Etria

[mapmage]

This is probably my favorite map you've made. Well, except for Middle Earth and Tamriel...

[Lavia Frons]

I could look at this map for hours.
Beautifully done!

[MistyBeee]

This map is so gorgeous! I especially love the fade from the warmer climes up into the arctic regions! Brendan

Aaah, I'm glad you enjoyed it, as it was something I especially worked on, trying to not have too strong borders for the biomes

This is probably my favorite map you've made. Well, except for Middle Earth and Tamriel...

Haha, thanks MapMage ! I'm afraid nothing can fight a Middle Earth map in the heart of fantasy lovers ^^'

I could look at this map for hours.
Beautifully done!

Thanks so much, Lavia !! ^^

[XCali]

Crickets! I can't rep you again so soon. I absolutely adore this map. I can feel the effort that went into this one. Your work is super inspiring!

Beee, can I ask a question? I know this one doesn't have as many labels, but I'm busy with one that demands a lot of labels, how do you go about having a lot of labels on a map and still make them feel natural? Mine feels a bit busy. (its the current project)

Anyway, awesome work on your map as always!

[MistyBeee]

Crickets! I can't rep you again so soon. I absolutely adore this map. I can feel the effort that went into this one. Your work is super inspiring!

Beee, can I ask a question? I know this one doesn't have as many labels, but I'm busy with one that demands a lot of labels, how do you go about having a lot of labels on a map and still make them feel natural? Mine feels a bit busy. (its the current project)

Anyway, awesome work on your map as always!

Thanks XCali !!

And sure, questions are always welcome (even if I'm often, too often, late to answer... ).
The awful truth is I always, always, have the feeling labels spoil the map when I add them. I always think it's too busy, unreadable, confusing... but learned to take a step forward : close the map, sleep one night, open the map again with a fresh eye, and most of the time, it's not that bad.
There's two tips which helped me :
1/ Most of the time, for maps with a lot of labels, I start with putting all of them on the map with a same basic font and orientation, roughly at the appropriate place. I do this at the beginning of a map, when on the sketch phase, which is important. Working on the labels this way helps to understand how busy will be the map or a specific area of the map, and can lead you to maybe reduce or increase the level of details of your drawing. If it seems there's enough space for the labels, then... that's cool. If it seems some areas will be crowded, then you'll need to prioritize, and it's where it's important to...
2/ ...sort your labels by type : countries/reliefs & natural elements/water bodies/cities and landmarks, for example. On those categories, there's often 2 or 3 under-categories. For example, Cities > Towns > Minor landmarks. Depending on the number of categories and under-categories, you'll be able to determine how many fonts/style/size to use in order to make a map easier to read. The readability is better if the name of a capital is slightly bigger than the name of a minor battle camp, right ?
For extreme situations, minor labels with smaller fonts can be omited for the sake of readability. But if it's impossible, then you can still consider a legend with key numbers. Of course, for the design and balance, a legend is not always easy to add at the end of a project, especially if you have size constraints. This is why labels always need to be thought at the beginning of a project, so you can anticipate the possible problems.
Hope it helps !

[Andarr]

This is just breathtaking masterpiece... hope you will dont mind when i will look at this time to time as an inspiration and drive to get better...

I have a question? can you tell me how much time did it take to finish this piece? Thanks

[Misjay Maps]

utterly utterly beautiful
I am going to get lost in this map for ages...
Every time I see one of your maps I feel like an apprentice with a long and interesting road ahead

[MistyBeee]

This is just breathtaking masterpiece... hope you will dont mind when i will look at this time to time as an inspiration and drive to get better...

I have a question? can you tell me how much time did it take to finish this piece? Thanks

Thanks Andarr ! Inspiration is always good, and I'm glad if I can help ^^
According to my time tracker, I worked on this map for 78h07 exactly, which also includes communication with the client, and probably also cuddles with my dog and some breakfast

utterly utterly beautiful
I am going to get lost in this map for ages...
Every time I see one of your maps I feel like an apprentice with a long and interesting road ahead

Aww, thanks so much, Misjay !! ^_^

[Tonys Gamecraft]

Great job. Glad to see such work!

[TheRedEpic]

Awesome as usual! I love the piled skulls and various accents in the borders, always a nice touch.