World Map - Unnamed

[Azélor]

The ideal resolution depend on the distance between you and the map and what is being printed exactly.

[Hustle]

Typical print resolution is 300 ppi (pixel per inch) and a quick search for a reference for you just got me this:

“If the average reading distance is 1 foot (12 inches = 305 mm), p @0.4 arc minute is 35.5 microns or about 720 ppi/dpi. p @1 arc minute is 89 microns or about 300 dpi/ppi. This is why magazines are printed at 300 dpi – it’s good enough for most people. Fine art printers aim for 720, and that’s the best it need be. Very few people stick their heads closer than 1 foot away from a painting or photograph.”

Assuming you aim for 600 ppi. Then your 6000 pixels will allow for a 10 inches wide map - that's 10 inches of "fine art" quality print

Hmm. This may cause a resolution crisis down the road. Perhaps I should have gone with 12000x24000 from the get-go!

Oh well, I'll move ahead with what I've got and look at larger prints later when I've actually completed a map. I appreciate that info; something to keep in my utility belt for sure.

[Hustle]

UPDATE:

I'm mostly finished on mountains, cliffs, and hills as far as linework and shading. I may come back to those layers at a later date, but I'm comfortable with where they stand before coloring.

Two major points of progress and invitations for feedback:

RIVERS: I redid this layer. The coloring and width of the rivers/lakes is not final, but I would appreciate feedback on their placement and movement.

FORESTS: I'm restarting here as well. Shading/coloring will go a long way here to show detail, but my main focus now is trying to show how a river runs within a forest without cutting away that forest on either side of the river. Any ideas?



EDIT: I should point out what's probably going to end up being my first point of criticism. There's a lake up on a cliff-area to the southwest of the map that appears to drain into nothing. My head-canon is that the lake drains into a subsurface cave area and flows out from the east to the sea.

[Warlin]

Hi Hustle. Promising start you have there.

For the river system and its interaction with the forest you can find inspiration in this two kind of map by Thomas and Dain.
Will keep and eye in your progress.
Cheers.

[Hustle]

Small update on forests. I'm SO much happier with this style of mountain and forest. I think I've chosen how I'll progress through the rest of the map with at least these two things.

I set the opacity on the River WiP layer very low to showcase how I'm treating rivers inside forests. I'm happy with the look so far, and the river lines in the actual forests will be removed on the final product.

[Mouse]

This just keeps getting better and better, Hustle

[kacey]

The trees look great so far! This is really coming along nicely.

[MistyBeee]

That's a promising map so far

I especially love the color you picked for the sea, and how you made the rivers into the forest : clever idea !