WIP Map for Novel

[arik]

Hi all. So I've been playing with Gimp so I can have a better map to refer back to than the hand-drawn scrawl (aka blobs) I drew in my notebook. This is my first attempt at a map and it doesn't need to be perfect as long as I have a world that works. So I cheated and used stamps. I did get a little adventurous and try to draw a few things, but I'm a beginner. However -- being the perfectionist that I am -- I'm after some advice, mainly on placement of things like mountains and deserts.

I've attached my map as it currently stands marking the equator. I have a rough idea of the tectonic plates. This planet is a lot smaller than Earth. Looking at what I've done, do I need to shift Varnad further South and put more water between it and the other land masses if I want it to represent a southern pole? I've drawn in rough political borders, but they're flexible. The book is mainly set in Elsera. Should I simply be concentrating on the one land mass it is part of, even though the characters may have to travel (I've planned the book, they will have to, but I'm not sure where exactly yet. If need be they could simply travel North or South.

A little info (I won't bore you with details) but my world is a sci-fi fantasy cross (more fantasy) but they have the tech to fly and drive etc. There are 2 moons which will affect tides, but I'm not sure what else it might affect. I may need to research it more. Travel times or distances aren't going to be as much of a problem as a straight up fantasy where people might have to walk, but of course I still need to know how long it would take to get from A to B with the tech that they have.

Okay, thanks in advance for anyone that has a look.

[Jaxilon]

Looking good so far.

[jbgibson]

It's a great start Arik - nice palette, the features aren't outlandishly placed.

I'm betting when you created the land masses you 'erased' some irregularity into the coast? There's what look like traces of plain-circle erasers - the uniform-width/ circular end inlets in West Shodoram, three of the bays on the east of Shodorram - that sort of thing. Other than that you've achieved a decent level of irregularity.

The proportions seem odd for a world map of s spherical planet. If you intend there not to be a huge amount of distortion N-S or E-W, remember the distance around an equator is about the same as *twice* that from one pole to the other. Maybe the 'back side' of your world is all water or unexplored... Or just not shown. Any of those would be a fine choice. If you want that southern continent to include the South Pole, one would expect it to stretch all across the south edge. You can show central latitudes and polar latitudes with similar degrees of distortion if you decouple them, showing poles as separate views, or with several other projection-specific methods. But no matter what, showing a spherical world on a flat map is going to give you distortion, somewhere.

[arik]

I'm betting when you created the land masses you 'erased' some irregularity into the coast? There's what look like traces of plain-circle erasers - the uniform-width/ circular end inlets in West Shodoram, three of the bays on the east of Shodorram - that sort of thing.

Yes, I did. I'm still playing with gimp. The way I've created the coast didn't work out exactly the way I'd like. I have some good ideas for the next one based on other tutorials I've watched, but for now this does the job.

The proportions seem odd for a world map of s spherical planet.

That's something I couldn't quite work out how to incorporate, especially in regards to Varnad. I guess knowing how to adjust for that distortion comes with time and practice, and looking at a lot of maps. I was most concerned with the placement of the landmasses in relation to one another and the geographical features within them so I had a sense of where everything was and how long it took my characters to get where they're going. On that account it does the job, but making it more realistic is something i will probably work on if I have the time (or leave up to someone more experienced).

I have to admit, making a map feeds into my creative side and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The gimp version was also a vast improvement over the hand-drawn blobs in my notebook.

Thanks again for having a look at it for me.

[jshoer]

If you want Varnad to be at the south pole, it should be at the extreme bottom of the map. (Think of Antarctica on a mercator projection of the Earth.)

Are your brown areas deserts, or grassland like the Great Plains? I think if they are deserts, they may be a little far from the equator.