# Mapmaking Discussion & Philosophy (WIP/Critique) > Building/Structure Mapping >  The Ledge and Dairy Inn

## Meshon

This was my map for the May/June Lite Challenge and, as a few wise souls kindly pointed out, this map could benefit from some more work. So far all the work has been done in Illustrator but I think I will probably paint it in Photoshop. The changes I've made from the challenge version of the map include adding a crane to the tower, making the archways a bit more exciting, and adding some dormers. I'd like to add a few more dormers and some windows to the tower I think, before I start painting. Critique will be eagerly accepted! Especially if you notice something weird, like layers overlapping in the wrong order. There's 43 layers so far...



Also, no need to zoom in close, the view is better from afar  :Wink: 

cheers,
Meshon

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## tainotim

Oh please color it! I really like this one and I think some color (perhaps with some shadows as well?) could really make it amazing! Personally I actually prefer zooming in on this one. (and that a good thing  :Smile:  )

One little thing, though it's really nitpicking and might just be my personal taste. Something is strange with the crane, I think it's because the perspective on the crane part itself is slightly uneven with that of the ledge beneath it.  But perhaps I just think about it because you recently added it.

Cheers!  :Smile:

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## Meshon

Yeah, I see what you mean about the crane. After doing some research into Medieval cranes I elected to make it out of two angled pieces, so they don't actually follow the perspective grid which right there makes it jarring. Once I get to shading I'll see if having shadows fall cross it from the doorway makes it look better. Thanks for having a look!

cheers,
Meshon

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## Meshon

Alright, so this is likely to be the version I paint. Yes, later on I will completely erase those cliffs and do something better with them. I added some dormers, took off the legend and lables (for now) and I think the place is ready for a coat of Photoshop paint! I've never done anything like this before, so it may be slow going. Or horrendous. We'll see!



cheers,
Meshon

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## - Max -

Go Meshon go! this has a lot of potential  :Smile:

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## Francissimo

Excellent piece of art! The shape reminds me a bit some buildings of spellhold in Baldur's gate 2, can't wait to see the painting on this.

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## Bogie

Wonderfully precise detailed drawing.

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## Ilanthar

Wow, I just love this, Meshon! All those details make the difference  :Smile: .

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## Meshon

My goodness, well, I haven't been putting in a whole bunch of time yet, but I started by laying in some basic shadows, so far just based on which direction the objects are facing. Next I'll have to start figuring out where some parts will be casting shadows on other parts. At least for that little square tower that looks like it's floating off the side of the main building.



cheers,
Meshon

By the way, thank you for all the encouragement!

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## Diamond

This was already good, and will be a real beauty when you finish it.

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## Meshon

So I was thinking about entering the current Lite Challenge... and then I remembered that I have some unfinished business here! So I'm going to pretend I'm in the challenge and get back to work on the Ledge and Dairy Inn. After looking at my files I really can't remember what my plan was, so I think I'll go back to the original in Illustrator, add some detail, and build the mask areas. Once that's finished I'll move to Photoshop for the painting. So far I've just added some grain to the wood, which I plan to complete the next time I sit down with this.



cheers,
Meshon

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## Abu Lafia

Hey Meshon, this is an amazing fortified Inn! You're doing awesome stuff working solely with a vector-based-programm (i like the other maps you posted recently, a lot too)! Too bad that you decided not to enter the lite-challenge. There are only three contenders right now. 
PS:Great music, your band did back in the days...  :Wink:  (i followed the link you posted in chick's thread)

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## Ilanthar

Glad you're working again on this, I can't wait to see it finished!

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## ChickPea

Wow! Just wow! Please finish this. It looks amazing already, but I'd love to see it coloured.  :Smile:

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## Meshon

> Hey Meshon, this is an amazing fortified Inn! You're doing awesome stuff working solely with a vector-based-programm (i like the other maps you posted recently, a lot too)! Too bad that you decided not to enter the lite-challenge. There are only three contenders right now. 
> PS:Great music, your band did back in the days...  (i followed the link you posted in chick's thread)


Thank you, and thank you! Also, though I would really enjoy entering this months challenge I think, time-wise, it would be a choice between the challenge and doing this, and I really want to finish this. We'll see. I do have the rest of the weekend unaccountably free...

cheers
Meshon

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## Meshon

Just bits of progress so far. I thought it would be useful to make masks in Illustrator for when I start colouring in Photoshop. It took a lot longer to make them than I thought, but I think they'll make my job easier. Maybe not. But at least I have this hideously coloured set of masks to show for my efforts! Hopefully I'll get something painted soon. And one day I'm going to have to deal with those cliffs... 


cheers,
Meshon

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## Meshon

Regularly neglected but never completely abandoned, the Ledge and Dairy Inn was Quinn Fisher's "retirement" project. What could be more delightful for an adventuring bard than a quiet life as an innkeeper by the sea?

Here's my most recent progress, mostly just filling in the areas with some test colours. Now that I have had a look at it I think I will go much lighter for everything and slowly build up the colours. Especially the wood. Quinn doesn't I mean _I_ don't really like the dark wood. It needs more charm.


I think I've been avoiding this because I keep hoping that I'll learn how to make those cliffs look good before I actually have to colour them  :Wink: 

cheers,
Meshon

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## Bogie

Fantastic update!!  I like the wood as is, but a little lighter would be OK to!

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## ChickPea

Looking good and I think the wooden beams look fine too. But...but... where's the dirt?? It's all so _clean_!  :Wink:

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## Meshon

> Looking good and I think the wooden beams look fine too. But...but... where's the dirt?? It's all so _clean_!


Yes, it's almost... ominous.

At some point Quinn will get a coat of paint that he's happy with, and then people will come stay there and Quinn likely will forget to clean it and then... then my friend, we will have DIRT!

cheers,
Meshon

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## snodsy

really nice line work, do you do this line work in illustrator? Do you use a tablet or mouse? My line work is driving my bonkers, I can't draw a good one in photoshop with my wacom, it's too wavy.  Anyhow, looking forward to seeing you add the details.

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## Meshon

> really nice line work, do you do this line work in illustrator? Do you use a tablet or mouse? My line work is driving my bonkers, I can't draw a good one in photoshop with my wacom, it's too wavy.  Anyhow, looking forward to seeing you add the details.


Hey thanks! I did the line drawing quite awhile ago, for a Guild challenge, and I was just getting the hang of my tiny little Bamboo tablet. The original black and white was done in Illustrator. I was working out what the blob brush can do so there's a real mix of that and then just lines with the pen tool and the pencil tool. And the really straight lines I often apply a "roughen" effect to. The wood grain is all lines with a variable width profile applied.

Painting is happening in Photoshop because I like the way it looks and I'm really inexperienced with it, so… practice! Yay! At some point I'd like to do something similar purely in Photoshop, but I love my vectors so it's a daunting step.

cheers,
Meshon

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## NathanC

This is looking great Meshon, I really like the over all concept and the detail of the building is fantastic.

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