Map of the Kingdom of Nand

[Deuce]

I'm back after a bit of an absence, but still been fiddling about with maps in the meantime. I've changed up my style a bit since I was last here, not least because I didn't want to keep using other people's elements or brushes and thought I'd rather create my own even if they weren't technically as good, and also to remodel the style a bit in light of some of the comments and criticism I received previously.

So here is the first finished map since my last visit. There are still a few features I'm not entirely happy with and some of the artistry is a little crude (albeit partially deliberately so) but overall I'm happy to call it done and move onto the next project . C&C gratefully received.

[ChickPea]

I like what you've done but I think there are a couple of places where it could perhaps be improved. I feel some of the labels outside the border could be repositioned. There's no real sense of symmetry or design behind their current placement and they feel a bit haphazard, to be honest. I'm also not sure about the blue colour you've used for your rivers either. I think you might have been better letting the background blue of the sea show through.

I think your colour palette is nice, and I rather like the slightly whimsical feel of the critters you've included. (Although, is that little guy at the bottom pooping rainbows?! ) Mostly, it's the lack of cohesion with the overall layout. Some careful repositioning would make the map much stronger, IMO.

I also have to confess that I am personally not a fan of blackletter fonts, as I find them difficult to read, but that's a personal taste thing. The font actually works quite well on this map ... until you try to read what it says!!

[Sapiento]

Nice map. What's the font?

[Deuce]

I like what you've done but I think there are a couple of places where it could perhaps be improved. I feel some of the labels outside the border could be repositioned. There's no real sense of symmetry or design behind their current placement and they feel a bit haphazard, to be honest. I'm also not sure about the blue colour you've used for your rivers either. I think you might have been better letting the background blue of the sea show through.

I think your colour palette is nice, and I rather like the slightly whimsical feel of the critters you've included. (Although, is that little guy at the bottom pooping rainbows?! ) Mostly, it's the lack of cohesion with the overall layout. Some careful repositioning would make the map much stronger, IMO.

Thanks for the kind words. Some of the things you pick up one were deliberate design choices: I was inspired largely by this map and so the rivers and some of the haphazard placement of the labels were done intentionally for that reason, although being "deliberately" clumsy makes it harder to judge when things are done to give a certain effect or just poorly placed, even for me. I'm inclined to agree about the rivers at least in any case: even aping the style of the Paris map they're probably a bit on the bright side, and I don't think they're particularly attractive; I like them less almost every time I look at the map. I have always found rivers to be the most difficult part of a map to get looking good and this is no exception really, intentions notwithstanding.

The rainbows... are meant to be a rainbow tail, but you're not the first person to make that remark... But then, what's a medieval map without a couple of critters drawn with someone with no grasp of anatomy for the kids to laugh at!?

Nice map. What's the font?

It's a font called a_e_i_o_u (possibly without the underscores?) which I got on free download a few years ago from someone who designed a few attractive, if often impractical, historically inspired fonts. If I remember rightly this one was based on the court hand of the Holy Roman Empire and one document in particular, but it was a while ago now so the details escape me - I think this was the original source.

[jshoer]

You have a really interesting medieval-inspired style here. Excellent! The line drawings seem a little too...computerized, though. Maybe a softer brush?

I love how the anatomies aren't quite right. If you need more inspiration, it turns out that Monty Python and the Holy Grail wasn't too far off.

[Deuce]

You have a really interesting medieval-inspired style here. Excellent! The line drawings seem a little too...computerized, though. Maybe a softer brush?

I love how the anatomies aren't quite right. If you need more inspiration, it turns out that Monty Python and the Holy Grail wasn't too far off.

Funnily enough I did the drawings by hand with pen and paper! Although I did colour them on the computer which probably contributes to the digital effect. I'll bear it in mind for next time at any rate; thanks for the feedback