Re-draw the farms in the N, they're too small, each should be around 5 acres (my sister and brother-in-law had a small farm at that size and it seems about right) plus add some in the S, SW.
Number and create a key for the main thoroughfares.
Add some vegetation to the spar and relocate the building on it to its correct location.
Thank you everyone for your comments, suggestions and encouragement.
This is by far the biggest city map of the 2 I've done to date and I learnt a lot from the experience (and also from @Ralf's current Live Mapping sessions). The next one(s), if there are more, will be better planned and less of a headache. I'm guessing they'll be for the publishers, Classic Fantasy setting book and will likely be done in the Mike Schley City style (the overland map is...).
I've submitted all 8 maps. I went for the centre option for the key on this one more to balance empty space than any other reason.
Too late (hey, if you want comments, give it more than five hours!), but I'd have gone with centre too. I'd probably have increased the text size as well, and especially the size of the numerical markers on the city itself, given these are presumably the more important features. It should be as easy to read the marker numerals as the key when you're viewing the whole map like this, and the numerals are definitely less easy as shown, despite their white circle backgrounds.
Am I the only one that absolutely despise the centre location?
Ok, that was just me exaggerating things, but it really feels odd to me having it there in the centre surrounded by other map text on all sides. The right-hand side look so much nicer and cleaner, and helps separate the key from the content of the map in a nice way. I would probably have considered a small partially transparent box for it too. I think the center should only be a last fallback option if there are no space anywhere else, as at least it is open space.
I could suggest putting a city coat-of-arms in the other place if balance is that important but this might risk making the map too busy. A little blank space isn't always a terrible thing.
Well, most topo maps I have used have had it at the bottom left, or all across the white space at the bottom. The ones made by the US Geodetic Survey folks are the ones I'm used to.
A lot of the real-world fold-out maps I've used tend to have the key all across the base margin of the map, often with other items down the sides, or scattered in various other parts on or off the map - often wherever there's some convenient areas of open sea (given they're primarily UK maps I've used in this regard, and the sea's never that far from anywhere here!).
In this case, it seems to me the key is such an essential part of the map, with items that would otherwise have been written directly onto the places themselves, had space and clarity allowed, the lower-central placement is fully justified, and makes the whole drawing look more balanced. Setting the key to the lower right would unbalance the whole composition uncomfortably to my eye.
Comments
But it is looking good :)
The end draws near...
Still to do:
Okay. This is it, this bad boy is done. But I do have a question for the brains trust; do you prefer the Key in the centre or off to the right?
do you prefer the Key in the centre or off to the right?
I'd vote for the centre, since there's more empty space there.
No preference. Normally I would say off to one side, but in the centre does fill the empty space there.
Thank you everyone for your comments, suggestions and encouragement.
This is by far the biggest city map of the 2 I've done to date and I learnt a lot from the experience (and also from @Ralf's current Live Mapping sessions). The next one(s), if there are more, will be better planned and less of a headache. I'm guessing they'll be for the publishers, Classic Fantasy setting book and will likely be done in the Mike Schley City style (the overland map is...).
I've submitted all 8 maps. I went for the centre option for the key on this one more to balance empty space than any other reason.
Center is fine, but either works.
Too late (hey, if you want comments, give it more than five hours!), but I'd have gone with centre too. I'd probably have increased the text size as well, and especially the size of the numerical markers on the city itself, given these are presumably the more important features. It should be as easy to read the marker numerals as the key when you're viewing the whole map like this, and the numerals are definitely less easy as shown, despite their white circle backgrounds.
Am I the only one that absolutely despise the centre location?
Ok, that was just me exaggerating things, but it really feels odd to me having it there in the centre surrounded by other map text on all sides. The right-hand side look so much nicer and cleaner, and helps separate the key from the content of the map in a nice way. I would probably have considered a small partially transparent box for it too. I think the center should only be a last fallback option if there are no space anywhere else, as at least it is open space.
Well, most topo maps I have used have had it at the bottom left, or all across the white space at the bottom. The ones made by the US Geodetic Survey folks are the ones I'm used to.
A lot of the real-world fold-out maps I've used tend to have the key all across the base margin of the map, often with other items down the sides, or scattered in various other parts on or off the map - often wherever there's some convenient areas of open sea (given they're primarily UK maps I've used in this regard, and the sea's never that far from anywhere here!).
In this case, it seems to me the key is such an essential part of the map, with items that would otherwise have been written directly onto the places themselves, had space and clarity allowed, the lower-central placement is fully justified, and makes the whole drawing look more balanced. Setting the key to the lower right would unbalance the whole composition uncomfortably to my eye.
I agree with Wyvern, but think the idea of a city coat of arms is an excellent one to put on the lower right hand corner.
Hi All,
Finally 'finished' (may need to tweak some text or some such but that's all, waiting on notification from the client) my latest commission.
I've uploaded all 8 maps to my gallery here.
That is good work, of course a lot more work ahead of you it would seem.
Hi All,
This has been released into the wild!
Lulu prints in Autralia now, so I got my contribuor copy (in hardback!) and it looks bloody awesome!
Available here and here.