross my fingers for the snow !)

Edit : feel free to put lions instead of dragons... whatever gives you motivation to go on !

[ladiestorm]

hey Kacey! I'm loving the gryphon!!! Can't wait to see some mapping!

[Abu Lafia]

Hey Kacey, glad to see you back! It makes me even more happy to see a map of yours in ink and watercolour, the sketches look very promising already! Yay...

[kacey]

Two thumbs up from me! Great brief, cool idea, and you are going to make it amazing, I already know it.

Thanks Diamond I appreciate the kind words.

OMG! Kacey is BACK, with the awesome MAP
Same as Diamond. I think this is gonna be super map.

Thanks for the warm welcome Voolf!

Welcome to the challenge! Nice start, glad JO is putting you to work

He sure is putting me to work I just hope I can find the time to get it finished...or started for that matter, but I did buy really big paper today which is sort of intimidating So we’ll see how it goes.

Wow ! What a beautiful start ! I couldn’t imagine a better way to fulfill the proposition I made ! Keep up this good work (and I cross my fingers for the snow !)

Edit : feel free to put lions instead of dragons... whatever gives you motivation to go on !

Thank JO! I’m so glad you like it.

hey Kacey! I'm loving the gryphon!!! Can't wait to see some mapping!

Thanks ladiestorm, I can’t wait to get to the mapping part... This is my first time doing a map traditionally so I’m stressing a little extra about the planning stage. That first mark on the actual map will be a little scary for sure because I won’t have my precious layers to keep me safe.

[kacey]

Hey Kacey, glad to see you back! It makes me even more happy to see a map of yours in ink and watercolour, the sketches look very promising already! Yay...

Thanks Abu! I’m glad to see you back around here more often too. I hope I can pull off the ink and watercolour since it will be new for me to use this on a map. I haven’t drawn anything digitally since the spring but I’ve been playing around with watercolour since September so cross my fingers I don’t spoil my line work since the watercolour is still fairly new to me.

[Abu Lafia]

Thanks Abu! I’m glad to see you back around here more often too. I hope I can pull off the ink and watercolour since it will be new for me to use this on a map. I haven’t drawn anything digitally since the spring but I’ve been playing around with watercolour since September so cross my fingers I don’t spoil my line work since the watercolour is still fairly new to me.

I'm totally sure you'll pull it off. I even think the missing ctrl+z might do wonders to your sometimes ... well... hesitant workflow with your maps . At least it does it for me, once i enter the "yeah, actually there's nothing to lose" stage of the process