My very first try with Campaign Cartographer

Vampyre

Hi all,

After seeing your maps, mine is so ugly... Will need to train again and again before having something I'm not ashamed of lol...

Can someone delete this one ?

Mmurphy

I'll be willing to make you a bet. Mine are worse, probably much worse. I am not trying to have a competition but I have been playing with campaign cartographer for years, watched Joe Sweeneys excellent videos, and even read the ultimate cartography book. I am color stupid (not color blind, just color stupid--a much worse effect). My proportions are no where near reality and apparently trees, mountains, and rivers can go anywhere (including on top of each other).

All that being said, I still use maps because my players will have some ideas, in a general way, what the hell I am trying to explain. I have found having a map, even bad maps, is much preferable to no maps.

Eventually you may get better; or you may not. Don't let other people's excellent maps dissuade you from making your own. They had to learn to make the maps good. Me, personally, I will continue to make bad maps with trees that are the wrong color, lakes that are idiotically placed, and rivers that go nowhere. My players don't seem to mind the idiot maps, mostly I think, because we actually have maps to use. I would never enter a composition against 'professional', but I can use them as inspirations to make something better, you know from "oh my god that is horrible", to "oh, that's kinda bad" would be a vast improvement for me.

Moskva

Everyone's first maps were bad, just post them, so others can help you to improve !

Sven

Everyone has a beginning. In the book "Zen & the Art of Archery" it talks about how critical it is to a true understanding of the World and Life to have the experience of being a beginner. Cherish the experience of discovery that comes with beginnings. From a technical point of view I groan at the stuff I created under CC version 1 and now I'm doing maps professionally for publishers. I still get a thrill out of beginning a new project or learning a new technique. Those rough starts will teach you a lot. Heck take a look at some of the older maps I did on my website https://sites.google.com/site/vikingjarl/ versus what I'm doing now. You'll see an evolution. The maqs & TOE's I'm doing now for "All Quiet on the Martian Front" are even loads better than what I have up now. Each new map brings growth. Go for it & show us your first map. The folks here will help you.
Skol,
Sven

RonnyRulz

Posted By: SvenEveryone has a beginning. In the book "Zen & the Art of Archery" it talks about how critical it is to a true understanding of the World and Life to have the experience of being a beginner. Cherish the experience of discovery that comes with beginnings. From a technical point of view I groan at the stuff I created under CC version 1 and now I'm doing maps professionally for publishers. I still get a thrill out of beginning a new project or learning a new technique. Those rough starts will teach you a lot. Heck take a look at some of the older maps I did on my website https://sites.google.com/site/vikingjarl/ versus what I'm doing now. You'll see an evolution. The maqs & TOE's I'm doing now for "All Quiet on the Martian Front" are even loads better than what I have up now. Each new map brings growth. Go for it & show us your first map. The folks here will help you.
Skol,
Sven

Out of curiosity, what type of skills are involved in the difference between you making ugly maps with CC1, and you working as a pro with CC3?

To be specific, my curiosity is born out of the wonder of map and geological formation. Where to place rivers, how mountains form naturally, etc.
Is this type of thing something that takes years to master? Or is it all the Photoshop postwork and becoming a *real artist* that is the difference between a newbie and a pro?

I am a complete newbie, but am wishing to eventually come up with a map that people find believable (realistic enough, given the fantasy context).