September Entry: Glass Ocean

[ravells]

Here's the start of my effort. Trying to work into the idea that the size of the place is basically an unknown, I've faded the map out to the right hand side and used a perspective view.

Why the desert is not navigable is baffling to me, although a compass may not work, there is still the sun and the stars - but perhaps it's handwavium.

I've made a start on the mountains, the entire map is going to be black, white and light grey. Stark style for a stark map. My initial thoughts played with lots of notes in the map, but Amonite's working of that idea is so beautiful I didn't want to intrude. The two circles in the corners will contain illustrations of Lemis and Copperhead. I want to work in the fauna as well.

[Venardhi]

Constantly overcast? + messed up magnetic fields?

[Amonite]

I figure the haze would block out the stars, but my cartographer does plan to use the sun for some measuring!

I like the layout I wanted to do a perspective sort of map, but could not figure out how it would work (figured it would be like a painting with labels) - but the way you set it up is pretty sweet And put in all the notes you want, lol I love maps with history to them

[ravells]

Constantly overcast? + messed up magnetic fields?

Except.....overcast wasn't mentioned in the description. Lol! Why do I get the feeling that we are the engineers to the the writers' architects? They put together all this airy fairy stuff and we have to make it actually stand up.

Amonite, thanks, but your execution is just brilliant - I don't want to taint it. I'll work in the information another way

Ravs

[Venardhi]

Except.....overcast wasn't mentioned in the description. Lol! Why do I get the feeling that we are the engineers to the the writers' architects? They put together all this airy fairy stuff and we have to make it actually stand up.

Amonite, thanks, but your execution is just brilliant - I don't want to taint it. I'll work in the information another way

Ravs

Well the lightning has to come out of something. When I read the description I got the impression of cloudy skies. . . :: shrug ::

[ravells]

Big rolling clouds in the desert, yes. But climatically, they are local not universal, if it was constantly overcast you wouldn't have that level of heat and lack of humidity, and you would still have a fair idea where the sun was at any given moment of day....sorry, don't buy it, unless it's more handwavium.

[Ishmayl]

Being in a fantasy setting, you can always attribute weird, wacky phenomena as magic

[Venardhi]

Big rolling clouds in the desert, yes. But climatically, they are local not universal, if it was constantly overcast you wouldn't have that level of heat and lack of humidity, and you would still have a fair idea where the sun was at any given moment of day....sorry, don't buy it, unless it's more handwavium.

Storms of untamed arcane energy! Solves both the stars and the compass problems. Booyah! Are you saying arcane storms are imaginary?

[ravells]

Lol...the good ol' storms of arcane energy!

Well, it's certainly a challenge!

Ravs

[ravells]

As I've been quiet for so long, I thought I'd put up a quick wip. I've decided to use this challenge to teach myself animation. So here is my first poor effort. Most of the day was spent drawing Lemis Keep, which is based on the castle in the 'Black Island' from Herge's Tin Tin books.

The animation of the sandstorm looks pretty horrific at the moment (the line weight is too heavy and it's just a straight blend on a line), but it'll look better by the end....if there is an end. I'm a very lazy mapper by nature and one of the things about animation I'm beginning to realise is that it takes a LOT of patience. The other animated features in the map will be a confused compass which will be a lot easier to do and storm clouds making the glass with lightning.

It's an animated gif, you you'll have to click the thumbnail.

Heigh ho! What have I taken on??

Ravs