April 2014 entry - The Realm of Hades

[- Max -]

Hey everybody,

I decided to enter this challenge with a map depicting the greek mythologicial hell, the underground realm of Hades. Though I'm going to use most of the classic myth elements, it would be a personnal interpretation, very inaccurate regarding the description made by the old mythological texts.

### Latest WIP ###

Hades.jpg

[- Max -]

Added a border and a title cartouche, and drawn in the moutains and reliefs outlines.

### Latest WIP ###

Hades2.jpg

[timallen]

I"m loving the background grunge!

[- Max -]

Thanks Timallen. Sea texture added and reliefs shading/highlightings.

### Latest WIP ###

Hades3.jpg

[Carbus]

Wow.. those waves are just awesome! Did you use specific brush or image? Or you did draw it by yourself?
Great work.

[- Max -]

Thanks Carbus, the waves is a fractal texture. And labels added:

### Latest WIP ###

Hades4.jpg

[Schwarzkreuz]

I can only agree with Felipe, thats an awesome ocean. Very nice to see more Personal works of yours lately, I often like them more than the commissioned ones.

[Wingshaw]

It's been said already, but the waves are amazing: and to my mind, using a fractal texture to create them seems like genius. I love the way the waves all seem to be descending upon Danaid's Basin. The rocky crags and cliffs around the Titans' Prison and Shades' Land are also incredible.

The main problem I see with the map is in the labels, especially River Phlegeton (fire). I'm not particularly good at labels myself, but the way that label twists so much looks wrong, to me.

Also, my knowledge of Greek myth is a bit hazy these days, but wasn't Charon's ferry meant to take souls across the Styx?

THW

[- Max -]

I added some (very fictionnal) routes of the most famous heroes that traveled down to the hell.

It's been said already, but the waves are amazing: and to my mind, using a fractal texture to create them seems like genius. I love the way the waves all seem to be descending upon Danaid's Basin. The rocky crags and cliffs around the Titans' Prison and Shades' Land are also incredible.

The main problem I see with the map is in the labels, especially River Phlegeton (fire). I'm not particularly good at labels myself, but the way that label twists so much looks wrong, to me.

Also, my knowledge of Greek myth is a bit hazy these days, but wasn't Charon's ferry meant to take souls across the Styx?

THW

Thanks THW. I use to curve the rivers labels all along the river course but yes this font isn't particularly adapted to it, I fixed those labels with less twists.
Also about Charon, his location on the Styx came mostly from the Roman poets but ancient greek sources located it on the Acheron.

I can only agree with Felipe, thats an awesome ocean. Very nice to see more Personal works of yours lately, I often like them more than the commissioned ones.

I have more freedom on all elements of the map on personnal works, that's probably why.

### Latest WIP ###

Hades5.jpg

[Lingon]

Awesome as always! The waves are great, but something makes them look top-down to my eyes, which clashes with the iso mountains. Maybe that's just me though…