Encounter Map Commission

[damonjynx]

All images in this thread are Copyright, The Design Mechanism 2019. All Rights Reserved.

Hi Folks,

Picked up another commission from my publisher. This time for a letter sized encounter map showing 2 buildings and the streets between. The left building has a steep, thatched roof and attached shed, the building on the right has a slate/tile roof and is not as steep. Quote was for B&W and colour. TDM opted for colour. I've decided not to do the map in the composited-texture style, as per Macdowchef's excellent tutorial, only because it's not a style that would suit the publisher. Traditionally, all their art, particularly in the core rulebook and supplements I've read, has been B&W line-art and I want to keep that vibe.

Anyhow, here is where I'm at currently.

BTH V2 - Copy.png

Any advice, help would be appreciated.

Some things in particular;

What is the best way to show the pitch? As you can see I've tried it with angles but I'm not happy with the result.
Also, I think I need to redo the cobblestones and have them so the run up and down the streets rather than across them?

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Edit: The things on the far right of the buildings, are not going to be chimneys. On the thatched roof it's supposed to be a shed, and the other is just some kind of overhang...more or less as per the red sketch.

[damonjynx]

Hi Folks,

Preliminary line work is basically done. Need to add some detail and texture but I'm much happier with this, particularly the thatching (hasn't changed ). Then I'll colour and play around with the blending modes and opacity of the lines to get something I'm happy with.

I've sent off to the publisher for approval before I go too much further...

BTH V3.png

[Ilanthar]

To show the slope of the roof, you can use shading/shadows or you can draw the tiles in a way that shows it (irregularly, with a gradiant).
Personally I tend to do the pavements in the streets less visible than the buildings & elements, somewhat more like what you have between the buildings in the first picture.

Hope that helps!

[damonjynx]

To show the slope of the roof, you can use shading/shadows or you can draw the tiles in a way that shows it (irregularly, with a gradiant).
Personally I tend to do the pavements in the streets less visible than the buildings & elements, somewhat more like what you have between the buildings in the first picture.

Hope that helps!

Thanks mate. The publisher is happy so far, there are some minor changes that I've not looked at yet. Each element of the line work is on separate layers and I will be mucking about with the opacity & blending quite a bit, so in the end the line work will be just giving some form, I hope!

[damonjynx]

Decided to have a play around with some preliminary colouring. It's actually just a gap between the buildings, so I decided to make some adjustments, mainly turning off my detail line work layers and using some modified textures instead (the basis for the line work anyhow...). I still need some kind of border on the streets.

Anyhow, any comments or suggestions are always welcome.

BTH V3 Col.png

[damonjynx]

Hi Folks,

A bit of an update. I'm relatively happy with this, though I know my colouring needs work. Please feel free to offer any critique.

BTH V4.png

[damonjynx]

Hi Folks,

I've submitted these for approval

BTH V4 B&W.png BTH V4.png

[DanielHasenbos]

They look awesome Jim! The textures are real great!

[damonjynx]

They look awesome Jim! The textures are real great!

Thanks Dan. I must remember for this type of map that textures and patterns are a cartographers best friend!

After much mucking about trying rather unsuccessfully to draw the roofs, I found roof textures for the buildings on texture.com, de-saturated them and played around with the levels. Then on the thatched roof I tried to 'outline' the thatch, once again to give a hand drawn feel but then decided I liked both together. The slate roof is just a straight out texture with no colour and the levels adjusted, pretty much just contrast and balance, same for the cobblestones. The edging stones, line-work for the buildings I hand drew. The doors and barrel are Ai assets I created for my regular dungeon maps. The stone texture in the 'grassy' bits is only a very low opacity rendering of a rock texture. Base colours are solid filled layers with layer masks and reduced opacity, all the other colour was just done with a splatter brush with colour jitter turned all the way up and opacity turned down.

If I'd started with the textures, it would have saved me hours of trial and error getting a good looking map. But I'm still finding my way and learning the craft, so to speak, as a "professional" artist, so it's all good.

Unfortunately, the publisher isn't keen on the edging, he thought it gives the impression of a wall which he doesn't want, he'd prefer the cobble stones right up to the buildings like the below. So, I'll just add a bit of colour and depth to the cobblestones and call it done! I'm going to use the magic wand tool to select the stones, expand by a couple of pixels and create a path, to make it much quicker to add the details.

BTH V5 colour.png

[damonjynx]

Hi Folks,

Didn't quite pan out the way I'd planned but I'm done now unless the publisher wants only a minor change. At some point I have to say, this is what X$$ gets you...

BTH V6.png