WIP Thalassios , a pirate map

[ThomasR]

Hi fellow mapmakers !

It's been a freakishly long time since I started a WIP thread so, here comes one as those always helped me advance at a connsistent enough pace. This is a follow up commission for a client, another part of his world where I drew .

Here, I'm gonna draw a pirate map so, I've decided to try and make the map usable for navigation (not that I think the players will actually use it this way, nor am I able to draw such a tool but it will be an immersive enough prop) so I started by drawing a full set of rhumb lines.

### Latest WIP ###


Next, the landmasses outline and most likely something with a compass somewhere

Cheers !

Thomas

[ThomasR]

### Latest WIP ###


So, the real work has started. Mainly coastline and placeholders, but still, it's taking shape. Dunno if all the lakes will stay but I like those in the northern part that'll be a big dense jungle. The client generated the landshape with a program and is not too attached to the primary look so, I use it as a guide but with lots of freedom.

I'll add more coastal islands that will be a good feature for a pirate setting. The main compass is a placeholder and I do not know the look it'll have yet but I want a niceskull on it. The secondary compassesare too big at the moment.

Here's the base if it's something you are interested in.

[Diamond]

Looking awesome so far!

[ThomasR]

Looking awesome so far!

Thanks a lot D

Ok, a bit more advancement here.

### Latest WIP ###


The background is set, some dark in overlay on the sea for contrast and a bit of blue because I'll fiddle some more with the blue I guess. I also need to draw the torn parchment border and figure out a way to fade the map features properly at the edges (that last part is a job for later).

I've placed a handful of secondary compasses at the rhumb nodes and will let the main compass stew a bit more in my head before I tackle it but you can expect a skull somewhere.

I've got a couple of secondary compasses that are partially concealed by the land and I'm at odds with myself here. I've placed them and clipped the parts that are under the land. In some places, it works well enough. In others, not so well. Browsing through my documentation (the French National Library published a marvelous book on marine charts) I saw that the cartographers of old just didn't bother or just added them everywhere, even on land but with a detailed fantasy map, this is nnot an option. While I take inspiration in those maps of yore, I fully inted to add my twist but I wonder :

1- should I keep the concealed compasses ?
2- should I remove them and don't worry that the placement are uneven ?
3- keep some loose the more problematics ?

Any input from you, fellows, is welcome here.

Also, the red streaks on the land are the basis for my mountains but you can expect many branching in that department.

Hope you like it and, as usual, any critic or comment is welcome (I missed sharing my WIPs around here).

Cheers !

[Diamond]

Oh man, this one is gonna be epic. Hmm, my vote is for option 3, I think. I can give you a better opinion once you've got some samples up.

[Josiah VE]

Starting WIPs after forever seems to be a trend, I'll have to start one too..
Looking amazing so far! Can't wait to see more

[XCali]

Hey cool map. Can you post a version where the many lines of the compass roses are a bit less prominent? Lower the opacity of that layer. (It would be interesting to see which one works better. As it is now, I really feel the lines' prominence make the map far too busy.)

[- JO -]

That's kind of new experiment for you, isn't it ? I like the way you started with the compass and I like what you did with it afterward

[ThomasR]

Oh man, this one is gonna be epic. Hmm, my vote is for option 3, I think. I can give you a better opinion once you've got some samples up.

My first thought also but then I thought about color. I'll see if I can pull it off with the land colored and will just erase the problematic ones if it doesn't work. I'll propose different versions when the time comes. Thanks for you insight D

Starting WIPs after forever seems to be a trend, I'll have to start one too..
Looking amazing so far! Can't wait to see more

Hey, I learned so much this way when I started out, it's only natural to try and give some back. Would love to see how your style has evolved

Hey cool map. Can you post a version where the many lines of the compass roses are a bit less prominent? Lower the opacity of that layer. (It would be interesting to see which one works better. As it is now, I really feel the lines' prominence make the map far too busy.)

I agree with you, thanks Hope. Below I'm sharing a version with thiner rhumb lines (redid them all and will share a .PNG so that it doesn't go to waste) but I'm not sure it resolves the issue. At the moment, the land is empty and it makes for a stark contrast with the sea. When the land is drawn I'll see how it looks and have several options : lowering the opacity, having some lines be dashed lines, darkening the sea ...

That's kind of new experiment for you, isn't it ? I like the way you started with the compass and I like what you did with it afterward

New experiment, not really but it is the first time I do it properly. We'll see if I can pull it off

### Latest WIP ###


I've drawn a torn parchment border plus the holes and might add creases and folds later one, we'll see.

Next will come the mountains then the varied biomes (the map extends from the Equator up North to the 60th parallel down South).

Hope you like this small update.

EDIT : If an admin can change the title from Penca to Thalassios, that'd be fab' !

[- JO -]

I really like the shades and colours. The multiplication of rhumb lines has a hypnotic quality that I also like. Can't wait for the rest!