# Gallery > Cartographers Choice >  City of Kingkel - by MistyBeee

## Ilanthar

*City of Kingkel*


*Created in : Photoshop & Wacom Cintiq pro*

*Review*
An active member of the guild for only a few months, MistyBeee has already delivered us many stunning maps, some already rewarded by a golden compass. A professional artist, she is also kind enough to show her process and steps in WIPs, thus we had the pleasure to follow the incredible city of Kingkel developments.
It is quite rare to see such a large fantasy city with so many details. The perspective, colors and quality of the drawing all converge to display the whole city and its wonders, not to mention the fields and lands around it. Frame, title and coat of arms are the final ornaments of this wonderful city map.

*Finished map*
*WIP thread*

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## DanielHasenbos

I knew this was going to be a Cartographers Choice map! Congrats MistyBeee, your map rightfully belongs in this gallery!

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## MapMappingMapped

A beautiful map and a fitting reward! This map is pure art made with love and detail. Keep mapping Misty!!!

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## Narc

Yes, it's really deserved ! 
Congratulations Misty !

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## Wingshaw

A fantastic and completely worthy choice for Cartographers' Choice. Congratulations Misty, it is well-deserved.

Wingshaw

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## Kellerica

A well deserved CC, kudos Misty!  :Smile:

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## ChickPea

Congrats Beee! There was no doubt this was going to be a CC Award, and it's well deserved!

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## J.Edward

Let me say, heck yeah!!!  :Very Happy: 
This one is so beautiful and so deserving of all the awards we can heap on it.  :Razz: 
Beee - you are just killing it with your incredible map work. I'm glad you are sharing all that here at the Guild.
You only enhance this site and community. Congrats.  :Smile:

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## Blaidd Drwg

Absolutely, utterly amazing. So much detail. And well thought out, down to changing style and layout of the city in different areas. 
Congrats on the CC Award, you deserve it  :Very Happy:

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## MistyBeee

I'm speechless, guys. It's 10 minutes now, in front of my keyboard, and I'm just so happy, proud and honored I can't express how grateful I am  :Smile: 
Thank you so much for the kind word, and most of all for the wonderful welcome you made for me on the Guild : I'm new, and already here, and it's amazing !!

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## LizardInk

I love this map so much!!! It makes me want to stare for hours; all the little details just draw you in.

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## ThomasR

You're a giant now  :Wink:  Félicitations Beee, c'est largement mérité, tes cartes sont de vrais chef d'œuvres.

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## Diamond

Yup.  One of my favorite maps ever, no doubt.  Care to send me a slice of your brain, Misty, so I can cook it up real nice and absorb some of that talent??   :Very Happy: 

Seriously, this think is pretty damn amazing.  It's so meticulous and neat, but organic at the same time if that makes any sense.  Love it.

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## - JO -

an honor very well deserved !

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## fabio p

This city is simply wonderful.
I think the arrival of Mistybee at the guild is one of those that marks a before and after and sets a new standard of quality, diversity and inspiration.

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## MapMappingMapped

> Yup.  One of my favorite maps ever, no doubt.  Care to send me a slice of your brain, Misty, so I can cook it up real nice and absorb some of that talent??  
> 
> Seriously, this think is pretty damn amazing.  It's so meticulous and neat, but organic at the same time if that makes any sense.  Love it.


If you have the brain, I'll have the hands. Definitely need to do fine, TINY detailed drawings...

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## Mouse

I can't say I was surprised  :Wink: 

Congratulations, Misty.  Totally deserved!  :Very Happy:

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## Voolf

No surprise. Excellent map.

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## Diamond

> If you have the brain, I'll have the hands. Definitely need to do fine, TINY detailed drawings...


That's what I love about the Guild - all the fine young cannibals.


See what I did there?  :Very Happy:

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## MistyBeee

Awww, thank you so much for all the kind words, guys ! You made my day !!  :Blush: 
Now I'll just have to buy a coat of mail, a helmet and kevlar gloves if I want to keep my brain and hands safe... not sure if it will be easy to work with them...?  :Wink:

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## ThomasR

Do not be afraid of joining the D. hive, it's comfy here ...

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## fol2dol

a bit late but congratulations Beee!!!
A true masterpiece. I love every inches of that map and the only criticism I can make is that I can zoom in enough  :Smile: 
A city I'd love to play in.
Bravo

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## kacey

Congrats Misty on this wonderful map, a well deserved award.

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## vorropohaiah

this is great - though the lack of labels is giving me a twitchy eye  :Smile:

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## Weery

Just wow. Well done Beee  :Smile:

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## MistyBeee

Thank you so much, guys ! Now I just have to hope my next work won't disappoint : I'm afraid I won't have another Kingkel soon enough !  :Razz: 





> Do not be afraid of joining the D. hive, it's comfy here ...


Hive...? 'sounds good to me, maybe...?  :Wink: 





> this is great - though the lack of labels is giving me a twitchy eye


That's the choice of the author I worked with : she's still building her story so the map is a support to help her creation, not a representation of fixed ideas. But a nother version should follow with a numbered key in the next months  :Smile:

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## nickbartlett19

Absolutely amazing map! Hard to believe this is a fantasy city, thought it was a medieval city  :Smile:

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## Tenia

Late congrats MistyBee ^^

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## QuadeGamble

Beautiful Map! Keep up the great work!

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## MistyBeee

> Absolutely amazing map! Hard to believe this is a fantasy city, thought it was a medieval city





> Beautiful Map! Keep up the great work!


Is your first post on the Guild for commenting my work in such a kind way, guys ? Thank you so much !!





> Late congrats MistyBee ^^


Late worth as much with absolutely no doubt, and deserves the same thank you  :Smile:

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## TaniaGomesArt

:O What an amazing map! I am astonished by the level of detail. Congratulations, it was a well-deserved premium. I'm in loved with this map!  :Very Happy:

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## Hidden_Mind

honestly such amazing art!

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## Tom

I'm speechless, this is by far the most beautiful city map I've ever seen: the impressive amount of details, the pleasant palette, the clean lineart.. I feel so envy  :Razz:  
Congratulations, well deserved award! You are truly inspiring!  :Smile:

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## MistyBeee

> :O What an amazing map! I am astonished by the level of detail. Congratulations, it was a well-deserved premium. I'm in loved with this map!


Thank you so much, Wings ! It was a long work, but definitely a pleasant one, dealing with all the details  :Smile: 





> honestly such amazing art!


A big thanks for the kind words, Hidden Mind ! ^^





> I'm speechless, this is by far the most beautiful city map I've ever seen: the impressive amount of details, the pleasant palette, the clean lineart.. I feel so envy  
> Congratulations, well deserved award! You are truly inspiring!


Oh, thank you so much, Tom !! I'm really glad you think this ! And thanks a lot for the rep as well !  :Blush:

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## paranorgia

Wow this is amazing to see on a much larger scale! I have seen some of this map on your instagram.  :Surprised:

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## MistyBeee

Oooh, thanks a lot, Paranorgia ! I'm glad you love it... and found it !  :Smile: 
Sadly Instagram is not the best for showing those kind of monsters, so I rarely post the complete version there !

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## Warlin

Great amazing Map MistyBee. Nothing to add  :Very Happy: .

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## SteffenBrand

This is seriously incredible work you can be really proud of. Weeeeeeell done! =)

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## MistyBeee

> Great amazing Map MistyBee. Nothing to add .


A big thanks, Warlin ! ^^





> This is seriously incredible work you can be really proud of. Weeeeeeell done! =)


Haha, thanks a lot, Steffen ! At least I'm proud... you love it !  :Wink:

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## Shall Teclex

I'm not exaggerating when I say that with this map you have brought the art of cartography to perfection. Bravo, MistyBeee!

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## windsor811

Absolutely stunning, congratulations! This is one of the first maps I saw when I joined this site, and I was completely blown away. Well deserved.

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## MistyBeee

> I'm not exaggerating when I say that with this map you have brought the art of cartography to perfection. Bravo, MistyBeee!


Thanks so much, Shall ! I'm really glad you love it that much  :Blush: 





> Absolutely stunning, congratulations! This is one of the first maps I saw when I joined this site, and I was completely blown away. Well deserved.


Thank you Windsor ! Hehe, I'm proud if you think I'm a good representative for the Guild ! ^^

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## Locution

This is a stupendous map! The sheer level of detail boggles the mind! You are truly a master of your craft.

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## MistyBeee

> This is a stupendous map! The sheer level of detail boggles the mind! You are truly a master of your craft.


My biggest thanks, Locution !!  :Blush:

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## Blaede

Beautiful! Really looks like the old city maps you see in museums  :Smile:

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## MistyBeee

> Beautiful! Really looks like the old city maps you see in museums


Thanks a lot for the amazing compliment, Blaede !!

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## tainotim

Splendid work MistyBeee! I especially love how many unique details you included. So much to explore and enjoy. Looking forward to see more like this from you  :Smile: 

(I’m not certain if I already commented on this, can’t seem to find it).

Cheers,
Karl

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## MistyBeee

> Splendid work MistyBeee! I especially love how many unique details you included. So much to explore and enjoy. Looking forward to see more like this from you 
> 
> (I’m not certain if I already commented on this, can’t seem to find it).
> 
> Cheers,
> Karl


Thanks a lot, Karl ! 
Sadly, this kind of commission is pretty rare, but I have a big city in my own world which would need a map in this style. However, it would be way bigger than Kingkel and I can't imagine how to find enough time to work on it. However, the idea is growing in my mind ^^

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## Bruno Müller

I saw the progress of this piece on Instagram and it really, really inspired me. It's astonishing! 

I love how the people really looks like they're tiny ants passing by.  :Laughing:

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## MistyBeee

> I saw the progress of this piece on Instagram and it really, really inspired me. It's astonishing! 
> 
> I love how the people really looks like they're tiny ants passing by.


Glad you love it, Brn ! It was a pleasure to share the process  :Wink: 
The tiny people were the surprise of the late process : just my bored hand on the Cintiq during a long phone call... let's say they're a happy accident ! ^^

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## Jerron

Absolutely beautiful. I think I just found a style I would like to try with my own city maps.

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## FranCobasGC

This map is completely AMAZING! I told you before on insta, and now here! I love maps where you can lost hours looking on details... 
You become one of my favs since I saw this map! I hope to see more like this, very inspiring!

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## MistyBeee

> Absolutely beautiful. I think I just found a style I would like to try with my own city maps.


Thanks a lot, Jerron ! ^^





> This map is completely AMAZING! I told you before on insta, and now here! I love maps where you can lost hours looking on details... 
> You become one of my favs since I saw this map! I hope to see more like this, very inspiring!


Thanks so much, Fran ! I have a huge city map in mind for a while and just need time and courage to start it... but in the meantime I'm working on a village map for this month's challenge in a roughly similar style if you're interested ^^

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## Nyxeris

So intricate, loads of detail and all so precise. I think it is so gorgeous! <3

Any advice on where and how to start creating a map with this style and look? Would really appreciate it, as I'm a little bit jealous at your skill!  :Very Happy:

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## MistyBeee

> So intricate, loads of detail and all so precise. I think it is so gorgeous! <3
> 
> Any advice on where and how to start creating a map with this style and look? Would really appreciate it, as I'm a little bit jealous at your skill!


Thanks so much, Nyxeris, and welcome to the Guild ! 

For me the first and most important secret it so start with studying masters. For Kingkel, my main inspiration was Braun & Hogenberg maps and I can't count how many hours I spent looking at every tiny building and comparing their map with modern ones. 
Having some knowledge in perspective can help, and it's also good to know your tool and be comfortable with, whatever it's pen and paper or drawing tablet & computer. It's a good idea to try your hand on a small map : a village, or just a portion of a town, just to check what works, what are the difficulties, and have a first idea of where you're going. Even a 2*2 inches sampler can do the trick. 
Regarding the mapping work itself, try to keep things simple and organise your tasks in a logical order :
Start with a rough sketch for basic placement, and then go for the linework, firstly with structural elements like the river & natural constraints, then walls and major buildings, then houses, gardens and minor elements. 
No need to focus too much on color before the linework is done, but when it's time to think about it, same advice : keep it simple. Kingkel roughly uses 6 colors only, with slight opacity/saturation variations.
Once you have your base colors, it's time for shading. It can be tricky for start, but can be beaten with a good method : always keep in mind where's your light source and try to be logical. The best advice I can give you for it is to keep your eyes open on what you see in your own real world town in a sunny day : where's the sun, and where are the shadows ?  :Smile: 
Finally, always try to step back : between two steps, let the map rest for a night ot at least while you have a walk outside, and then try to look at it with a fresh eye to spot mistakes or things you could do better. Mirror the map is a good trick as well. 
Hope it helps  :Smile:

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## geekinlikeaboss

I legit want this hanging on a wall in my house on like, singed parchment paper with a fancy border. it looks so real, like you pulled it out of a monastery!

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## MistyBeee

> I legit want this hanging on a wall in my house on like, singed parchment paper with a fancy border. it looks so real, like you pulled it out of a monastery!


Aww, thanks so much, Geek', and welcome to the Guild aswell ! 
I'm not sure about the parchment paper, but you can get a print of the map on my InPrnt shop if you're interested  :Wink:

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## HobbitArtisan

Your ability to inject so much detail and character into your maps consistently blows me away! Well done Mistybeee! 
I actually just picked up two of your gorgeous maps from thehighlandloch and can't wait to hang them up in the studio!

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