I like it. When looking at the texture, I was wondering if more sketchy lines/ink need to be added. I am just think of the HW style and how the lines in the textures help it match the lines of the mountains.
Thank you, Royal Scribe, Don Anderson, JulianDracos and Quenten :)
Julian - I understand what you are saying, but I'm not sure I would be able to emulate such a different and very unique style that well - or even if I should if I could. The oil painting look might be as close as I can get to it, and certainly more natural for me to continue long term. Don't be too disappointed, though. This is just the grassland - always the flattest and most uninteresting fill of an overland style.
Yea straying far from your own art style is pretty hard. Unless that is your forte. Some people just know how to interpret other's work, but they are so rare.
My style is more draftsman in approach. Line work and angles. Unless I go full abstract. Then people like my X, she could copy Starry Night by Van Gogh, but couldn't do any original stuff. I am sure lots of people could copy stuff from Mike Schley, but doing a whole bunch of pieces that were orgininal that mimic'ed his style would be an achievement.
Sue is pretty amazing at what she does. I know I couldn't emulate her style at all. I am glad she sticks to it, and blesses us with her work.
I think it was the only painting medium that lasted for more than half a lifetime until quite recently.
Watercolour became very fashionable, once the paper mills worked out how to make acid free, archival quality cotton paper, and watercolour pigments that were relatively colourfast.
After a long break while I was trying to work out how to tackle the painting of things (which of many quite different apps to use, and how), I've settled on Artrage for the textures purely because it allows me to paint seamless tiles by hand a lot easier than trying to remember how Krita works after 5 years of not really using it.
So here are the first few refined grassy type fills, desert fills and ocean fills.
I also struggled a long time on the land texture, until I remembered that it was mostly going to be hidden in finished maps.
The mountains haven't been finished, and there are symbols hanging around that are part of other styles, like Spectrum and Darklands. They are just there for now for rough comparisons in tone, shade and colour.
The fills are really beautiful. Can't wait to have a chance to map with this. I know you can't tell us when CC4 might be released, but there is a very eager audience for it.
Can you tell us if this will use a color key cutout approach, either for rivers like the Parchment Maps annual or for the land like Birdseye Continental? The grass hugs the coastline so perfectly, I was wondering if it traces the coastline or if you were able to overdraw the coastline like Birdseye?
(Or maybe it's a brand new technique only available in CC4?)
I would, only this style is intended for very easy use for complete beginners. A decision was made to keep it really simple, so there's no 'Water over Land' or Color Keys in this one.
However... that doesn't mean you can't set up your own alternative template to make it so ;)
I honestly found it quite interesting and original. Since most of the road options in Default are made up of perfect lines, which don't really emulate reality.
I agree, I really like the displacement effect on the roads. The Forest Trails annual inspired me to do something similar on a lot of my paths. Nice to see it works on an overland map, too.
The Displacement effect does add a little more (if loose!) reality to the drawing style, and people can always turn it off, if their road lines need to be more traditional, linear route-markers (which is how roads are shown on most maps at this kind of large-scale regional area, after all). Will rivers enjoy a similar treatment?
Textures are looking good. The snow might be a tad too blue and bland overall, though this is tricky, given large-scale snow/ice-fields tend not to look quite this pristine anyway. A couple of the taller mountains also seem to have a dark blue baseline that looks a trifle odd against the snow at the Forum image scaling, but looking closer, those are probably glacier-ends, I think.
Yes, it's only a sheet effect and can be adjusted or turned off.
Thanks :)
I tried greyer snow, but it just looked odd with so much colour everywhere else. It's early days, though, so things will probably change quite a bit. I'm not really in love with the snow texture either, or the deserts. They need some kind of roughening up.
Those are indeed glacier ends. I'm not convinced they are great, but "Mountain Glacier" is on the list I've been given, and a symbol can only be so big before it gets to be ridiculously enormous.
I think the different desert colourings make it look less uniform than the snow currently. It's never going to be straightforward, given that there aren't just simple, single terrain types that fall under these headings, of course!
Glaciers are tricky beasts, because effectively they're exceptionally deep, frozen, rivers, thus they follow valleys over sometimes long distances, with top surfaces that are often very rugged and messy - linear streaks of what looks like "edge-striping" dirt from a distance towards their sides, for instance, due to fallen debris from ice- and wind-affected bare rocks higher up the mountainsides. These foreshortened ones work fine, though maybe need a bit more of a blended ending to flow into the snowfields a little more. However, that may cause problems where there isn't a snow/ice field at the glacier's snout.
Well, lets start with the snow colour. I have this problem in that it can be that blue... or green... or pink... or yellow...
It depends on the lighting, the surface texture, the time of day, how clear the sky is... and it's a bit like trying to find one universal human skin colour.
I've decided that looking at the rest of the colour scheme I seem to have set up some kind of early evening sunny day, so maybe it should be creamy grey instead of blue grey. I'll think about it.
Mountains are a different shade than the base ice - which I really liked the texture of by the way.
It might be interesting to experiment with icy mountains with a gradient of tones, some mostly "blueish", others predominantly white (I'm not talking about multicolor). This could give an interesting hue to a mountain range.
The same idea could be used for mountains without snow.
Comments
From the small sample looks great.
I like it. When looking at the texture, I was wondering if more sketchy lines/ink need to be added. I am just think of the HW style and how the lines in the textures help it match the lines of the mountains.
I agree with Royal Scribe
Thank you, Royal Scribe, Don Anderson, JulianDracos and Quenten :)
Julian - I understand what you are saying, but I'm not sure I would be able to emulate such a different and very unique style that well - or even if I should if I could. The oil painting look might be as close as I can get to it, and certainly more natural for me to continue long term. Don't be too disappointed, though. This is just the grassland - always the flattest and most uninteresting fill of an overland style.
Yea straying far from your own art style is pretty hard. Unless that is your forte. Some people just know how to interpret other's work, but they are so rare.
My style is more draftsman in approach. Line work and angles. Unless I go full abstract. Then people like my X, she could copy Starry Night by Van Gogh, but couldn't do any original stuff. I am sure lots of people could copy stuff from Mike Schley, but doing a whole bunch of pieces that were orgininal that mimic'ed his style would be an achievement.
Sue is pretty amazing at what she does. I know I couldn't emulate her style at all. I am glad she sticks to it, and blesses us with her work.
The great masters painted in oil.
I think it was the only painting medium that lasted for more than half a lifetime until quite recently.
Watercolour became very fashionable, once the paper mills worked out how to make acid free, archival quality cotton paper, and watercolour pigments that were relatively colourfast.
After a long break while I was trying to work out how to tackle the painting of things (which of many quite different apps to use, and how), I've settled on Artrage for the textures purely because it allows me to paint seamless tiles by hand a lot easier than trying to remember how Krita works after 5 years of not really using it.
So here are the first few refined grassy type fills, desert fills and ocean fills.
I also struggled a long time on the land texture, until I remembered that it was mostly going to be hidden in finished maps.
The mountains haven't been finished, and there are symbols hanging around that are part of other styles, like Spectrum and Darklands. They are just there for now for rough comparisons in tone, shade and colour.
The fills are really beautiful. Can't wait to have a chance to map with this. I know you can't tell us when CC4 might be released, but there is a very eager audience for it.
Thank you very much, Royal :)
Can you tell us if this will use a color key cutout approach, either for rivers like the Parchment Maps annual or for the land like Birdseye Continental? The grass hugs the coastline so perfectly, I was wondering if it traces the coastline or if you were able to overdraw the coastline like Birdseye?
(Or maybe it's a brand new technique only available in CC4?)
I would, only this style is intended for very easy use for complete beginners. A decision was made to keep it really simple, so there's no 'Water over Land' or Color Keys in this one.
However... that doesn't mean you can't set up your own alternative template to make it so ;)
However... that doesn't mean you can't set up your own alternative template to make it so ;)
I probably will! I've started doing that when mapping with Mike Schley's overland and city styles.
The three colors in the desert are very versatile, and the transition from this biome to green is very well done, changing the tone. Congratulations.
Thank you, Ricko :)
Things have moved on a bit now. I've given the colour scheme a bit more depth and earthiness and done quite a bit to the mountains.
As always - say what you think. There's still time to change things yet.
The Terrain fills are very beautiful. I really liked the rough mountain texture.
Thanks Ricko :)
Is the road line made in an "irregular" way intentional or is it the pixel quality?
I've added a Displace to the ROADS sheet. It may be a bit too much.
Take it off?
I honestly found it quite interesting and original. Since most of the road options in Default are made up of perfect lines, which don't really emulate reality.
It's really great. I can't wait to have an opportunity to map with this style.
I agree, I really like the displacement effect on the roads. The Forest Trails annual inspired me to do something similar on a lot of my paths. Nice to see it works on an overland map, too.
The Displacement effect does add a little more (if loose!) reality to the drawing style, and people can always turn it off, if their road lines need to be more traditional, linear route-markers (which is how roads are shown on most maps at this kind of large-scale regional area, after all). Will rivers enjoy a similar treatment?
Textures are looking good. The snow might be a tad too blue and bland overall, though this is tricky, given large-scale snow/ice-fields tend not to look quite this pristine anyway. A couple of the taller mountains also seem to have a dark blue baseline that looks a trifle odd against the snow at the Forum image scaling, but looking closer, those are probably glacier-ends, I think.
Yes, it's only a sheet effect and can be adjusted or turned off.
Thanks :)
I tried greyer snow, but it just looked odd with so much colour everywhere else. It's early days, though, so things will probably change quite a bit. I'm not really in love with the snow texture either, or the deserts. They need some kind of roughening up.
Those are indeed glacier ends. I'm not convinced they are great, but "Mountain Glacier" is on the list I've been given, and a symbol can only be so big before it gets to be ridiculously enormous.
I think the different desert colourings make it look less uniform than the snow currently. It's never going to be straightforward, given that there aren't just simple, single terrain types that fall under these headings, of course!
Glaciers are tricky beasts, because effectively they're exceptionally deep, frozen, rivers, thus they follow valleys over sometimes long distances, with top surfaces that are often very rugged and messy - linear streaks of what looks like "edge-striping" dirt from a distance towards their sides, for instance, due to fallen debris from ice- and wind-affected bare rocks higher up the mountainsides. These foreshortened ones work fine, though maybe need a bit more of a blended ending to flow into the snowfields a little more. However, that may cause problems where there isn't a snow/ice field at the glacier's snout.
Sorry, I know this isn't really helping... 🙃
LOL!
Well, lets start with the snow colour. I have this problem in that it can be that blue... or green... or pink... or yellow...
It depends on the lighting, the surface texture, the time of day, how clear the sky is... and it's a bit like trying to find one universal human skin colour.
I've decided that looking at the rest of the colour scheme I seem to have set up some kind of early evening sunny day, so maybe it should be creamy grey instead of blue grey. I'll think about it.
Agreed - it definitely needs roughing up a bit.
"Agreed - it definitely needs roughing up a bit."
Agree, more texture please 🤓
Is this enough texture? There will be hills too, and other fills to mix with it.
Yes, the mountains are now looking a bit too blue, but I'll sort that out as I add more protruding rocky bits.
Mountains are a different shade than the base ice - which I really liked the texture of by the way.
It might be interesting to experiment with icy mountains with a gradient of tones, some mostly "blueish", others predominantly white (I'm not talking about multicolor). This could give an interesting hue to a mountain range.
The same idea could be used for mountains without snow.