# Gallery > Cartographers Choice >  Diyun City map by Schley

## jfrazierjr

*Map*


*Created in: Photoshop*

*Review*
Mike Schley is an artist whose work continues to amaze me.  The map of Diyun city is excellent by itself with it's beautiful colors, line work, and an incredible amount of detail, but Mike then makes the map really pop by adding cross section views of the city.   This really makes the whole piece come alive and gives it great character.




> Hey guys,
> Here's a recent map of a port city created for a D&D article titled "Backdrop: Diyun". It went live recently in Dungeon 189.
> 
> Hope you like it. I had a lots of fun with the little side view illustrations.


*Original threads*
Click here to view the Finished Map thread.

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## Lukc

Wow ... it *is* beautiful.

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## Sakusammakko

This is a beautiful map.  The cutaway views scream, 'Adventure!'

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## Kitamasu1

Amazing, i love the bridges binding the islands together. So many buildings...   (i don't quite understand why some bridges were between 30-50 feet of each other when they linked the same island though   but still amazing)

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## deadmeat

Really nice. Very cool idea for a city.

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## Waylander39

Absolutely incredible, really stunning.

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## jfrazierjr

> Amazing, i love the bridges binding the islands together. So many buildings...   (i don't quite understand why some bridges were between 30-50 feet of each other when they linked the same island though   but still amazing)


After looking at this again in context of the quote, the various bridges are "near" each other from an over head view, but those bridges link different elevation.  Perhaps elevation has a social significance and you don't want the "rabble" up in the nobles parts just to cross a bridge....

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## Kanti

That is an awesome map

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## jesuisbenjamin

Awesome map  :Smile:  Watcha do with it?
Only possible improvement would be the edge, it lacks perspective imho. You know: a bit of shadow here and there that would be caused by the damaged corners and all, now it feels more like an eraser has been rubbed along the edge. Also a font like in comic books would look kind of cool since the drawing are of a very much similar style.

PS: here is an example of what I mean.

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## xerhino

That is some very good art *and* design work there.  I wish I had that kind of talent.  I have an (unillustrated) city that is very similar in my world.  The bridges add a certain flair to the town.  Here is a snippet from my world's atlas:

" The bridges are considered public land and a distinct culture has developed among those who make their lives and livelihood on them.  Bridge culture is a unique experience to visitors, and one may spend a lazy afternoon just sipping tea or ale at one of the many vendors on the side of a bridge. "

Just a thought about how life in a bridge city would be. Again, your illustration is fantastic.

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## Freehand 5.5

I like this one.

It could have been made clear with marks, where exactly the cut views has been made.

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## Michael Sievers

I really like this map and the whole idea of the way the city is built.  I would like to live there.

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## alphonsus

Did you plan each of the levels to decide where the bridges will go? This is one of the most unusual cities I've ever seen! It's brilliant.

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## Soultroubadour

Wow- Kudos to you sir. Like any magician I imagine people are frequently asking you to reveal your secrets... I wont do that, but I would like to ask- Have you considered doing a tutorial?

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## Gerenan

Very cool idea. And beautiful art. I wish I could do things like that.

Isn't making all the buildings hard and very tedious?

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## Gamerprinter

Well, since Mike Schley does work for Wizards of the Coast - creating tediously detailed work is part of the job. If you create easy maps, than anybody (well a lot more) could do it. Once you're a pro doing work for the big boys, you really want to get the details right!

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## Habben

Omg I love it! Mind if I use it for a pathfinder game? It looks exactly like how i imagined the second city my group is going to travel to.

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## Robber Baron

Excellent map!! Thanks for sharing.

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## Urieal

Wow, stunning work. I'll certainly be using it in my campaign  :Smile:  I love this site  :Very Happy:

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## Michael Stenmark

I love the cut-aways, the side view.
This map has all what once drove me into loving history, sagas and fantasy.
Brilliant artwork with a great touch of the 80s RPG books.

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## ausmomo

Very, very nice. I "wow"ed when I saw it  :Smile: 
Can I suggest something?

A private island, for snobby rich/powerful people. Slightly bigger buildings. Retractable bridge perhaps. I guess it depends on the society.
More buildings on the main land? Bridges to main land on the east side?

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## moriturimax

O-M-G!  Marry me!  Heh, my way of saying I LOVE it, and it was hard to type this while drooling on my keyboard.

Absolutely mind blowing.  Stuff like this makes me want to drop my crayons and really learn how to draw.

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## johnwinstondarby

MIke, you do wonderful work! Do you do any commission work?

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## RobA

> MIke, you do wonderful work! Do you do any commission work?


That's his biz...  http://www.mikeschley.com/

-Rob A>

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## angellus00

Wow, just amazing!

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## Anifanatic

I love this so much, bridges, water ways, islands, amazing. I am in awe.  :Smile:

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## kidfrommars

This is awesome. I love the way the city works on multiple levels!

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## Brandon

Great map, I really like the sideview details!

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## bigfirie

That is such a gorgeous map that both inspires me to make an effort myself, but at the same time makes me wonder if I have the capability. I think I'll run with the inspiration side though.  :Smile:

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## monnock777

Your work looks fantastic

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## MTGEmperor

I have no idea why, but I immediately think of Atlantis when I saw this map. too damn good, imo.

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## Dreamlord

If you're still reading these, may i use the idea behind the map in a story?

Not so much the map IN the story, but use the map in my mind, as a city port in a story.

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## Lemon

I like the idea very much. The multiple levels with bridges and stairs connecting everything makes it some kind of a labyrinth, something that has grown over time. I think I can't avoid influences on one of the next adventures for my role playing group  :Wink:

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## shanehowlett

I really like how you did the water. Really amazing map.

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## Rukia_K

Beautiful map! Absolutely incredible, really stunning.

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## Alex

Wow! Love the city design! Really love it! xD

This deserves some rep!

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## Schley

Wow! Thanks for all the love guys!  :Smile: 

Dreamlord – The idea is fair game. The image though, is copyrighted by WotC. So no touch unless it's just for a non-published homebrew.  :Wink:

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## stiginz

Cool map, have to say that scale bar made me chuckle.  Not in a bad way, just dig the irreverence all the way down to that level.  Awesome!

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## Scipio

Awesome! When I hear "bridge city", this is what I envision and not something like Cato Neimoidia... haha

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## Dreamlord

> Wow! Thanks for all the love guys! 
> 
> Dreamlord – The idea is fair game. The image though, is copyrighted by WotC. So no touch unless it's just for a non-published homebrew.


Thanks, mate - some people are very.. umm.. restrictive over ideas.

I'd print the map out and use the idea behind the map as a city-port in a story (the print only just to keep the image in mind and the idea straight).
The image would not appear in publication.

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## Planemaster

Perfect Job, a reference work for me. Thanks

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## Anthony Cook

Amazing map. I love the side views and the style of the buildings.

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## Maddness

I love this, the detail is spectacular.

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## RedOwl

What a beautiful map! I will be using this as reference in my own map-making project. The style is great - I love all the detailed line work, and the colors. Too often I see maps with terribly muted colors, but this has just the right balance of saturation.

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## TheMarquisDeSpace

This is similar to the first city I built in my world. The only difference is that mine was in a dark sun type setting with little water and the islands were farther apart. Instead of bridges I used Lightning rails. This is wonderful

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## vorropohaiah

the thin linework on this one is really nice, the projections too.

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## Matthew MacNish

Without the sideview cutaways, it's a gorgeous map. But with then ... it's breathtaking.

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## glowe

the cutaways are unique and a helpful addition

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## ZeroCharisma

Beautiful and artistic map. Truly a work of art!

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## Plasmaportl

I really like this one.

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## paranorgia

This is fantastic. I love the cross section views. Gives the map a whole new dimension.

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## Obsidian

This map makes me jealous of your skills!

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## Ithuvanian

:Idea:  I want to live there.

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## Matthew MacNish

> Amazing, i love the bridges binding the islands together. So many buildings...   (i don't quite understand why some bridges were between 30-50 feet of each other when they linked the same island though   but still amazing)


I think the idea (based on the side-view cutaways) is that two bridges might look close together from the bird's eye view, but actually connect to different levels.

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## IAmAbraxas

Awesome, I imagine smelling pine trees when looking at the cross sections.

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## doggie_dog

This map is great! I love the side views!

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## Eireannach

Great use of plan and elevation.

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## makaki

The colors of the map are beautiful, great work!

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## Bog97th

The cut aways are a very interesting element. And I like the effects of the water in the shores. It is simi old school looking. Wonderful!

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## amberroberts09

Yes it is wonderful...

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## daggertx

Amazing work!!

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## Marius91

Wow, this is beautiful ...  Great work!

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## Gonzotron

Great creative ideas.  It certainly is a place I would love to visit.

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## thecraftybee

So creative and well drawn.  I've been writing a story based in a city similar to this, but your vision just makes things in my mind so much clearer.

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## Soul_Reaper

Awesome work! I really like this style with the colours. Reminds me of some of the old 3.5e DnD maps I used to see.

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## rusty1001

Amazing map.

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## Quenten

This is about the best and most fascinating city I have seen. Reminds me a little of Cherryh's Merovingen. Quenten

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## beruda

Amazing! Is it entirely digital, or was some of it done by hand, because the line-work suggests ink and paper?

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