Vote in the Sellsword Summer Mapping Contest!

[NateVz]

Hi fellow cartographers. I ran a little mapping contest through my YouTube channel and Website, and I'd love to have as many guild members as possible head over to vote for the best maps. Your more expert opinions would be invaluable!

Here's the link to the maps and the ballot: http://www.wasd20.net/vote-now-in-th...r-map-contest/

There are 37 entries.

Voting ends Saturday 7/23 at 6 am EDT. Round 2 will start next week Monday.

Thanks for giving it a look!

[Neyjour]

Here's my top 3 votes.
(in no particular order)

#9 - Love the linework on this one, the shields, and the fantastic detailing. I also really like how the border is done, making it look like this is a cropped portion/panel of a much larger map. Makes me want to see the rest (even though I know there isn't any...).

#30 - Again, very nice linework on this one, and the bold contrasts/shading makes it really striking. I also love the wave lines, and the sepia colouring.

#33 - Love the crisp, clean style of this one, and the very subtle hint of colour was a very good choice, IMO. (I don't think it would have looked quite as good if it were just black and white).


I'm going to edit this to post some "Honorable Mentions" in a minute. I just want to hurry up and get this posted, since Mozilla tends to glitch on me when I have a lot of tabs open...


Honorable Mentions:

#1 - This is so pretty. I really like the subtle, coloured-pencil colouring, which makes me feel like this is something you'd see in a child's book of Fairy Tales. Just wish there had been some labels (I would have liked to see some whimsical, fantasy/fairytale names/locations.)

#11 - I really liked the presentation of this one, as a globe. But what fascinated me the most was the "blocky" coastlines (and water lines). I don't think I've ever seen that done before, and it looks very cool!

#25 - I really like this one. Very nice linework, and it's another example of coastlines that I've never seen before. That style makes me think of fluffy clouds, especially when you're zoomed out, looking at the entire map. Great job on the compass as well. I actually dithered for quite a while about including this one in my top 3, but in the end I didn't because of the terrain details. They're well done, but look a bit "washed-out", especially in comparison to the dark, bold coastlines. But even so... wonderful job on this one.

#28 - This one really makes me smile. It totally puts me in mind of a group of adventurers, sitting down at a table together and drawing out a map on a piece of parchment.


Errr... I just noticed I used "really" a lot. Sorry... I really think I should edit some of those out. Heh.

Great contest Nate! I enjoy themes like this a lot, where you get to see a "similar" base image done in such a variety of different styles. If I'd known about this contest, I would have liked to join in. Ah, well... I'll be keeping an eye out for any you might do in the future!

Oh, I almost forgot... would you mind posting an update on this thread when Round 2 starts, please? I'll try to remember, but it'd be nice to have a reminder just in case (I've subscribed to this thread so I'll get notifications of new replies).

[NateVz]

Thanks so much for taking the time to vote, Neyjour, and for such detailed comments! I love hearing what others like about some of the maps, because I think we often notice and appreciate different things. It helps me notice new details and appreciate the maps in new ways too.

In terms of another competition, I'm definitely hoping to do one next summer again. I'll certainly post here in the guild, but it might also be a good idea to subscribe to my posts on wasd20.net.

[Larb]

Some very lovely maps. I voted for 5, 16, and 18.

5 - Because I thought it made imaginative use of the landmass and was very interesting to look at.

16 - It has that 16bit RPG feel which I really liked.

18 - I found it to be very attractive and not too cluttered - a very readable map.

[Diamond]

Nice spread of styles and presentations!

My votes were:

#11 - I'm a sucker for those spherical layouts, and I loved the blocky artwork and subtle gray coloring. My favorite!
#21 - Loved the colors on this one, but what got my vote was the sense of real world-building shown in the layout and naming conventions. I'd love to RPG there.
#29 - Well, that's just pretty awesome. It combines so many things that just shouldn't work together, yet somehow do. And my god, the amount of work that must've gone into that...

Honorable mentions to 12, 18, 25.

[Neyjour]

Thanks so much for taking the time to vote, Neyjour, and for such detailed comments! I love hearing what others like about some of the maps, because I think we often notice and appreciate different things. It helps me notice new details and appreciate the maps in new ways too.

In terms of another competition, I'm definitely hoping to do one next summer again. I'll certainly post here in the guild, but it might also be a good idea to subscribe to my posts on wasd20.net.

No prob! I really enjoyed looking at all the entries, and picking out my faves, even though it was tough deciding on only 3 (which is why I did some Honorable Mentions).

I'll be looking forward to your next contest! And I've subscribed to your YouTube channel. I've realized that, other than deviantART and the Cartographers' Guild, I don't get "out and about" much on the net (in terms of artwork/mapping). I need to remedy that...

I'm very curious to see which entries make it to Round 2 (and looking forward to voting again)! And I have to admit, I'm also extremely curious about who the artists are. Will they be revealed after the contest is over?

[NateVz]

No prob! I really enjoyed looking at all the entries, and picking out my faves, even though it was tough deciding on only 3 (which is why I did some Honorable Mentions).

I'll be looking forward to your next contest! And I've subscribed to your YouTube channel. I've realized that, other than deviantART and the Cartographers' Guild, I don't get "out and about" much on the net (in terms of artwork/mapping). I need to remedy that...

I'm very curious to see which entries make it to Round 2 (and looking forward to voting again)! And I have to admit, I'm also extremely curious about who the artists are. Will they be revealed after the contest is over?

Thanks for the sub, and yes, names will be revealed. The top 3 are now, and others will be toward the end of the week.

[NateVz]

Hey everyone!
Round 2 voting started today. Stop by and cast your vote for your favorite of the top 3.

LINK: http://wp.me/p5R2k5-8z

[Diamond]

Voted! That Sphinx Nebula one is the bomb, I got to say.

[Josiah VE]

I love #9, the linework is incredible.