Paper / Background Color

[AtesComp]

In the great tradition of "boxers or briefs", what are your preferred color codes for map backgrounds...Sepia, Old Paper, etc. in the RGB color codes? Name it if you like.

I didn't see a survey area, so apologies if I missed it.

[Tiana]

I don't have a specific code, I usually just open up a few parchments, layer them together with blend modes, and color pick something off of the texture sandwich if I need a flat parchment color to work with. I usually don't, it usually has no flat base visible and is all done based off of scans of various paper stock I've collected over the years. Combining these sets the mood of the work!

[AtesComp]

Indeed! Having actual samples to scan and mix as needed is nice! You could use your color picker of choice to catalog the RGB values as your preferred colors to set that special mood.

My goal in this is to get some preferred library of colors to produce digital samples in howto's and instruction material for maps...show alternative background colors and related colors to demonstrate how that affects the mood of the map, etc.

[dollish.exe]

I use Wonderdraft for my maps currently, but I prefer to use a weathered paper texture setting for my projects, and they end up being a parchmenty/sepia tone. I enjoy how the texture interacts with the terrain paint colors as well.
For those of you who use Photoshop, etc, mapeffects.co offers a free set of paper textures if you sign up for their newsletter (not affiliated, just a fan)!

[Kellerica]

I can't say I have anything as specific as colour codes either; the texture combination I create for my maps tends to always be unique (although after +10 years of doing this I have sometimes cheated and copied the texture folder from a previously made map if I've been in a real hurry, but not often as texture work is one of favourite aspects of the process). I do generally work in three main colour styles: parchment, partial and full colour (you can see my portfolio of fantasy maps in said styles here if you're interested) and, and I've been doing this long enough that you can certainly see some patterns in how the colour schemes of those types of maps tend to work out, although I do still think there is a fair amount variety as well.

I create the texturing on my maps by creating a mix of layers from 6-12 different textures. These are usually a mix of parchment textures from stock sites (Shutterstock ones tend to be my personal favourites), free-to-use assets found elsewhere online, watercolour textures I've made myself, and sometimes I like to mix things up by adding a few layers of leather, marble, ice, water, stars... you name it. I lay the texture layers on top of each other in different blending modes, and once I've got a surface that I like, I make heavy use of colour adjustment layers to create the actual colours I want to use (more often than not the texture sandwich ends up creating a mess of dark, murky mustard shade which is usually not exactly ideal, hence the heavy use of adjustments needed).