# Mapmaking Discussion & Philosophy (WIP/Critique) > Regional/World Mapping >  Genabackis - Malazan

## joshuabbutler

Hi All,

I started a new map. I appreciate all the feedback I got for my Malazan Seven Cities map. So, now I wanted to do a version for the continent of Genabackis.

This time I intended to draw it all in black and white and attempt to make it successful with just linework.  I was going for a "patchy" look. I'm not sure if it works or not. 

I think I need to work on the terrain textures. Or maybe I should just try to redraw the lines, as I'm not sure how well it all fits together. 

I do plan on making a color version.

Any thoughts would be appreciated! 

Thanks,
Josh

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## joshuabbutler

I also should give a shout out to ThomasR for this WIP linework maps he shares.

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## Eilathen

I like it! It feels like the original map.

I never really liked the form and shape of Genabackis...looks kind of ridiculous to my eyes. Just not very convincingly continent-like, imo. Luckily for me, the stories set there were really convincing  :Wink:  Still my favorite fantasy novels to date.

Oh and you have a typo in the thread-title.

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## Ilanthar

Very nice! I like a lot the diversity of the lands. Not so fond of the heavy line on the top of the mountains, though.

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## joshuabbutler

> I also should give a shout out to ThomasR for this WIP linework maps he shares.


Thanks Eilathen. I was hoping it looked a little different from the original, but maybe it will with color! 

I just really wanted to make the map high-res for fans.

I can't figure out how to update the title of the thread.

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## joshuabbutler

> Very nice! I like a lot the diversity of the lands. Not so fond of the heavy line on the top of the mountains, though.


Thanks Ilanthar. 

I agree about the mountains. It's funny, the lines were thinner, but I merged a couple old mountain layers together on Affinity Photo iPad and it made the lines blurry, so I had to redraw them a second time. But they are too thick and bold. I think it took 4 subway rides to redraw, so maybe I can redraw again a third time  :Smile:  Maybe that is what is bothering me about the map.

What did you think of the trees and forests? They are different than the forests of my other map. I made a couple updates.

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## Eilathen

> Thanks Eilathen. I was hoping it looked a little different from the original, but maybe it will with color! 
> 
> I just really wanted to make the map high-res for fans.
> 
> I can't figure out how to update the title of the thread.


Just in case you misunderstood : I said it feels like the original, not it looks like it. It looks different, it has your own style. And saying it feels like the original was intended as a compliment!  :Wink: 
And it's super cool that you give us fans a high-res map, btw!

As for the thread-title...if you really want to change it, you probably need to get the help of a moderator or administrator. I don't think we normal users can modify a thread-title after posting the thread.

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## joshuabbutler

> Just in case you misunderstood : I said it feels like the original, not it looks like it. It looks different, it has your own style. And saying it feels like the original was intended as a compliment! 
> And it's super cool that you give us fans a high-res map, btw!
> 
> As for the thread-title...if you really want to change it, you probably need to get the help of a moderator or administrator. I don't think we normal users can modify a thread-title after posting the thread.


Yeah, I can't wait to add some color to it. I made this map, btw: https://malazan.fandom.com/wiki/Seven_Cities

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## joshuabbutler

> Very nice! I like a lot the diversity of the lands. Not so fond of the heavy line on the top of the mountains, though.


Hi Ilanthar,

I thinned out the lines for the mountains a little. Lucily only took me 4 subway rides. 

 What do you think? It looks better to me. Though, on the left side, the lines start to get thick again. Hard to see the full picture on the iPad.

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## joshuabbutler

> Just in case you misunderstood : I said it feels like the original, not it looks like it. It looks different, it has your own style. And saying it feels like the original was intended as a compliment! 
> And it's super cool that you give us fans a high-res map, btw!
> 
> As for the thread-title...if you really want to change it, you probably need to get the help of a moderator or administrator. I don't think we normal users can modify a thread-title after posting the thread.


Hi Eilathen,

The thing that is bugging me is that there are some plateaus at the top of Genabackis built into the mountains. You can see them on one of the detail maps of Northern Genabackis.

Was this something you noticed?

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## Eilathen

I normally look at maps in books very closely ^^ So yes, I did notice that. Why is this bugging you? Because it's hard to do in digital mapping or because you think that it is not realistic?
Of course I don't know what the thought process of Erikson and Esslemont was ... but them being archaeologists and anthropologists, I'd think that they know about such things. Then again, it's a fantasy world and there could be supernatural/magical reasons for stuff that "makes no sense". For example there are some glaciers in the malazan world that make no realistic sense...but as the Jaghut are masters of the warren of elder ice (aka Omtose Phellack), they can do things not possible in reality  :Wink: 

Not sure if that helped ^^

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## joshuabbutler

> I normally look at maps in books very closely ^^ So yes, I did notice that. Why is this bugging you? Because it's hard to do in digital mapping or because you think that it is not realistic?
> Of course I don't know what the thought process of Erikson and Esslemont was ... but them being archaeologists and anthropologists, I'd think that they know about such things. Then again, it's a fantasy world and there could be supernatural/magical reasons for stuff that "makes no sense". For example there are some glaciers in the malazan world that make no realistic sense...but as the Jaghut are masters of the warren of elder ice (aka Omtose Phellack), they can do things not possible in reality 
> 
> Not sure if that helped ^^


It isn't in the main full continent map, but in the norther detail. So, I felt ok not putting it in, but I did want to add a little more detail. 

Yes, the elder ice aspect of the world makes things look strange when you look at it like a globe. I posted this in the Malazan Empire Forum. https://forum.malazanempire.com/topi...7#entry1372847

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## joshuabbutler

Hi All, I updated my map some more. I made the lines thinner for the mountains and also added a little more terrain. I think I will start to color it now.

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## joshuabbutler

Though, I won't color until I've redone the trees to look less triangular and more conical.

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## XCali

Solid start!  :Smile: 

Also, it is good to see you filling in the blank space on the land. It does help. I hope you plan to add some texture to the sea, it is something I feel is still missing on this one.

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## joshuabbutler

Thanks again All for the comments. 

I've taken a first pass at coloring it. Just a start. Hard to decide on a style. I think I wanted it to feel more illustrative. Like how the labels are treated.

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## joshuabbutler

Felt I should have updated a little more before posting so here is another shot. Haven't touched the water yet.

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## Eilathen

I like the subtle coloration! Looks really nice so far.

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## joshuabbutler

> Solid start! 
> 
> Also, it is good to see you filling in the blank space on the land. It does help. I hope you plan to add some texture to the sea, it is something I feel is still missing on this one.


Thanks XCali!

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## joshuabbutler

> I like the subtle coloration! Looks really nice so far.


Thanks Eliathen!

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## joshuabbutler

I am getting farther.

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## joshuabbutler

Hi All,

I have most of pieces in place. I've reached out to the Malazan Empire forum to see if all the data is there and correct.  

I still need to align the graphics of the frame and the map itself. Not sure what I want to do with the info panel. WIP at the moment.

I also want to add more trees and need to style the ocean a bit.

What do you think?

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## Eilathen

Really dig it, Joshua!

One thing that jumped right out at me when looking at it, zoomed in : It's Seguleh, not Segulah.

And as I said on one of your other Malazan maps, the past tense in the text just feels kind of weird to me. I'd go "Genabackis IS a continent ...." etc. etc. .

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## joshuabbutler

Thanks for your ongoing feedback Eilathen! It's been helpful.

I hear you on the past tense. I want to embellish that whole info area. Once I add some more detail to the map, I will need a legend to highlight some areas on the map. 

By the way, I think I know how to make the Laederon Plateau work a little better.

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## Kellerica

I think this is looking pretty nice! I really enjoy the overall style of the map (although I personally think a bit more textured font might work a tad better with it) and the colors look good.

One thing that I noticed, there is a part at the western peninsula at the coast of Hudd Sea, where the color of you landmass stops before the coastline does!

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## joshuabbutler

> I think this is looking pretty nice! I really enjoy the overall style of the map (although I personally think a bit more textured font might work a tad better with it) and the colors look good.
> 
> One thing that I noticed, there is a part at the western peninsula at the coast of Hudd Sea, where the color of you landmass stops before the coastline does!


Thanks Kelerica! I will try a new font that looks more rugged. I used Crimson Text which is nice, but maybe not in all caps. Also, thanks for noticing the unmasked area in the top corner. The Genabackis title has a rough style, IM Fell.

I've added a prototype style for the ocean. I will post below.

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## joshuabbutler

Here is a version with a prototype Ocean. Still rough, but I wanted to check it out quickly. Will clean up on the subway on Monday. Also, the info box is still WIP.

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## Kellerica

I like the new ocean! It's coming along great.

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## KMAlexander

Really loving how all this all looks. Nice work.

One minor bit of feedback, everything flows so well together but the hard edges of the plateaus stand out a bit.

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## joshuabbutler

> Really loving how all this all looks. Nice work.
> 
> One minor bit of feedback, everything flows so well together but the hard edges of the plateaus stand out a bit.


Thanks for the comments KM. I really struggled with the Plateaus. I felt on the original map they popped out. I actually was wondering if I should have trees on one side of the Bhederin Plateau. I remember driving down a plateau in Arizona, and it was basically a forest descending  all the way down.

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## KMAlexander

Wonder if something like this would help? Just fading an edge into some connective land.
Feels like it'd blend more. (I just used the clone stamp for a quick mockup.)



Right now they're more mesa-esque, this way it feels like an extension of the Steppes.

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## KMAlexander

Also, this kinda mimics what you do with your mountains, which I really like.

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## JoshStolarz

> Felt I should have updated a little more before posting so here is another shot. Haven't touched the water yet.
> 
> Attachment 117568


Map is looking really good. I like your color palette for the map, nice and subtle. It's refreshing to see a nicer quality version of this map than what you normally find in the books  :Very Happy:

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## joshuabbutler

> Wonder if something like this would help? Just fading an edge into some connective land.
> Feels like it'd blend more. (I just used the clone stamp for a quick mockup.)
> 
> 
> 
> Right now they're more mesa-esque, this way it feels like an extension of the Steppes.


I hear you. I struggled with the Plateaus. I tried what you suggested earlier, but I felt it wasn't consistent with the original maps. I think I should just redraw the shapes completely. 

Thanks for taking the time to provide the suggestion!

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## joshuabbutler

> Map is looking really good. I like your color palette for the map, nice and subtle. It's refreshing to see a nicer quality version of this map than what you normally find in the books


Thanks for the comment!

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## joshuabbutler

Hi All, here is some more progress. I added some icons for cities, forts, etc. There are mistakes here and there, but it is coming along.

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## Eilathen

As I already told you (in another thread, I think), Malazan is my absolute favorite fantasy work. I have often considered using Erikson's setting for a pen&paper rpg. This map really makes me want to do it again. So yeah, well done! It might even trigger a reread of the whole work...thank you very much  :Razz:   :Wink:

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## delgondahntelius

Great looking map, love the palette  for this map. Keep up the good work!

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## joshuabbutler

> Great looking map, love the palette  for this map. Keep up the good work!


Thanks, I appreciate it

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## joshuabbutler

> As I already told you (in another thread, I think), Malazan is my absolute favorite fantasy work. I have often considered using Erikson's setting for a pen&paper rpg. This map really makes me want to do it again. So yeah, well done! It might even trigger a reread of the whole work...thank you very much


Thanks Eilathen. I too really love the Malazan world. I would love to see a Malazan RPG. Character classes would be awesome. It should be fun to work on that.

Do you ever check out the MalazanEmpire forum?

Also, l've appreciated the feedback you've given. 

I'm almost done with the map for now. I just need update the Info panel.

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## joshuabbutler

Ok, I might be calling this one done for the near term. Thanks everyone for the feedback. It is much appreciated....



(KM, I haven't decided on how to handle the Plateau situation, but I think it represents what is discussed in the book, I will pick it up again later.

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## joshuabbutler

actually, the first sentence in the info panel had a mistake

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## joshuabbutler

updated...

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## QED42

Very impressive map!

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## joshuabbutler

One more... I didn't like where the compass was positioned, I also wanted the globe view... Last change...

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## joshuabbutler

> Very impressive map!


thank you!

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## Eilathen

Hey Joshua,

Huuzah! A map and "Job" well done! Thank you for sharing it with us! (and I hope you'll do more of the Malazan world...he said, very not self servingly...  :Wink:  )

And yes, I do visit the Malazan Forum from time to time. I was a regular years and years back. We moved forum at least twice that i can remember (but probably more ^^ ). Nowadays I don't have as much freetime as I used to (but I am sure everyone knows how that goes) and I don't know the current regulars anymore (well one or two that are still around...ah, I'm getting nostalgic ^^ ) so i somehow feel....out of place *shrugs*
Are you regularly posting over there?

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## joshuabbutler

> Hey Joshua,
> 
> Huuzah! A map and "Job" well done! Thank you for sharing it with us! (and I hope you'll do more of the Malazan world...he said, very not self servingly...  )
> 
> And yes, I do visit the Malazan Forum from time to time. I was a regular years and years back. We moved forum at least twice that i can remember (but probably more ^^ ). Nowadays I don't have as much freetime as I used to (but I am sure everyone knows how that goes) and I don't know the current regulars anymore (well one or two that are still around...ah, I'm getting nostalgic ^^ ) so i somehow feel....out of place *shrugs*
> Are you regularly posting over there?


Thanks Eliathan! I'm not sure which one to do next... might take a break for a couple weeks. On the Malazan forum, I just posted this map work to ask some questions.

Now I'm deciding on two formats for the info box. Which one do you like? See below.

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## joshuabbutler

Last thing, I'm choosing between these two info box designs. I think I prefer Option B. Can anyone provide a preference.

Option A: I'm not so sure about the placement of the globe at the bottom of the info box.



Option B



Thanks

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## Kellerica

For my money, option A, hands down. Having the red area be larger due to the title being inside it makes the whole thing look a lot more compact. I also like how the globe breaks the shape, it immediately makes the box look more interesting when it's not just a rectangle. The addition of the date before the title is also a nice touch.

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## joshuabbutler

> For my money, option A, hands down. Having the red area be larger due to the title being inside it makes the whole thing look a lot more compact. I also like how the globe breaks the shape, it immediately makes the box look more interesting when it's not just a rectangle. The addition of the date before the title is also a nice touch.


Thanks Kellerica.... maybe I was feeling that way too. I originally had the compass where the globe was in Option A, which felt weird and over designed. But, then I put the globe there, which I wasn't used to, so I wondered if it looked good. 

I guess, I can call this map done. Want to move on to another to see if I can repeat the style.

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## Kellerica

I think it is looking quite done indeed! Great work. I think it came out pretty nice!

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## arsheesh

I'd go with option A as well.  This is a great map by the way, I really enjoy the colors and the clean simple icons.  Well done.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh

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## Ilanthar

I vote also A, it looks more "catchy" this way. And top notch work, btw!

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## joshuabbutler

> I think it is looking quite done indeed! Great work. I think it came out pretty nice!


Thank you!

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## joshuabbutler

> I'd go with option A as well.  This is a great map by the way, I really enjoy the colors and the clean simple icons.  Well done.
> 
> Cheers,
> -Arsheesh


Thank You!

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## joshuabbutler

> I vote also A, it looks more "catchy" this way. And top notch work, btw!


Thank you! 

You gave me feedback at the beginning to reduce the line weight of the mountains. It really helped!

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## Marc

Mu compliments for your work Joshua, I am not familiar with the work your map is based on but it inspired me to do some investigating  :Wink: 

As for your options: I really like the extra information you added with the title in option A and I really like the top globe in option B showing the map is part of something bigger. I also prefer the red borders in option A more, gives the map a more ‘luxorious’ feel.
Personally I would like to see option A, but with the globe and its red border all the way at the top of the box above the title.

Again, awsome work!

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## joshuabbutler

> Mu compliments for your work Joshua, I am not familiar with the work your map is based on but it inspired me to do some investigating 
> 
> As for your options: I really like the extra information you added with the title in option A and I really like the top globe in option B showing the map is part of something bigger. I also prefer the red borders in option A more, gives the map a more ‘luxorious’ feel.
> Personally I would like to see option A, but with the globe and its red border all the way at the top of the box above the title.
> 
> Again, awsome work!


Thanks Marc!

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