Share your early maps!

[Kellerica]

Every now and again, I come across people both on and off these forums, who are expressing desperation over how many talented artists we have here, and how they feel like they can never even dream of reaching such a skill level at making maps. While I wholeheartedly agree that the talent we have over here can be overwhelming, I still feel like it is important to note that every single artist has had to start somewhere.

Now, I still don't think I can count myself among the most talented map-makers on this site, but even I can with absolute certainty say that I have come a long way.



Here are a couple of examples of my most early digital maps. The first one was the first completely digital map I tried making, way before I even joined the Guild, I think it was made somewhere around 2012.

The second one is almost as old, I drew it by hand, scanned it and did some truly dreadful PS work on it.

The third one was made in the early 2014. By this point, I had already found the Guild, downloaded some tutorials and started putting effort into actually learning my way around PS mapping. It still wouldn't be until 2015 when I was actually ready to post something on the forums. But this crop of a map seen here, is one of the many, many, many maps I worked on until that happened.



Now, just to give you an easy to way to see this back-to-back, this is where I find myself after 6 years of learning and practicing. This fan-map of Earthsea is this far my favorite work I've completed. I still have a ways to go, but I think we can all agree that there is some serious distance between that first map and this one.




In conclusion, I hope this can give some hope to people who think their maps looks like crap and they fear they will never get better: don't worry. Our first works usually sucked too.



If any of you others have any early works of yours saved somewhere, please post them to this thread if you feel like it! I seriously think it would do many people at the start of their journey good to see that many of us have pretty humble origins when it comes to maps and art in general. Cheers,

-Kell

[Wingshaw]

Good idea Kell.

I don't think I still have any of the maps I was making 20 years ago, but here is my first map on the Guild:


And here's what I've been doing lately:


Both are entirely digital and made in PS.

Wingshaw

[Larb]

Yes, this is a great thread. And it's definitely true - we all had to start somewhere. And anyone can become amazing at it with time and practice. This place is all about helping people do that.

So here are some of my earliest maps. I used to use Paint Shop Pro a lot years ago.

This first one is the first ever town map I made digitally:



This next one is an early ship battlement:



And here is an old dungeon map:

[Kellerica]

Great stuff and great progress, guys! Thanks for contributing

[Falconius]

Argh! I wish I had some of my old stuff with me but it's still in Edmonton. (also I'd secretly like to rework some things in the old stuff)

I love this sort of stuff. It's unencumbered.

[Larb]

I think I should add that there are a lot of maps I never post anywhere because they just don't work out and look terrible. Same with my artwork in general. I'm sure other people have similar things.

[Kellerica]

I think I should add that there are a lot of maps I never post anywhere because they just don't work out and look terrible. Same with my artwork in general. I'm sure other people have similar things.

Another excellent point. And when it comes to personal projects, for every finished map I post, there is five more left forever unfinished somehere on my hard-drives. Never to be revealed to the world, because they look and feel like pure crap

[Tiana]

Argh! I wish I had some of my old stuff with me but it's still in Edmonton.

Perhaps ironically enough, my oldest maps are also near Edmonton... I drew my original maps by hand and if they still exist they're in a box somewhere in my mom's home. They are absolutely terrible, to my memory.

This is the oldest map of mine I have access to now, from 2010. I don't hate it, probably because I think it's funny. There might be one I did earlier than that on this site, actually, I have a faint memory of posting the first digital map I had a go at on here for advice when I first joined in 2009. While in my opinion I've come a long way it's not nearly as hideous as my original pencil maps. By the time I'd made that map I had already found a few tutorials.

I'll have to see if I can find the originals over Christmas.

[SteffenBrand]

Well, you asked for it. I don't even want to comment on WHAT THE **** this is... *sinks into the ground*
My early ones were made by hand. One was watercolor and ink, the second one was liquid ballpoint with water smudging. Ol'times.

Cheers, what a fun thread! =)

[ThomasR]

My baby ! It's not even finished yet but it is my first map AND my first map here. It lead me to cartography.

Here comes !



I'm not even ashamed