Belnesse, a.k.a. Dream-map Expanded

[Kellerica]

Good evening, y'all!

A couple of months ago I posted this map, that I made based on a dream. I mentioned wanting to turn it into a full-grown setting, and since then, whenever I've had the time I've tried doing just that. This is my first attempt at expanding further beyond that initial map and exploring what could possibly lie beyond it.

I'm still holding onto the idea of keeping this project subconscious-inspired, so this one too includes locations and concepts taken from dreams I've had over the years. Not everything you see of course, not by a long shot, but as much as I could.

I'll most likely keep udating this as I go along (and add more things when interesting dreams come again), some of the stuff are more or less just placeholders for now, and some areas are still a bit empty. But it looks finished enough right now to post it, I think, so here you go.



Ugh... For some reason, I've lately been super-unspired to add borders, compass roses or even legends, and I could not bring myself to bother for this one either. Maybe I'll add them at a later point... don't know.
Anyways, let me know what you think! Again a very experimental style for me.

[J.Edward]

Oooh, I am liking everything about this one, Kell.
I think it's a gorgeous and inspiring piece.
I also like the concept of following dreams to make your maps.
Your maps always have such a nice atmosphere to them. nods.

[Tiana]

Do you always dream yourself into the same dream world, that you name after the city or towns you live in here but they really look nothing like that, and you only named them that because of the sense of it being 'home'? Me and two friends all share what seems to be a very similar "dream Winnipeg" which has tropical plants and mountains, much to the contrary of reality. Your world totally reminds me of it. I have repeatedly seen myself in the same apartment, which I name after the landlord or apartment agency or street I know from real life, but it's not a thing like that.

I think it's nice enough to post. Compass roses are cheesy anyway but I do think it could do with a border if you're inspired in the future.

[Hardacre]

This is a great piece of work.

I think the lack of legends etc help it maintain a distinct feel and leaves unknowns for the reader to explore. Stylistically it just works and adds to the ethereal creation

Love it

[Josiah VE]

This is a gorgeous piece Kellerica! The colours are beautiful, and everything looks very polished and professional.
I especially love the mountain style, I'm curious what kind of process you use to make those.

[Larb]

I agree with everyone else - it's a great looking regional map. I love the city icons too.

[Voolf]

This one is really gorgeous and so much unexpected Kell. You bring something new and fresh to the table. Very nice style and top-notch colouring !
Hats off K. you did a splendid map. Please follow more of your dreams because they bring out the best of your skills !

[Kellerica]

Oooh, I am liking everything about this one, Kell.
I think it's a gorgeous and inspiring piece.
I also like the concept of following dreams to make your maps.
Your maps always have such a nice atmosphere to them. nods.

Thanks, J Glad you think so.

Do you always dream yourself into the same dream world, that you name after the city or towns you live in here but they really look nothing like that, and you only named them that because of the sense of it being 'home'? Me and two friends all share what seems to be a very similar "dream Winnipeg" which has tropical plants and mountains, much to the contrary of reality. Your world totally reminds me of it. I have repeatedly seen myself in the same apartment, which I name after the landlord or apartment agency or street I know from real life, but it's not a thing like that.

I think it's nice enough to post. Compass roses are cheesy anyway but I do think it could do with a border if you're inspired in the future.

I definitely recognice the concept of something looking absolutely nothing like the real thing, and yet in the dream it still feels like it is, but I can't say I've often (if ever) seen anything that tries to be actual locations from my real life. It happens more with people and characters in mine, now that I think about it. I can't even count the times when I encounter a real person from my life that has mysteriously changed gender, is suddenly portrayed by a celebrity actor or has unceremoniously turned into a sheep halfway through everything...

And not once in my life have I seen the same dream more than once. They often feel like a part of continuing narrative while I'm in them, mind you. I'm always meeting people that are "old friends from way back" and doing things and seeing places that feel very familiar, but I always know upon waking that it was the first time I've actually seen them.

So this world is definitely a collage of tiny individual miniworlds more than anything. I'm just scattering the small dream-places upon the landscape where I feel it would make sense for them to be.

This is a great piece of work.

I think the lack of legends etc help it maintain a distinct feel and leaves unknowns for the reader to explore. Stylistically it just works and adds to the ethereal creation

Love it

Thanks! Glad you think so!

This is a gorgeous piece Kellerica! The colours are beautiful, and everything looks very polished and professional.
I especially love the mountain style, I'm curious what kind of process you use to make those.

Thanks, Josiah!
As for the mountain style, most of them comes from the Saderan-esque Bevel & Emboss reliefs that I sculpted with a special brushset made for that use specifically. Then there is a flattened version of said relief level, that has been run through a few PS filters, that is beneath the original relief level (it's what gives the mountains those darker ridges you can see).

The rest is just texture. I know some people use texture as the background below all their lineart, but I use them on top of everything with several kind of blending modes that make them see-through, so they affect everything. I then use a couple of PS's brightness correction filters to combat the darkness of the textures (some would say not enough, lol), and then a pile of color filters (99% of the time Hue & Saturation) to get the colors to be what I actually want them to be.

I agree with everyone else - it's a great looking regional map. I love the city icons too.

Glad you like the city icons, I was not completely sure if they worked or not...

This one is really gorgeous and so much unexpected Kell. You bring something new and fresh to the table. Very nice style and top-notch colouring !
Hats off K. you did a splendid map. Please follow more of your dreams because they bring out the best of your skills !

Heh! Thanks, V

[Eilathen]

So this is how a bright Kell map looks like?! I like it!

On a more serious level, I really like what you have done with the mountains here. Also, the little city and town symbols are very much to my liking!

All the "history" and inspiration behind the map is also quite unique and cool. I mean dreams of the mapper as source for the map? How much more transcendental can you get?!??

[Kellerica]

So this is how a bright Kell map looks like?!

Almost scary, isn't it?

All the "history" and inspiration behind the map is also quite unique and cool. I mean dreams of the mapper as source for the map? How much more transcendental can you get?!??

Have to keep things interesting, do we not?

Seriously, though, above everything I've always found my subconsious to be an excellent idea scrambler. It often takes cool concepts from stories I've liked ("this magic school I dreamt of was clearly Unseen University inspired"), but always manages to combine them with other things, and add its own twist on them, creating new strange concept coctails. It does sometimes get a bit surreal, to be honest. It's definitely a product of your own brain, but at the same time it's something your conscious mind would never, ever have come up with, so it almost feels like it's come from somewhere... I don't even know where. Somewhere else altogether.

In any case, thanks for the nice comment!