# Community Participation > Mapping Challenge Archive >  April 2020 Challenge: Trading Town of Winterrise

## morganPotPie

So my hometown is a small little trading town (or started of as so). It was known as a shipping point, as well as having a food cannery and a coal port.

It feels like I am going to go a classic fantasy town here, someplace you would come across on your adventures in another time  :Smile: 
I took and outlined the border from googlemaps, and have started getting a 'jist' of the layout.

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## morganPotPie

So this map has started to turn into something I had not exactly envisioned, but when the map starts to create itself why try and fight it?  :Smile: 

Still needs a lot of work, most colors/textures are place holders. Although, i think i will keep the simplicity of the buildings rather similar to as it is now

Brown squares are residence
blue squares are admin/public (town hall, library, fire station, etc.)
green squares are entertainment (gambling hall, theater, etc.)
dark green are outdoor parks, cemetery, etc
red squares are shops 

This is the first sort of map of this kind I am making (big city, not just a small village) - any advice/critique is welcome  :Smile:  


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## morganPotPie

a little bit more work on this map. I am doing most of the layout work in Illustrator, then using Photoshop to add the textures and whatnot. 
Its my first time using Illustrator for a map(and Illustrator in general, for a big project atleast), i'm finally starting to get not-so-frustrated when using it  :Smile:  but I can tell it does have some advantages over Photoshop for some things.
I'm not sure how to do the labels exactly yet, but i'm sure something will develop eventually.
Any critique is welcomed  :Smile: 

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## Bindusara

the city is nice, but the left of the map is very empty 
What are the big brown things? Fields?

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## morganPotPie

thanks - Yes I agree - the left land is going to be more farm based, so hopefully it should fill in a bit once i fields are 'tilled'  so to speak 
This leads to the second question - and yes, those big brown squares in the city walls are fields. I'm a bit iffy on how they look right now(I'm not quite sure you can tell they are fields?), or if they should even be in the walls
hopefully I can get something better/more representative, probably why I've left all that empty space for now, very unsure- Thank you for pointing that out, I know what to work on next!

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## SkryNRiv

Well, the fields were good for me, but they're usually not uniform. Land is divided between several people—some may have more, some may have less—and you want to use it for different kinds of crops, so the parcels will be different sizes, shapes and colours. Also, if you return to the fields, make sure the ditches are a little bit tighter, because at that scale they look almost as wide as the streets. 

Keep on the good work!  :Wink:

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## Bindusara

For me the fields color is not good : i tought it was a kind of land of mud at first.
I agree with SkryNRiv : with the scale used, you can have different kind of fields. And the ditches should be more visible.

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## morganPotPie

Thanks a lot for the advice! You've given me some good possibilities to think on! also, super appreciate the ditch size advice, the thought hadn't crossed my mind to be honest hahaha

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## morganPotPie

Thank you! Getting some more done after work after, hopefully i can take your advice and make something a bit better of these fields!

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## morganPotPie

Putting some more work into the fields and outside of the town
I've tried to add some detail to the inside farms, such as adding different colors to represent different crops, but it just ends up looking a bit confusing...so i might just leave as tilled dirt rows, ready for the crops to go in

The outside farms are huge, I plan on messing around a bit more to get these to a good scale and add in some farm houses as well
I'm not sure if the forests should be inside the walls, but i think i will leave them for those city Druids and Rangers who roam the town from time to time  :Smile: 

Thank you for the advice thus far, I will gladly welcome any further critiques on this 

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## Bindusara

i find it nice, even on the small image : we clearly see the town ,the fields. The colors look good too.

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## morganPotPie

awesome! thanks very much for the feedback, i find its helping a lot and i really appreciate that!

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## morganPotPie

I've worked a bit more on making the outside farms more 'realistic' (i guess you could say, to scale at least) as well as adding in some farm houses.
The empty spaces within the fields are cattle pastures/ranches.

Could i get any second opinions - do the new outside farms actually look better than the old ones?
The old ones are certainly more visible than these new ones and look better (i think?), but the new ones better match the rest of the map i think...i'm rather unsure myself which one i like better...though with the time spent i think i like the new version. Rather biased opinion there though  :Smile: 

Since this is clearly a port town, I am hoping to add more docks before adding the labels.

Thank you for the feedback thus far!

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## morganPotPie

And added some more work onto the ports

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## rdanhenry

I think you've made a lot of improvement and the latest version is looking good. Are you planning on putting a lot of information where you have all that water, though? If not, I suggest something be done to make it more interesting, even if just add a few ship or giant fish.

Trees inside the walls will be there if there is good reason for them to there. Could be "Druids and Rangers provide services in exchange for the right to take bloody vengeance on anyone messing with their sacred groves here". Could be "the trees make good inconspicuous lookout points for our watchmen" and the Watch protects the trees. Could be "there's actually a few dryads and ents in there, leave them be". Could be "the lichen that grows on these particular trees is a valuable trade good and it sells for enough to make even the price of city land untempting". It doesn't matter what the reason is, but you should have one for why people haven't taken the free wood (well, free to anyone with an axe or saw and bit of time) or the land cleared to put it to more profitable use. Oh, could be elves, fairies, and squirrel-people living in the trees and paying rent. Could have been a requirement in the city's charter because the king at the time liked trees. Anyway, there's plenty of ways to justify it.

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## morganPotPie

Thank you for the feedback and all the cool ideas!
And yes - i plan on using the water area to place a key. I'm not sure how big it'll end up being, but also a great idea with the ships and fish if its still looking a bit bland.
I really appreciate your input - Thanks!!

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## Bindusara

very good job, a very good improvement. I confess i'm not attracted at first glance with frank colors on maps, but it works very well!

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## Bretton

I specially like how you've handled the forest. I'd be very happy if you could tell us ho you've come to the results. 
Great improvement  in general!

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## morganPotPie

Thank you!! I'm not sure exactly what you mean by come to the result, but I will answer my best and let me know if i just completely misunderstood.
As far as how the forest itself looks, I've just a custom brush from a few grunge textures with a 50/50 dark/light green color dynamic setting (in Photoshop). I've also set the brush to an angle jitter, so it doesn't always 'stamp' on the same direction.
On this layer itself i've thrown just a stroke and shadow underneath to give that tall trees/forest impression.
I then just throw another light layer of a different(but similar) brush on top with the same colors, but use the lighter color more here. I feel like this just rather 'completes' the look, as if just a few of the trees are taller/catching more sunlight.

Regarding the layout itself, my town has big sections of (what we just call woods) randomly around. We have a lot of hunters/foragers, and farm-folk here so it seemed likely in this wold there was a good connection with the land, and they would utilize this to sell/use these resources. I've not yet settled on exactly what the main inside forest use is, but it will be a mix between a deal with the forest folk, and the valuable resources from these woods. Additionally, i could not really justify some of the layout of the farms if they had just continued from end to end. It looked wrong and just didn't make sense, so I added the forest into the inside walls.
As far as the outside forest setup, I was going for the classic 'farms close to the walls, incase there are problems' - i know, super original  :Very Happy:

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## morganPotPie

I've started working on the labels for the map, though i am sure i will find a few on-map items to return to.

I've tried to point out a few of the popular areas in town Vs trying to cram a bunch of information in.
I plan on renaming a few of these, as well as re-doing the key font because i think it is a bit too bright and it does not sit with me quiet yet
I believe the bottom building key is a bit small in the text, but i think i will also add the public garden and a beach key point on this as well and will try and see if I can make it a bit more readable then.
I also plan on adding a compass, no clue on the style yet though.

I have a few thing to still work on here, but feedback and critique is very welcomed 

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## Bretton

Thanks for the detailed instructions on your technique to draw forests! I'll give it a try for sure in future maps. Seriously, thanks for sharing.
Your map is getting better and better with each WIP, by the way. Keep on!

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## morganPotPie

Not a problem, I hope it helps a little bit finding something to your style! And thank you for the kind words of encouragement  :Very Happy:

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## morganPotPie

I've done some more work on the labels.
I've taken out the bottom parchment and tried to use the ocean as the key background.
I think it works better this way, I had a hard time placing a compass otherwise along with the bottom building key.
Of course, critiques are much welcomed.

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## Bindusara

i'll use this map in a game session, for sure ! I like your work!

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## arsheesh

A wonderful entry, dig the vibrant colors!

Cheers,
-Arsheesh

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## morganPotPie

Thank you!!  :Very Happy:

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## morganPotPie

I had a change of heart and went back to my original thought of the Key
I updated Photoshop and found a few...laughable moments, once i figured out what was going on  :Smile: 

I think this may be the final version - I got some great feedback from the community that really helped me out with this one, thank you all!
As always, feedback and critiques are highly welcomed

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## morganPotPie

Of course, whenever i say or think 'final' that is never likely the case  :Smile: 


The small Trading Port Town of Winterrise. Named after the ship which first found the nice plot of land which was to be a city.
The Town profits most from trades from their ports. The people here are known to be great seafarers as well as excellent hunters with the long bow.
Winterrise also houses its own Mage's Guild, built upon the Lighthouse not far off the coast. The mages tend the lighthouse while conducting their own studies and experiments on the island.

Popular Places:
*1. Bowen Corner*
a small open corner frequented more by the rich folk. Marinette's Bakery, Crook's Books and Writing Supplies, and the First Post Office sit upon this corner. 
Down the street a bit you can find the Sunset Tavern, frequented by the same crowd.

*2. Village Green*
The original heart of the town. Around here you will find the Town Hall, Library, Temple of the All, Academy, Public Kitchens, Court, Jail, among other public sites.
Shops around here vary, however Mort's Clockworks and Quill's Flowers are known village staples.

*3. Myrtle Street*
The most highly walked upon route in the city. This street contains endless shops of varying wares, such as furniture stores, rug sellers, locksmiths, buckle makers, painters, weavers, glass sellers, and more.
Here you can also find other goods such as dentists, midwives, and herbalists.

*4. Ferry District*
What is considered 'Downtown'. In addition to access to the Ferry, which goes to the lighthouse and up and down the coast, you can find some entertainment. Art galleries, Dance Halls, Theaters, Gambling Houses and more are all within walking distance. The Town's most well known Tavern and Inn, Drinks&Biddles, can also be found down here.

*5. Industrial Ward*
Things like the Lumberyard, tannery, blacksmith, paper mill, distiller, guild houses, cobbling yard, alchemist and more can be found out here.

*6. Shipyard and Warehouses*
This is the main shipyard of the town. Many ships pass in and out of here. Warehouses can also be found here.

*7. Fisher's Gate*
The kids like to come here to jump from the bridge, as well as watch the ships come and go. The Flying Fish Inn, Myst's Instruments, Bug's Pastrys, the Coin and Tackle are a few of the shops and goods available around here.

*8. Highland Hill Gate*
This is a corner connected to Myrtle Street. Well known paintings, high-end perfumes, jewelers, and other high-priced goods can be found here.
Magick's Magics can also be found here as well, of course Mage Guild members get a price reduction  :Wink: 

*9. Redfield Plain*
When the Town hosts Beltane, Yule, or any other festivals(such as marriages) they are usually held here in Redfield Plain just outside of town.

*10. The Mage Guild and Lighthouse*
The Mage Guild hosts a number of guests at a time, which is the lighthouse itself (and the underground chamber the mages have created).
Town folk are welcomed by means of the Ferry. The Mages take care of the lighthouse in return for living on the island, an agreement that has been around since the town was founded. 


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