Oct / Nov '17 Lite Challenge: Domnio Spes'Boscoso

[jbgibson]

Domnio Spes'Boscoso

Islands... swiped from our own Arctic. Ok, I'm in.

Only I'm never satisfied to do a meets-minimum-requirements project. So how about I make that top left one the actual *island* of the contest. I'll use the other outlines in different ways - the top right looks to me more like an onshore nation outline. And I'll say the two bottom ones become harbors on my island, inverted - all those fjords look like piers and wharves and breakwaters.

Don't think I am imagining all this as I type - the theme of this lite contest caught my eye days ago.

So can I heap more on this theme? Sure, how about I grab *other* Canadian arctic islands and use their outlines too? Now we're getting somewhere. Let's say I need a 'Mediterranean analog"; an inland sea. Baffin would do nicely, if a bit obvious of a shape - or maybe Ellesmere. Devon's already in use this contest :-). Or Ellef Ringnes - that's it. Hmmm - and the shoulders of the west end of the Hudson Strait rotate to be this inland sea's outlet to the greater eastern ocean. Other particularly pleasing islands get dropped in - three for now, no doubt a few more to come. Plenty of editing will be needed to make the level of coastal detail agree - I'm scaling this across maybe a factor of ten vs. the real islands; twenty or more if you count the two becoming harbors?

### Latest WIP ###


There's a story rattling around in my skull for where these fit in their world... my maps will typically tell a story, somehow. In this case I think we shall have the Kingdom of the Two Grizzlies (heraldic bear emblems on flags - haven't done any vexillology in a while)... and to echo "K. of Two Sicilies" :-). Maybe making it a thematic map, so as to avoid having to label the heck out of what must be ... 1500 miles of region - call it two thirds of the Mediterranean in scope. Maybe having to do with shipping and trade, if I want to leave the whole Ellef Sea on my map... I could always trim the right third off if the scope is too broad for what is in this contest focused on THE ISLAND :-). Or if the working file keeps crashing my graphics program. PhotoPlus can only handle so big a file then pffft.

Obnoxious colors are just placeholders.

[Bogie]

Welcome to the Challenge jbgibson. That's a lot of ideas you have going there, will be interested in seeing where you go with all that.

This does of course stretch the "specifics" of the challenge but it will be up to the voters to decide what they like anyway.

We usually applaud creativity here at the Guild, so have fun!

[Mouse]

An interesting and unusual approach

[ThomasR]

Brilliant idea !

[jbgibson]

OK, so this is taking too long, but I'm liking it so I'll continue after the contest ends. I'll give you a look at my current progress then I'll make a WIP thread to continue: Regional forum: Domnio Spes'Boscoso

The size I'm working at is three times this, and the paper that I'm doing the hand lettering with is another five times bigger - a 15x reduction does make my inexpert lettering less of a problem. Middle Southeast you see several sheets of lettered fragments overlaid, ready to flood erase all the blue and white. At full southeast you see where I've completed that and tweaked the location of some labels.

I figure the blank-ish area at mid-south-southeast is where I'll overlay the cartouche and key ... the rivers will still "be" there beneath, so it's good I drew them :-).

### Latest WIP ###


All the base map is flat-colored still ... I can't afford to texturize it till the end or my graphics package would die even more regularly. As it is I can't work on it at full size and succeed with any undos. Methinks I could use some more RAM....