La Marche de Kanoba (WIP)

[Warlin]

I think that this new version is an improvement, even if the canopy size should be a bit smaller imo. For the coloring skills, they Will improve map after map. Waiting for the next update .

[ThomasR]

@ Warlin : Damn ! I see what you mean, I hadn't realized ! Compared to the nearby mountains, those trees are huge. If I reduce the size of the canopy's details, should I keep a similar spacing or should make it more compact ?

[Warlin]

The size of the canopy is too big for the trees trunks you drawn imo. For the montains, you can't keep the scale, and lots of maps are doing the same. You can enhance the size of the tree trunk or modify the canopy doing it more compact at the edge of the forest and more spaced in the middle. The idea is to enhance the compacity where the altitude and the ground change.

[ThomasR]

@ Warlin : First, you brighten my day. Not having do redo everything is great news !

Second, do you mean thicker trunks ? Longer trunks ? or maybe more packed ?

Concerning the canopy, thanks for the tip about the altitude, I got some hills that I wanted to show but didn't new how. I'll try it maybe tonight.

Thanks for the kind help Warlin.

Thomas

[ThomasR]

@ Warlin : After taking a look at your work (which I already knew and by the way, I really loved your Lemuria piece !), I can better picture what you meant. It's a style I'll definitely have to try but for this map and this kind of canopy, I'm not sure that's the look I want to achieve. I mostly looked at Max's maps for this project and, as it is my first map, I'm trying to learn some specific skills so I'll stick to the plan. I think the best way to fix it is to reduce the size of the canopy details.

I'd really like to show some altitude's variations but I'm not sure your way works with that kind of canopy. Does anyone has an idea on how to achieve the relief feeling ? I know that I can use the difference between deciduous and evergreens but it works for higher grounds, not hills. Maybe some colors, maybe playing with the shadows (that's gonna be hell for me)... Any thoughts ?

[ThomasR]

Ok, I know I was supposed to go back to my forests but I wanted to do some coloring and I needed to put something in my plains so, the forests will have to wait. Oh, and I used a parchment background to build my colors on something.

I tried something for the sea. Building color with a low opacity lunge brush, the layer is set at multiply. Then, I used torsion's technique and used an overlay layer plus black for the shadows and white for the highlights.

After that, I drew the log overdue hill system who needs some details but the basic shape is laid. There will be some more rivers coming from some hills.
And I changed the color of the river layer.

What do you think of it ? Be harsh, be mean, go for the throat !

12.jpg

With the color, I may be forced to reduce the resolution of my pics...

[Josiah VE]

First of all, I must say it is shaping up very nicely! I love the mountains.

The only thing that I don't like is the forest, especially the deciduous, it looks like hills, but you said you were going to fix the forests if I understand correctly. If you're using photoshop I suggest using the brush stamp tool, you can make a small pattern and then basically fill it in wherever you want with that pattern, I have used that before for forests.

The sea looks beautiful! Keep it up.

[ThomasR]

Thanks Josiah VE !

I'll rework the forests indeed but for this map, I forbade the use of the stamp tool so I'll have to redraw everything. I tried to get the kind of canopy Max does for most of his work but I dunno if I succeeded. Here's what I'm aiming to :

Capture d’écran 2016-03-17 à 08.42.01.png

[Warlin]

Nice progression. You're on the right track. When you are blocked by something, just switch to another to consider it with a new eye. Your hills are really well done. Keep it up.

[ThomasR]

Thanks Warlin ! I try to do my best. I'm not very good at drawing, my hand isn't really used to that kind of steady work so I take my time.