Map Scaling and Map Texture

[ExxonPirate]

So I've tried my hardest to take a hand-drawn map I made and convert it onto CC3. I've tried so many times I just left CC3 for nearly three months now. So basically my situation is that I have a hand-drawn map (on graph paper) and I've been trying to "draw" it onto CC3 so I have a cleaner version that is easier to edit. After failing multiple times I've decided that I'll ask you guys on what I can do. The main problem is that I can't scale it properly, mountain ranges and rivers will be off, or the coast wont be right and all of these things end up screwing me up while trying to scale the rest of the map. So any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Also my second question is on getting certain textures for my map. Basically what I'm saying is that I want my map to look like a hand-drawn map, but a good one xD. Something that resembles the map of Middle-Earth (couldn't figure out how to attach stuff so here's a link =) http://i28.tinypic.com/2dv62ir.jpg )

[Mark Oliva]

Try something other than CC3 ... FM8, for instance.

[waldronate]

I'm not sure what you mean by "scale it properly". The typical technique is to draw the coastlines and then select a suitable scale for symbols that fits your map. Some folks like to draw rivers before mountain and forest symbols, while other prefer to do rivers after. If you could post some examples of the problem maps along with why you think they are problems it would likely increase the level of helpfulness. Even if you think they're "bad", they are still a place to start.

[ExxonPirate]

Basically what I mean is that, in some cases mountain ranges will be off of where they should be, leaving not enough space between them and a river for example (compared to the handdrawn map), this in turn throws off other elements because the mountains aren't situated right. In other cases the mountains are maybe a little to big or the river is too fat and that throws off the rest of the map as well. So if there needs to be say, 7" of space between Mountain A and River B, I'm having a hard time scaling it right on my computer (since the size of the comp is different from the size of the paper. I'm just having a hard time relating the size of things on my handdrawn map to implementing them onto my CC3 map.

One major example which screws me up nearly every time is when I'm trying to draw a bay into the coastline, I can never get the shape right nor can I actually place it correctly, some times it goes to far down, or it's too far to one side or I draw it way too big.

I would provide a map, but I don't think it could really be of any help since you don't have the handdrawn map (which I'm trying to replicate) to compare to, and I don't have a scanner.

I guess the most frustrating part is that I don't know that things are off until I'm nearly done all of the physical features (mountains & rivers). So I spend an hour or so trying to get everything right and then after I begin placing things like forests I realize that things are off.

[Jaxilon]

I don't know CC3 but can you try using Photoshop or Gimp? If it's already all hand drawn and you like the way it looks how is it not "scaling" correctly when you bring it into digital?

edit:You beat me to it. I see what you mean now, you are having a hard time drawing it digitally. Do you have a digital camera? I used to take it outside, get a clean shot and then import that into Gimp and use that as the base and start drawing over the top of the layers, tracing really.