# Community Participation > Mapping Challenge Archive >  Nov/Dec 2020 Challenge: Arriwis & Lyndel

## - JO -

So this year, I have the immense honor to team up with Ilanthar! 

I will try to live up to his creativity: here are the suggestions of map he sent me:

"I was thinking of a short story involving a Baroness and her neighbor. 
who have a dispute over the tolls/possession of the only bridge, 
which makes it possible to cross a river (this one separating their strongholds).

At the Baroness's, the castle overlooks a village, and the lands are
mainly forestry. At his neighbor's, it is rather plains &.
woods, with a hamlet enclosed in walls and on a hill, with
the castle on one side.

The bridge, imposing, has an edge with a mill (banneret side) and the
fortified toll site with drawbridge (baroness side).if you feel like it, I
told me that there could be a transformation of one of them into a
opportunistic hostel for stranded travelers, as the bridge
is impassable until the conflict is resolved."

Lots of good ideas, which I will try to translate into a map... here is the very first draft... 

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## Ilanthar

The honor is mine  :Smile: .

Man, you chose an ambitious perspective, that's gonna be awesome  :Smile: !

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## - JO -

So here’s what I’ve got so far....

Lot of work ahead, but I’m already enjoying it. This challenge is the best for motivation!

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## - JO -

I guess I’m finished with the mountains... ink regarding at least...

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## Ilanthar

Wow! It's splendid!
You got crazy with details, I love it  :Smile: .

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## - JO -

> Wow! It's splendid!
> You got crazy with details, I love it .


I’m glad you like it... it’s the purpose of the whole thing  :Very Happy: 
Now I’m starting forest, I try your style
More details to come !

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## Tiana

A very ambitious map beginning.

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## Deadzora

I actually love this, do you mind if I use it to make a 3d scene? When I'm done ill absolutely give you it. I just think it would make for a very nice 3d scene.

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## Bogie

The mountains are awesome!

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## - JO -

> A very ambitious map beginning.


Yes... I realise that more and more as I progress... I just hope I can draw up to a point where it’ll look more or less as a map  :Very Happy:

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## - JO -

> I actually love this, do you mind if I use it to make a 3d scene? When I'm done ill absolutely give you it. I just think it would make for a very nice 3d scene.


Please, do ! I love 3D scenes ! That gives me more motivation to achieve it !




> The mountains are awesome!


Thanks a lot... I might have gone a bit crazy with those

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## Deadzora

Awesome, ill start working on it this week, and just add to it asyou add to yours. With the mountains I've got a ton of work ahead of me lol, but I think the composition of this scene will look pretty sweet as a rendered 3d scene.

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## - JO -

> Awesome, ill start working on it this week, and just add to it asyou add to yours. With the mountains I've got a ton of work ahead of me lol, but I think the composition of this scene will look pretty sweet as a rendered 3d scene.


I’m really looking forward to see this !

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## - JO -

A few steps ahead... I hope these forests are OK... cause they are killing me ...  :Very Happy: 

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## Ilanthar

You're going way faster than me  :Surprised: ! And your forests are also awesome, better than mine if you ask me  :Wink: .
You're outdoing yourself on this, my friend  :Smile: .

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## ChickPea

Your linework is stunning, Jo! Those mountains are fantastic.

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## - JO -

> Your linework is stunning, Jo! Those mountains are fantastic.


Thanks a lot ! I’m glad you like this so far !

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## - JO -

> You're going way faster than me ! And your forests are also awesome, better than mine if you ask me .
> You're outdoing yourself on this, my friend .


I’m sorry to disagree ! Your forests are the best... a few stroke and I can smell pines !! Mine needs too many stroke and you barely smell ikea furnitures !

And I’m going « fast » during weekends... tomorrow, back to the job, map go slower...

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## Chashio

Beautiful work so far!

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## - JO -

> Beautiful work so far!


Thanks a lot ! I hope you won’t get disappointed later ;D

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## - JO -

Here’s an update !

@ilanthar : tell me what you think about those forests... I’ve put them a bit everywhere, I hope it’s not too much and it still looks more or less natural

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## ThomasR

Dis-moi que ce n'est pas à cause de moi que tu dessines tous les arbres ...

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## - JO -

> Dis-moi que ce n'est pas à cause de moi que tu dessines tous les arbres ...


Non, mais je repense au minimum une fois par heure à ton thread «* let’s share our hate of forrests*»  :Very Happy:

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## Deadzora

Look at you go, just plugging away eh? and I'm over here trying to perfect a single mountain range for a 3D version..
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JwF...ew?usp=sharing

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## - JO -

> Look at you go, just plugging away eh? and I'm over here trying to perfect a single mountain range for a 3D version..
> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JwF...ew?usp=sharing


That's brilliant !!!! 
How did you do that ?

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## MistyBeee

Wooow, Jo !! Those cliffs are just splendid !

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## - JO -

> Wooow, Jo !! Those cliffs are just splendid !


Thanks so much... glad you like it !

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## - JO -

I planted some more trees today....

It grows wild !

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## Deadzora

> That's brilliant !!!! 
> How did you do that ?


Haha thanks, its not that great yet, gonna try and sketch out a top view of what I think your map would look like just land shape wise and then throw in my mountains and ill update you, though I suppose I should start a separate thread so I dont bog yours down. Once I finish up if there's you want I can throw a little tutorial together... though I do have to decide where I want to render it. Either I can render it to look really nice for a picture or I can throw it in a game engine and it won't look nice but you'll be able to run around the scene a bit. I'm leaning toward just a single nice picture.

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## - JO -

> Haha thanks, its not that great yet, gonna try and sketch out a top view of what I think your map would look like just land shape wise and then throw in my mountains and ill update you, though I suppose I should start a separate thread so I dont bog yours down. Once I finish up if there's you want I can throw a little tutorial together... though I do have to decide where I want to render it. Either I can render it to look really nice for a picture or I can throw it in a game engine and it won't look nice but you'll be able to run around the scene a bit. I'm leaning toward just a single nice picture.


As far as I’m concerned, you can post here... I do like to see what you’ll do with this 3D project

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## Ilanthar

The forests are fabulous and the trees are growing well, I see  :Wink: .
Nothing more to add, I'm a happy client  :Smile: .

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## - JO -

> The forests are fabulous and the trees are growing well, I see .
> Nothing more to add, I'm a happy client .


Then I'm a happy cartographer !!!
 :Very Happy: 

I keep growing trees, but in smaller forrests, now that I'm in the banneret area

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## ThomasR

> Non, mais je repense au minimum une fois par heure à ton thread «* lets share our hate of forrests*»


Be strong ... BTW it's already looking gorgeous  :Wink:

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## - JO -

> Be strong ... BTW it's already looking gorgeous


Thanks a lot ! Encouragement are welcome !

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## - JO -

I tried something about the east area of the map...

It seemed a bit empty regarding the western region

So I draw a ome hills covered with woods... @ilanthar : what do you think of it ?

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## Deadzora

So I have a basic layout generated, I am sure I will have to go in and flesh some things out and change some things as you change your map up, but here is an untextured work in progress.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mnu...ew?usp=sharing

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## Deadzora

I need to go into my heightmap that I generated and smooth some things out, and fix some artifacts, and I think I should probably model some quick cliffs and such but it's coming along pretty splenidly I would say

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## - JO -

> So I have a basic layout generated, I am sure I will have to go in and flesh some things out and change some things as you change your map up, but here is an untextured work in progress.
> 
> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mnu...ew?usp=sharing


Wow again ! Pretty impressive !

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## - JO -

Hello ! 

I think I’m more or less done with mountains, rivers and forests...

@ilanthar : what do you think of it ? More or less elements in some places ?

I should start cities, villages and THE bridge soon

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## Ilanthar

It's looking great!
I'm just admiring you working on it, waiting for the cities, villages and the famous bridge  :Wink: .

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## Bogie

It is looking absolutely wonderful Jo!

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## - JO -

> It's looking great!
> I'm just admiring you working on it, waiting for the cities, villages and the famous bridge .


Thanks ! Glad you like it (well, that’s the purpose of this challenge, after all !)




> It is looking absolutely wonderful Jo!


Thanks a lot Bogie ! Encouragement welcome !

I needed a break from inking, so I tried a bit of colouring... I try to stay in the palette of Ilanthar... it’s not so easy to mimic it’s style.

@Ilanthar : I hope you’ll agree with this choice of color ? Or do you want something more « plain colors » ?

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## Ilanthar

I do agree with your palette  :Smile: !

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## - JO -

> I do agree with your palette !


Ok ! Thanks ... I'll add some nuances and relief

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## - JO -

Speaking of scale... what do you think about that bridge ?

I know it’s small regarding the whole map, but it’s already too big regarding the trees...
Any preferences ?

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## Ilanthar

The bridge in itself is great (and the type of bridge coherent with landscape) and I woulnd't mind the scale. It's more than obvious than this is the only obvious way to cross the river, and that is the essential point  :Smile: .
Maybe it would pop more if it is place on a straight portion of the river though... but never mind, it's probably be more obvious when you'll add shading & shadows.

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## Bogie

My suggestion on the bridge would be (if possible) to slide the bridge a millimeter or two to the left so that the midpoint is over water instead of the edge of the river.

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## - JO -

Sorry for this meaningful post, but I have to try to post my map in a different resolution.
Up to now, I've worked and posted from Procreate on my Ipad, but I realise that, even when zoomed in, my map shows no details... 
I must be doing something wrong, so I try to post it as the best .jpg possible from photoshop on my computer.

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edit : it seems to me, that it looks better, isnt'it ?
I guess the compression to obtain a .jpg on procreate is too strong...

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## - JO -

> My suggestion on the bridge would be (if possible) to slide the bridge a millimeter or two to the left so that the midpoint is over water instead of the edge of the river.


Your are right ! Thanks for the good advice ! Fellowing what Ilanthar says, I think I'll redo the bridge a bit different, and I'll pay at the position of the middle of the bridge

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## - JO -

> The bridge in itself is great (and the type of bridge coherent with landscape) and I woulnd't mind the scale. It's more than obvious than this is the only obvious way to cross the river, and that is the essential point .
> Maybe it would pop more if it is place on a straight portion of the river though... but never mind, it's probably be more obvious when you'll add shading & shadows.


I'm glad you like the type and that the scale is OK for you (cause I couldn't draw it smaller... I'm already at this point in drawing, where my brush is 1 pixel ... )

I'll find a way for that bridge to pop more... I might divert the river canyon a bit (ah ! The power of the drawer ! do we all have god-complex ?)

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## Bogie

> edit : it seems to me, that it looks better, isnt'it ?
> I guess the compression to obtain a .jpg on procreate is too strong...


Yes, the details are so much better this way!

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## Ilanthar

Héhé, god-complex indeed (at least for me)  :Very Happy: .
You found your way for the details, which makes me say you really got crazy about those trees  :Surprised: !

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## - JO -

> Yes, the details are so much better this way!


Thanks ! I'm glad to have found the solution !

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## - JO -

> Héhé, god-complex indeed (at least for me) .


I know the feeling too ! They should all let us rule the world ! We would certainly correct some geographical issues ! ;D





> You found your way for the details, which makes me say you really got crazy about those trees !


"crazy with trees" ? Coming from you ???  :Very Happy: 

Look at your border !  :Very Happy: 

Now I found some time today, I tried to get crazy for details... I hope I'll join your club !

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## Ilanthar

The bridge is even better now, and I'm loving that city in construction  :Smile: !

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## Bogie

Lovin' that city!

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## - JO -

> The bridge is even better now, and I'm loving that city in construction !


Thanks ! I tried to make it pop up as strong as I could !




> Lovin' that city!


Thanks, Bogie ! I,m glad you like it. I wish I was not already at 1 pixel brush, so I could add details on the houses, but it won’t be possible to add more details

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## Adfor

I'm so loving that city, it's so small!

I'm in the right crowd with cramming detail, I had to make a conscious effort to not do that this time around. Luckily the 1 pixel brush is consistent, I have to constantly sharpen this dang pencil to get that detail. Alas.

IR

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## Eowyn Cwper

I'm jumping on the bandwagon here but this perspective is absolutely lovely!

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## - JO -

> I'm so loving that city, it's so small!
> 
> I'm in the right crowd with cramming detail, I had to make a conscious effort to not do that this time around. Luckily the 1 pixel brush is consistent, I have to constantly sharpen this dang pencil to get that detail. Alas.
> 
> IR


That’s right ! I never thought of that : digital brushes are easier to keep at one pixel  :Very Happy: 
How many pencils have you used yet ?

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## - JO -

> I'm jumping on the bandwagon here but this perspective is absolutely lovely!


Thanks a lot ! Even if I must admit I’m lucky... For this map, the perspective seems Ok, but usually I fumble with perspective and scale...

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## - JO -

New update : I worked on the details, the towns, villages and castles. 
And I make a proposal for the border.
@Ilnathar : It's a bit rushed, but if you like it, I'll pay more attention to the details. Tell me what you think?

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## Ilanthar

Wow, those knights are splendid  :Surprised: !!! I love them (and they are already pretty detailed, btw).

The other city is top notch and the idea of integrate the bridge in the frame is just perfect, as it is the center piece of the whole concept (plus, I see you're going also crazy with details  :Very Happy: ).

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## - JO -

I’m glad you like the soldiers... I must say I’m not talented enough to draw them by myself... I strongly inspired myself with drawings and photographs. I hope it’s still ok for you 

Other question, the one on the right is covering part of the land. Does it disturb you ? Shall I try to do something to avoid this ?

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## Ilanthar

:Very Happy:  You're kind to think I'm drawing everything without references... I surely often use reference photos or drawings, especially for poses or some particular details.

And nope, that's not disturbing at all ;-)

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## Adfor

> That’s right ! I never thought of that : digital brushes are easier to keep at one pixel 
> How many pencils have you used yet ?


Not a whole one, but I'll probably have chewed through 3/4 of one by the end of it. I like the sharpening process, it's something that I've developed my own way of doing over the years.

I like the knights border, though the hands on the right guy could use some work, they don't sit right to the eye. Really enjoying watching this progress.

IR

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## - JO -

> Not a whole one, but I'll probably have chewed through 3/4 of one by the end of it. I like the sharpening process, it's something that I've developed my own way of doing over the years.
> 
> I like the knights border, though the hands on the right guy could use some work, they don't sit right to the eye. Really enjoying watching this progress.
> 
> IR


I imagine you with a big knife, sharpening this pencil millimeter by millimeter... That's almost as a complete job as drawing the map  :Very Happy: 

And you're absolutely right about this hand... those are so difficult to draw ! I might give him a glove !!!  :Very Happy:

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## Ilanthar

Hands are still one of my nightmare to draw (apart maybe from the fists or hands clenched around something). There are some good reference sheets available here and there (I got a few from Deviant Art if I remember well).

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## - JO -

I'll manage something about this hand  (what if the soldier is old, and was wounded in a battle and lots his hand ?  :Very Happy:  )

Here's the result of the work of today... I think I might be over with ink... I just want you opinion about the amount of village in the banneret section. I understood this region is poorer than the barony, so I put less villages, more plains, but if it looks too empty, let me know, and I can add villages of farm.

I may try to find a symbol or some grass to draw to fill those arid plains too... or I'll just work on it with colors and nuances ?

I am at your service !

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## Ilanthar

A handless soldier, why not  :Very Happy: ! A more common trick is to hide most of the hand by other elements  :Wink: .

I imagined that the banneret section would be more rural. Maybe more crops/farms or a few water mills?
As for the plains, both of your proposals are fine to me.

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## - JO -

I think I managed to do something with the sick hand of the soldier on the right....
And I've added something that makes a real rural area of the banneret's territory.
Is this about what you had in mind?

Another proposal: the baron's coat of arms...

Tell me what you think of all this?

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## Ilanthar

Everything is perfect  :Smile: ! The hand, the Banneret's territory  - indeed really close that I had in mind -  and I love the secondary bridges you placed here and there.
Speaking of the coat of arms, it looks already very good and I can't help myself but see a reference to my home town  :Very Happy: .

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## - JO -

Champagne Ardennes ?

You lost me...

The figures are inspired from the coat of arms of Champagne Ardenne, but the colors come from the Swiss county of thurgau

Édit : here’s my proposition for the 2nd coat of arms, the one of the banneret

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## Ilanthar

I was thinking of the coat of arms of Troyes : 


But the green makes sense for the forests.
And the second is also great.

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## - JO -

Ah ! I did spot The Troyes coat of arms too !
It’s a nice one !

So I have, on one side, the « codices » of Troyes, and on the other side, the colors of Troyes...
That would be my secret hommage to my patreon!
 :Very Happy:

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## Ilanthar

Yes indeed  :Very Happy: !

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## - JO -

Not much visible progress... I spent some time to put my layers in orders and mostly redo some corrections I made and lost because of switching between PS and Procreate... I lack the discipline necessary to switch between software without losing work.

I have to correct the baronny coat of arms ... it's not right, you can't have gold and silver touching... 

but for now, here's where I am

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## - JO -

Before going on with the sea, I just want to check with you about this "look"... Is it too "realistic"  (waves and differences of colors) ?

And my proposal for the coat of arms of the Baronny... Now, I'm fellowing the rules of heraldic !

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## Ilanthar

Sea and coat of arms are looking good!  I really like your waves. About that, will you keep the current lines in the rivers black?

_Peut-être un dégradé un peu plus fort ou étalé entre les côtes et le grand large? Même si c'est quelque chose avec lequel je galère presque à chaque fois..._

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## - JO -

> Sea and coat of arms are looking good!  I really like your waves. About that, will you keep the current lines in the rivers black?
> 
> _Peut-être un dégradé un peu plus fort ou étalé entre les côtes et le grand large? Même si c'est quelque chose avec lequel je galère presque à chaque fois..._


I was thinking the same thing about those black lines in the rivers... I think I'll have to switch them in black...

For the light blue at the shores, I can accentuate the color, make it stronger, or add a mid-blue (3rd colors) between the light blue and the "dark" one... I did stuggle a while already, but I'll keep trying !

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## - JO -

I tried to fix the sea border... I'll find something for the river's current

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## - JO -

I worked on the waves, the rivers, the lakes, the cliffs, the moutains... and some shields.... and I tried something with the sky !

I hope it's still OK for you, Ilanthar ?

I might have lost a bit the option of "smooth colors" and fallen in my old habit of more "cartoon colors"... Yet none of the layers are 100% opacity, and they all have their own blending mode.

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## Ilanthar

Yup, everything looks really great, including that beautiful sky  :Smile:  (well done!).
And those shields are also gorgeous on the men-at-arms  :Wink: .

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## Kier

This is great. Love the layout, and the line art and now the border is kicking in. Well done.

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## - JO -

> This is great. Love the layout, and the line art and now the border is kicking in. Well done.


Thanks a lot ! Glad you like it !

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## - JO -

I've a proposal for title and upper border... tell me what you think (of course, it's just a sketch...)

I'm a bit stuck with this border... Lack of convincing ideas...

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## Ilanthar

Looks pretty good to me  :Smile: . What's bothering you?

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## - JO -

I thought it was « too much »... too heavy...

I’m glad if you like the archs and the idea of the banner for the title. But I certainly have to apply myself and redraw the banner... it’s ugly as it is now.

And I still need a good (and not too heavy) idea for the sides...

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## Bogie

Wonderful mapping!

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## - JO -

> Wonderful mapping!


Thanks a lot !
I'm slowing down now... not much progress... It's not easy to progress on a map on two different computers

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## - JO -

Here is my proposal for the title... I worked on it today but I had no time to make the adjustments with this new version.
I worked on the rest of the border too, and all the details on the map are coloured now

@Ilanthar : let me know what you think ?

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## Ilanthar

It's splendid! The colours are even improving details on the map & frame.
As for the sides of the frame, maybe some sort of pillars could echo & fit with the top?

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## Kellerica

The mountains are not really what I've come to expect from you, but they look really cool! I think currently the very thin linework on the settlements argues maybe a tiny bit with the strong lines of the mountains? Not a huge issue, mind you. Looking pretty great already, I look forward to seeing this finished.

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## - JO -

> It's splendid! The colours are even improving details on the map & frame.
> As for the sides of the frame, maybe some sort of pillars could echo & fit with the top?


I tried the pillars, it should be OK. I hope I can show it to you tonight.

I've also drawn the little coat of arms

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## - JO -

> The mountains are not really what I've come to expect from you, but they look really cool! I think currently the very thin linework on the settlements argues maybe a tiny bit with the strong lines of the mountains? Not a huge issue, mind you. Looking pretty great already, I look forward to seeing this finished.


Thanks Kell !

I know I have an issue with the width of the linework. I think I always start too broad and finish too thin. I should try the way Ilanthar is doing : same brush size for the whole linework... Next time, I hope !

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## - JO -

The results of the last few days.... 
Normally, I'm a bit finished with everything concerning the "architecture" of the map and the frame, as well as the colour. 
I still have to work on the ageing of the fabrics, the shades in the forests and also the texture of the frame.
Then comes the big job of shading... Anyway, it's not finished yet but it's progressing. 
I hope you still like it Ilanthar?

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## Ilanthar

It's fabulous  :Smile: ! The pillars you did work very well and I love that somehow aged banner look you got now.
Lovely to see those cities coloured as well.

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## - JO -

> It's fabulous ! The pillars you did work very well and I love that somehow aged banner look you got now.
> Lovely to see those cities coloured as well.


Thanks !

I will try to give a slightly older or "worn out" look to all the elements of the border, to make it look a bit more real (just like the soldiers' clothes and equipment)
I hope you'll like it

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## ChickPea

This is looking great, Jo. Absolutely beautiful.

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## - JO -

> This is looking great, Jo. Absolutely beautiful.


Thanks a lot Chickpea !
I should be able to work again on the map these next days... still a lot to do !

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## Adfor

The detail is incredible, JO. The way you mapped the roads is wonderfully appealing.

IR

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## - JO -

> The detail is incredible, JO. The way you mapped the roads is wonderfully appealing.
> 
> IR


Thanks a lot, Adfor !
May I ask what you found good about the roads ?

I had some time to work again on the map, Mainy on the soldiers (I tried to weather a bit those uniforms) and on the shadows (for the mountains)

@Ilanthar : tell me if it's OK, mostly about the intensity of the shadows ?

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## Dimension Door

There is so much going on in this map! Once I soomed in I got lost in all the details you put in there. Little buildings, cliffs, shields, bridges, mountains, forests, all in incredible detail. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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## - JO -

Thanks a lot !
I’m glad you like those details !
And I know I have some fixing to do, because I’ve lost some little bit of my job in the process (trees colors and details, i.e)

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## Ilanthar

The aging of the pillars & frame elements is great, those soldiers are better at each version. The shading looks great on the mountains, I find it a bit heavy on the central part of the cliffs, to be honest (and excellent on the rest).

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## - JO -

> The aging of the pillars & frame elements is great, those soldiers are better at each version. The shading looks great on the mountains, I find it a bit heavy on the central part of the cliffs, to be honest (and excellent on the rest).


You are right about the shadow of the cliff. I don't know why it's so much harder than in the mountains, I used the same opacity, blending mode and colors... I know I can tuned it down without problems... It shall be done by the end of the day

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## Adfor

> Thanks a lot, Adfor !
> May I ask what you found good about the roads ?


Their arrangement is all, I'm a sucker for well planned roads.  :Razz:

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## - JO -

> Their arrangement is all, I'm a sucker for well planned roads.


Then I'm very glad you liked them !

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## Marc Moureau

Your maps are getting more and more impressive.

I like the way you drew these mountains and cliffs, particularly in the line art.

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## - JO -

> Your maps are getting more and more impressive.
> 
> I like the way you drew these mountains and cliffs, particularly in the line art.


Thanks a lot ! Coming from you, it means a lot !

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## - JO -

So ... as promised, I had time to work on the border today : shading mostly... Now I try to find something more "prestigious" for the banner and the title. I don't think I'll keep the letter "A" the way it is, but I think I'm gonna try something else in the same spirit... and maybe some ornments on each side of the title... If you have any ideas, I'm listening ...

Meanwhile, here what I've come with so far :

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## - JO -

I had more time today to move on...

So I think I'm done with the border, as long as the new banner pleases Ilanthar.

I kept on with shading the map : lights on the mountains, shadows and lights for the cliffs, the forests. I added nuances for forests and plains.

Where I really need approval from Ilanthar is with the sea... I tried some things, and I hope it's OK for you.

Here we go :

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## - JO -

Some corrections for the banner and the big waves, and a proposal for a legend...

Don't know what you think of it ?

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## Ilanthar

Sorry, I haven't been much on my computer lately. I liked the previous banner, but the new one is just a win! I love what you did with the capital letters, and the new colour of the cloth makes the text pops more.
The shading of the cliffs is also excellent now  :Smile: .
What you're doing with the waves looks good, it's a hard thing to do in my opinion (I did some failed tests in the past).

The scrolls for the key is a good idea. I would suggest to extend the scroll, making them a full component of the frame as well by making them passing between soldiers & pillars  and behind the beginning of bridge?
Oh! And clever place for your place for you signature seal  :Smile: !

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## - JO -

> The scrolls for the key is a good idea. I would suggest to extend the scroll, making them a full component of the frame as well by making them passing between soldiers & pillars  and behind the beginning of bridge?
> Oh! And clever place for your place for you signature seal !


Hello !

You had something like that in mind ?

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## Ilanthar

I was something of this sort of thing (if I may) : 


But what you did is also working well  :Wink: .

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## - JO -

Oh thanks ! That’s much much better !

I think I didn’t understand well your idea... now I see and it’s a lot better ! Thanks !

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## - JO -

Well... I must be doing something wrong, I find my result not at all convincing.

Due to the 31st approaching, I think I'll go back with my first proposal and try to improve it.

@Ilanthar : if you read this soon enough and find a way to correct my mistake (and if you find this way better than other) , I'll keep on with this of course..

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## - JO -

I think I'm seeing the end of this project, now...

Depending on Ilanthar's approval, of course !

I finished shading, I made another proposal for the parchments on the lower border : it's two letters, from each side of that bridge, and it gives the backstory of this map. I made a proposal too for the labels...

Let me know what you think about all that, Ilanthar ?

In the meantime, I wish you all a merry Christmas and I hope you have the best hollydays as possible !

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## Antoine.L

Very good map JO! I like the way you did the parchments in the latest version. The lettering is looking very good, and I like to find new village when I have a closer look at it.

Well done!

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## Ilanthar

Excellent! I love that last version  :Smile: .
The text is also well thought and the ribbons is a very nice touch.
Now, the best I can do is to try to finish yours before the end of the month... I will certainly go back to it tomorrow!

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## - JO -

> Excellent! I love that last version .
> The text is also well thought and the ribbons is a very nice touch.
> Now, the best I can do is to try to finish yours before the end of the month... I will certainly go back to it tomorrow!


Thanks !  I’m glad you like this version ! 
Just a word about labels ?
Too small ?
Should it be larger? But then I would put less labels?

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## Ilanthar

> Thanks ! I’m glad you like this version !
> Just a word about labels ?
> Too small ?
> Should it be larger? But then I would put less labels?


I never know about this kind of things. When I have a doubt, I do a grayscale print (at the planned print size) to check if it's globally legible.

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## - JO -

> I never know about this kind of things. When I have a doubt, I do a grayscale print (at the planned print size) to check if it's globally legible.


I printed the map and enlarged the labels, I think they are readable.

Here's the propositions for the name. I'm not sure I should add more, but if you think so, I'll gladly do !

Here's what I've got so far (I'll make the name fit better the parchment as soon as you're ok with them)

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## Ilanthar

It looks excellent! And I feel obliged to support the city of Throy  :Wink:   :Very Happy: 
Once again, you outdid yourself on this one.

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## - JO -

> It looks excellent! And I feel obliged to support the city of Throy  
> Once again, you outdid yourself on this one.


Thanks again !

I took time to work on labels (text match better the parchment), I worked on shading of the terrain, I changed some names : Arriwis and Lyndel used to appear nowhere...
I hope it's still all right for you ?

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## MistyBeee

It's been a while since I last came on the forum (shame on me, yeah, but uh... the Christmas thing, y'know...) and it's a joy to discover what you all worked on ! the map is the true star of this piece, Jo, and I'm totally in love with it, especially now it's colored. It works really, really well !  :Smile:

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## Adfor

Now that you've got the shading in place, this is taking on a whole new level of good. All the depth, love it!

IR

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## Ilanthar

> I hope it's still all right for you ?


Absolutely, sir  :Smile: !

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## - JO -

> It's been a while since I last came on the forum (shame on me, yeah, but uh... the Christmas thing, y'know...) and it's a joy to discover what you all worked on ! the map is the true star of this piece, Jo, and I'm totally in love with it, especially now it's colored. It works really, really well !


Thanks a lot Bee ! Mean a lot, coming from you !

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## - JO -

> Now that you've got the shading in place, this is taking on a whole new level of good. All the depth, love it!
> 
> IR


Thanks !
It's true, it makes a big difference. I didn't realise it until it was done.

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## - JO -

> Absolutely, sir !


What a relief!  :Smile: 
I'm going to work a little more on the shading, especially between the valleys that are in the forests and their connection with the meadow... I find them a little... "laid there" and not very coherent.
But otherwise, I think I'm nearing the end!

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## - JO -

Here's what I came with the shading... 
Maybe I'll try to add more relief tomorrow... Or is it too much ?

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## Jaxilon

Wonderful job JO, this is mouthwatering and very fairy tale.

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## Ilanthar

It's even better! We can really feel the topography of the lands. I'm pretty sure it's gonna be marvelous when printed  :Smile: .
Thanks for the hard work, partner.

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## - JO -

> Wonderful job JO, this is mouthwatering and very fairy tale.


Thanks a lot, Jaxilon.

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## - JO -

> It's even better! We can really feel the topography of the lands. I'm pretty sure it's gonna be marvelous when printed .
> Thanks for the hard work, partner.


Thanks ! I’m really glad you like it, because it’s yours  :Razz: 
If you see anything I should fix, add or change, let me know 
I’ll let it like that for a while and come back to see if it needs any change.

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## - JO -

I made some adjustments, here and there, and added some subtle (?) dedications to my commissionner.
I hope you'll like it, Ilanthar !

Still open for critics and comments... I have few hours to make some corrections if needed.
Otherwise, that would be my last WIP

Thanks for all your support, but mostly thanks to Ilanthar, who made me find the motivation to try to draw the best as I could... I hope it's enough to fulfill the commission you gave me at the beginning !

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## Ilanthar

Héhé, very well played  :Very Happy: ! At first, I was looking for it at the bottom, then my eyes caught the little beasties and I saw it  :Smile: .

It's more than enough! I just had a vague idea for this and you turned it into a wonderful map  :Smile: .

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## - JO -

> Héhé, very well played ! At first, I was looking for it at the bottom, then my eyes caught the little beasties and I saw it


Thanks ! I'm glad you like the salamander...
But there's more...  :Evil:

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## Ilanthar

You mean, more then the text carved on the bridge?

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## - JO -

> You mean, more then the text carved on the bridge?


No... just the salamander and the text... I didn't understand that you saw the text

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## Ilanthar

Well, I guess I wasn't very clear either  :Very Happy: .

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## Adfor

JO I cannot stress enough how impressed I am with the end result. The detail in that tight of a space must have taken you so much time.

IR

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## Bogie

This is just magnificent, beyond words!

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## - JO -

> JO I cannot stress enough how impressed I am with the end result. The detail in that tight of a space must have taken you so much time.
> 
> IR


Thanks a lot for the kind words ! I'm glad you like the map. I don't know how much time I spend on this map, but this time of the year is the only time where I really can get vacations, so I'm glad to spend this time mapping !




> This is just magnificent, beyond words!


Thanks a lot Bogie ! I'm honoured by your compliments !

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## arsheesh

Splendid piece Jo.  The detail you've put in to this piece really shines.  Nicely framed as well.  I love it.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh

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