New around here

[Rastamom]

Hey there! I'm new around here, so this is my introduction.

I am 23 years old, I live in Pittsburgh, PA, and I love maps. I am interested in tabletop gaming, particularly the design aspect of things. I spend a lot of time working and raising my family, but as a hobby, I love to doodle. Usually, I doodle maps.

I am very much a "noob" at this, and am actually kind of looking for a mentor. I figured this was a good place to start.

[arsheesh]

Welcome to the Guild Rastamom! You have come to the right place. I would suggest the following. First, spend some time looking through the posts in the finished maps section. It would be a good idea now to create a folder in which to place those maps you find truly inspirational. Over the coming months spend time studying those maps. If possible, track down some of the WIP (work-in-progress) threads for some of these maps to see the development process of these maps. Next, spend some more time in the Tutorials section. There are loads of helpful tutorials written for various styles of maps as well as for various forms of software (or traditional media). Browse through and download those that offer walk-through's on styles that you wish to emulate (BTW, the "Tutorials in PDF Format" is a particularly helpful place to begin). Once again, study these. Next, start mapping. Once you have begun a new project, create a WIP thread over in the forums and ask for feedback. This will allow you benefit from the collective experience of other members here. I hope that was helpful.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh