@Ilanthar, I think I remember that one, a giant footprint that had crushed a city! Thanks about the grass. I really enjoyed doing it. Blatantly attempting to imitate the style of others is a useful learning technique Though I confess mine looks more like a bunch of bumps and less like an integrated composition, but I had to start somewhere. I used a dual colour brush to paint in the background of the grass area which created some hints of shading and highlight, so when I went to draw in the grass I used what was already there as a guide. There would be times when I'd want to produce the terrain more purposefully, but it was kind of fun to take what I got and work with it.
@Abu Lafia Thank you. My main reasons for not doing a WIP earlier are twofold. One, because I was giving over the map to Kobold Press I wasn't sure what I was allowed to share. Now I know. KP are good folks. Second, the work was usually done over a fairly short period of time, but then so was this. I realized I have no good reasons not to do the WIP and I really feel the feedback makes the map better.
I'm definitely still a proponent of the "macht schmutzig!" style. I must keep learning new ways to make a mess of things! I'm not a big fan of the bottom left quadrant in this map. It feels a little like useless space. If the map is supposed to be a battlemap, why would anyone go there? If it's supposed to portray important elements of the space, well… there's nothing there. Partly this is a case of how the collaboration works, focusing on particular things. However, something for me to pay attention to in the future. I definitely pushed myself a bit this map and I feel like I got some good learning out of it.
The stone block on the circular structure is supposed to be a sort of altar, for when this little temple was used for its legitimate purpose. People would gather in the open area and a priestess would stand above. Of course, the gnolls showed up and ruined things for everyone. The whole circular structure is solid inside. Where I would normally have felt like making that into an interior space, I realized that big solid structures are not that unusual, especially when building material is plentiful.
Once the adventure gets put up at the Kobold Press blog I will post a link, probably in finished maps. I think it will be fairly soon.
Thanks for the kind words and feedback, I really appreciate it.
cheers,
Meshon
Meshon's Cobblestone Streets tutorial
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