Every now and then I get asked how I make the textures - the seamless bitmap tiles I add to new styles.

For a long time now its been the same answer, and one that I've been increasingly troubled about giving because the main node-driven procedural texture generating software I've been using for the past 5 years now became abandonware probably about 2 years ago and shouldn't really be recommended because the image library is no longer available - and while you can add your own photos the image library is quite a big part of it.

The second bit of software I use is Krita, which is a free bitmap app that has a wraparound mode that allows you to hand draw seamless tiles. However, Krita brushes are remarkably complicated to create, so you tend to get a bit stuck with the default brushes (as I do), or have to buy brushes made by other artists which might not be what you want.

However, today I purchased the latest version of Artrage (Artrage Vitae) and discovered you can now hand draw seamless tiles by activating the two tile options available under the Advanced tab of the Canvas Settings dialog, from the View menu. I've told you these details because it took me 2 hours of really intensive googling to find out how to activate it. Apart from this little difficulty, once you've found it making hand painted seamless tiles in Artrage is a lot easier than in Krita - mainly because Artrage is better designed for casual use as a painting app and doesn't have a seriously complicated brush engine.

So here is a 5 minute example I did earlier with the tiling switched off.

With left and right tile activated...

And with top and bottom tile activated.

I think I prefer the ones with better definition. The tanks, I mean. You can have well defined tanks with soft trees because tanks are hard edged and trees are not.

Well, I did some more versatile ruins that don't have the dark blur around them, so that you can put them either flat on the ground or on a sheet with a shadow. After that there is a drawing tool to add a floor if desired, or you can fill in with debris.

After a lot of messing around learning how to draw them, we now have horses and cows. Sheep and pigs to come (I hope). That should give everyone enough things to fill the land around their towns with now that there are 11 different kinds of field :)

I have a feeling that the animals would have been more use in a dungeon scale setting, but they're there now.

I made a few more field types and a new connecting hedge symbol.

PART 2.

I've started working on the second part of this style by adding a few new terrain textures.

This is not a map just yet, but a place where I test new things to see how they work together. There was a request for more Earth textures...

I think this is probably done now :)

Thank you :)

News just in, Dalton. Ralf wants to make an annual issue called "Banners and Seals" for next year :)

Back to the ribbon banners for a while until they are finished.

I've managed to sort out a kind of symbol jigsaw set that you can use to make variations of multi-fold title banners. It's not perfect, and it can be a bit tricky to work out which bit to put where, but at least it snaps together pretty seamlessly.

Ok. Here is location number 2 - Drummond Street, which was once the home of the six Drummond sisters.

I've been playing around with the colour of the snow, and the way the arctic mountains are presented. Does this look better?