The Forest Smithy - Critique welcome

[Dysterkvist]

Hi,

I really like your maps. They are so clean and detailed and still manage to read really well.

Do you draw in pencil and scan or is this done fully in Photoshop or another package? It's fantastic and I would love to be able to learn how to get a similar crisp finish.

Weery.

Hello!
Nice to hear that you like them!

I draw them all in Photoshop. It's hard to give any advice because it's hard to determine specifically what others consider "good". But I have been drawing for about 8 or so years now, and you just learn from your mistakes with time I guess.

I said it in some other thread I think, but what I think really improved my line-work was drawing with a real ballpoint/ink pen on paper, trying to do studies of things in real life or from photos without sketching first. This usually looks awful for a while but you start to improve very quickly when you can't go back and fix your mistakes.

I sort of still do it now in Photoshop in a way, I almost always sketch and draw with a brush that simulates an ink brush, as in it has no opacity on pressure, it just has shape dynamics turned on to control the size of the brush.

If you have any specific questions about anything just ask and I will do my best to reply.

[Falconius]

Brilliant artistry. I know it's a bit too late now for this now but would however make a point that a blacksmith can't work in the sun or the rain. The sun, because it's nearly impossible to see how hot the metal is (also it's just hot too work in the sun anyways), and the rain for obvious reasons. In addition, his tools are valuable, to him especially, so he'd never leave them outside to either be stolen, or to rust, that includes the anvil which is extremely valuable.

[NathanC]

Love this Dysterkvist, the line work and the over all feeling of the map really transports me to this little glen. Excellent work!!

[jpstod]

Brilliant artistry. I know it's a bit too late now for this now but would however make a point that a blacksmith can't work in the sun or the rain. The sun, because it's nearly impossible to see how hot the metal is (also it's just hot too work in the sun anyways), and the rain for obvious reasons. In addition, his tools are valuable, to him especially, so he'd never leave them outside to either be stolen, or to rust, that includes the anvil which is extremely valuable.

If you read the description the smithy is actually inside a cave. out of the rain. And you hear clanging so I doubt he is not home at the Time.

[Falconius]

If you read the description the smithy is actually inside a cave. out of the rain. And you hear clanging so I doubt he is not home at the Time.

Oh on the map it looks like a building next to a cliff. Not sure what he has to be home or not for, anvils are heavy, he's not going to move it in and out of his house everyday.