Best of 2015 : the year in review

[ChickPea]

Many of the sites I visit are having Best of the Year reviews, and I thought we might jump on the bandwagon too. I have three questions. Feel free to answer any or all of them.

1. Of the maps (or mapping elements, tutorials etc.) you personally produced in 2015, which one(s) are you most proud of? Include a link or a pic.
2. There were so many amazing maps published in the Guild this year. Which is your favourite map of 2015 created by another Guilder? Which map did you look at and think "I wish I'd made that". Share a link (or two!) so that everyone can enjoy.
3. Finally, do you have any stand-out mapping memories from 2015? For instance, did you learn a new technique or acquire a new piece or equipment or software that you can't stop using? Did you get your first commission, or your biggest commission? Or is 2015 the year of 'Too Little Time!' What are your mapping highs (or lows) of 2015?

Looking forward to your answers.


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[ChickPea]

I'll get the ball rolling with my own answers.

1) Of my own work, my current favourite is one of the ones I'm currently working on, but I won't post that since it's still a WIP. So probably my Wybyrn map, which I did for fun. Nearly everyone said it was too dark, but oh well. I was happy with it.

wybyrn.jpg

2) There are soooo many good maps and I know when I see others' choices I'm going to say "Oh yeah, I loved that one too" but one that really sticks out for me is Max's Shire map. I have this as my desktop wallpaper at work and people often comment on it. I love the colours and how it perfectly captures the rich fertile landscape of the Shire. And you simply can't go wrong with LotR!

See it here: http://www.cartographersguild.com/sh...ad.php?t=30736

3) 2015 has been one non-stop mapping high for me. I only made my first ever map during the Christmas holidays last year, and I've become addicted. Winning two challenges and becoming CL was fantastic, of course, but the thing that gives me most satisfaction is feeling my confidence grow. Not sure if my skills are growing at the same level, but hey at least I'm feeling good about it! I feel I've come a long way (by my standards, at any rate) and I'm looking forward to seeing where I go next year.

So, how about everyone else? Share your thoughts!

[Diamond]

Hmmm....

1. I think I like the way these two turned out the best:

PACalifornia2.jpg

StormsendMap.jpg

Two very different looks, but each turned out more or less exactly how I'd pictured them in my head before production started. Which, for me anyway, is pretty rare.

2. There were a couple of maps by fellow Guild members that really stood out for me.

First up was Tanaephis by Dain. Then there's Valgard by Failtality, which I cheerleaded (is that a word?) for a long time. Great map. Another favorite is Yar-Zun by lesopeso - now that's just a nifty map. And finally Aarklash in Space by Ilanthar, which perfectly illustrates how one might translate one genre to another, in this case fantasy to scifi/space opera.

3. Mapping memories... I guess I'd have to say that this year marks the first year that I am more even in turning out product for clients (the very few commissions I take) and for myself. Despite the big fail of not finishing my Annual Challenge map. I've also been happy with the more streamlined and consistent way I've been able to make relief maps - the inspiration for the look came (like so much else I've learned in the Guild) from Ascension, and I've really been able to add and refine to the style to come up with something I like.

[ChickPea]

Nice to see those maps of yours again, Diamond, and good choices with your favourites from other Guilders! And from a relative newbie's perspective, I can't decide whether it's awesome or terrifying that even someone of your experience is still learning and refining your skills!

[Ilanthar]

OK, my answers are:

1) My Domhantyr map. I really like how it evolved during the WIP, the many things I learned (like drawing my own little stuff with a mouse) and the final result.

2) It's always hard to choose! Well, I certainly remember this very cool Sapiento Sinxay map, among the many beautiful maps of J.Edward, I particularly love the view of this map, and this impressive map by RedEPic.

3) I would say a few techniques to draw with a mouse, and the discovery of Sketchup and its possibilities.

[Diamond]

D'oh! How could I forget that RedEpic map? Yep, that was an awesome one.

[ChickPea]

Thanks for your answers, Illanthar! Though I think you've linked to the same map twice in question 2?

My favourite maps of Sapiento's this year were the coloured version of Bryxentana and the Hamlet of Clifton. I know the Clifton map is relatively simplistic by Sap's standards, but I think it's beautiful.

Come on Guilders, anyone else got some favourites to share, whether of your own work or of someone else's?

[Ilanthar]

OOo, yeah, copy/paste problem here . I corrected the link. Thanks ChickPea!

By Diamond
D'oh! How could I forget that RedEpic map? Yep, that was an awesome one.

Hard to chose! I would have posted 50 links honestly... But I opted for the ones that came to my mind first... and I probably forgot some awesome stuff too!

[Tom]

Hello there!
Nice post idea ChickPea!

1. the map I'm most proud of is Graenlandir, one of the biggest project i ever made, the link below is to deviantart, where I uploaded a very high resolution version.
This map started all: born as personal work for my D&D campaign, but after I received so many compliments from all you guys, I felt inspired to push my work and produce more maps
http://lesopeso.deviantart.com/art/G...r-HD-557380171

2. this is a very hard question, I would answer the Blando's map too, I love his level of details, but just because I can't remember wich maps were published in this year.. is there in the site a way to see pictures by their published date?

3. this was an incredible year for me, I learned so so much.. even during the drawing of the same map! (Like Graenlandir for example, I started with a stylistic idea and ended with another) Thanks to this community and the commitment, I even gained money from it! something that a year ago I would never have believed it! Now I'm expanding, and thanks to the earnings I will soon purchase a new PC (a serious one, not this crappy girlfiriend's hp laptop that crashes every time I forgot to save on Photoshop ) and a brand new wacom tablet! And for that I have to thanks my last commission (still a WIP) wich could become my biggest project of the year, if I will finish it before 2016.. and the forum, that provided me this chance to get the job!

[AzurePlanet]

Hi ChickPea!
You started a very interesting thread.

Here are my answers:

1. Easy! My own favourite 2015 map is that of the USN, of course. If interested, you can find as much information as you want on my personal blog here on the Guild.

2. Very difficult question. There are too many good maps here, so I must choice among those which are a great source of inspiration for me. For example, I could barely cite "The solomon Islands" by Francissimo, or "Republic of Shahamurgh" by Pixie, or "Tarantia" by Ilanthar, or "The City of Frosthaven", "Haerlech" and "Menzheim" by J.Edward. By the way, I know that the list is too short...

3. Finally, I am happy I developed some more experience in using QGIS and GIMP. Well, to be honest, I might say I can't use properly GIMP yet, because I work mainly in vector graphics.