Loving these textures. I feel that with just some sheet effects they will be gorgeous! Awesome job Sue, looking foward to have free time to test them in maps!
A lot of these fills are a bit bland right now. That's because they are rendered directly from a procedural texture machine (Genetica). Most, if not all of them, need a little hand work to them in Krita to give them a bit more character. The forests are a prime example of this. Both fills are far too regular and sterile, but they will do for now.
Of course, there is always the option to do a snowy pine tree fill as well if I do the extra work by hand - even though hand work will slow down the development of this set quite considerably.
For some reason I didn't see your comment earlier!
The glacier fill will be more useful when there are mountains to create the valleys for glaciers to exist. There is also a pre-requisite for a standard overland symbol set to contain at least one glacier, which in my mind in a top view map means the ablation zone - where the glacier melts. By making a fill for the rest of the body of the glacier, its possible to draw the glacier any shape or size you want.
As for the tree fills - they will be modified by hand. The most disconcerting thing for me is that they are all the same size and all the same level at the moment. Roundness is in the consideration as well, but if you really look at an aerial photograph of trees only the largest and tallest specimens are anywhere near being round. I will have to consider whether I want this to be photorealistic, or just symbolic
I was supposed to be doing something else in the last 4 days, but since I had half done the fills for a new plan view overland style I decided to finish them off. You know how one thing leads to another, though? Well, I had the tree fills to sort out, and I realised that if I wanted the fills to match the tree symbols I would have to make the individual tree symbols first and make the fills from them. I've done one of them - deciduous summer, but I have plans for an autumn and spring version as well.
(Sorry, Lorelei - I know you really liked the trees as they were. I needed to make them more defined for the overland scale!)
Ok. I have the spring and autumn tree symbols working now, but not done the fills. Here is a quick show of them replacing the summer trees (use Symbol Manager replace to replace symbols quickly)
These shots also show where I used the summer tree fill and not the symbols before.
So what do you think? Are they worth the trouble of making the fills, or shall I just leave them as novelty symbols?
Not that I want to make more work for you, but I'd like to see fills for the autumn symbols. I was just thinking while looking at them it'd be fun to do seasonal variations on maps.
The varicolour symbols in most styles allow for that, Jim, but its always nice to have some that are purpose made - like a set of autumn trees... or I suppose that would be fall trees?
True. I have been more scanning the discussion in this thread. Our heat is out, and it was below freezing last night. I have a nice warm sunny day coming through my window and the relatives have declared we will have a heated house tonight.
Hopefully they mean the central air/heat will start working, and not the living room fireplace. Although it does work. I have plenty of blankets, etc.
Comments
David
There's a long way to go yet. The symbols will probably take several months to get right - enough to make a full style I hope
I think the deciduous trees would look better if the dark contrast was a bit more rounded. Same for conifers.
That said, you are doing some marvelous work.
A lot of these fills are a bit bland right now. That's because they are rendered directly from a procedural texture machine (Genetica). Most, if not all of them, need a little hand work to them in Krita to give them a bit more character. The forests are a prime example of this. Both fills are far too regular and sterile, but they will do for now.
Of course, there is always the option to do a snowy pine tree fill as well if I do the extra work by hand - even though hand work will slow down the development of this set quite considerably.
For some reason I didn't see your comment earlier!
The glacier fill will be more useful when there are mountains to create the valleys for glaciers to exist. There is also a pre-requisite for a standard overland symbol set to contain at least one glacier, which in my mind in a top view map means the ablation zone - where the glacier melts. By making a fill for the rest of the body of the glacier, its possible to draw the glacier any shape or size you want.
As for the tree fills - they will be modified by hand. The most disconcerting thing for me is that they are all the same size and all the same level at the moment. Roundness is in the consideration as well, but if you really look at an aerial photograph of trees only the largest and tallest specimens are anywhere near being round. I will have to consider whether I want this to be photorealistic, or just symbolic
(Sorry, Lorelei - I know you really liked the trees as they were. I needed to make them more defined for the overland scale!)
These shots also show where I used the summer tree fill and not the symbols before.
So what do you think? Are they worth the trouble of making the fills, or shall I just leave them as novelty symbols?
Thanks, Quenten, but I was working like a maniac to get all 54 trees sorted out, imported, and made into a proper catalogue in a single day.
I also want to do snowy pines, since I've heard people saying how there simply aren't any (or not enough) available.
Hopefully they mean the central air/heat will start working, and not the living room fireplace. Although it does work. I have plenty of blankets, etc.
I do hope the heating gets sorted out for you before tonight!
I hate to think of you being all cold!